Walk the Talk: First Responder Peer Support

by Sylvio

$23.75

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Author: Sylvio

Publisher: 1799455 Ont. Inc.

Paperback:
ISBN 10: 0988131668
ISBN 13: 978-0988131668

Research shows that eighty percent of suicides have a degree of pre-communication before the act is completed. Therefore, organizations have a responsibility to protect their employees from committing harmful or life-threatening acts against themselves, or possibly others, as a consequence of experiencing ongoing trauma resulting from their jobs. Organizations need the tools to provide assistance and support and not just tools to react to members’ needs. Additional tools and resources are available to create a proactive system of early intervention that provides support and resources to employees before they become lost in a hole of despair.

Walk the Talk is an invitation for the reader to discover the rationale for, and the development and implementation of, an effective peer support program. Such a program can be instrumental in mitigating the negative consequences of traumatic events within an organization, particularly first responder services or agencies.

As a result of their own boots-on-the-ground experience of an operational stress injury, retired Staff Sergeants Brad McKay and Syd Gravel have each walked the road of recovery. Through their own learning and post-traumatic growth, their personal lives and careers were enhanced as they used their own experiences, insights and training to introduce informal and formal peer support programs to their own police services in order to assist their injured colleagues.

We know that humans are social beings who need to connect and share with others. We are also aware that life situations that create threats, pain and distress can lead to suffering—often suffering in silence. Isolation, loneliness and a lack of support increase the negative consequences of traumatic events in our lives and directly impact our brain’s health. In addition, there is a relationship between exposure to trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic medical conditions. All of these can create an emotional, physical and financial cost to an organization.

The models you will learn about include: 1) Protecting Society’s Protectors through Peer Support; 2) Assessing an Organization’s Awareness about Workplace Wellness; 3) Getting Management Onside; 4) Organizational Pre-Hiring Preparedness; 5) Organizational Support for Families; 6) Middle Management Leadership; 7) Developing a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team; 8) Developing Peer Support Teams; 9) Staffing CISM and Peer Support Teams; 10) Organizational Training for CISM; 11) How a CISM and Peer Support System Can Work and 12) Walking the Talk.

This book describes how to provide such a system through processes that are relatively easy to set up and relatively inexpensive to implement. Step by step, and chapter by chapter, the organization will learn about the information needed and the tools and resources available to build a competent and trusted peer support system.

The two authors have a combined total of fifty-five years of peer support experience. They understand the challenges and have overcome the hurdles in setting up peer support systems for their organizations and for other similar services. They share their knowledge in this book, based on having walked the talk, in order to help others get started in implementing a peer support system.

The practices outlined in this book are evidence-based, with the training of peers using the seventeen evidenced-based modules that follow the guidelines set by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and which are endorsed and supported by the Mood Disorders Society of Canada.

Review

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT BRAD MCKAY: Finally, the masses will see and read what many have known for years. Brad is the total package when it comes to sharing lived experience trauma and putting it into terms that everyone will understand. Brad's character and reputation have been synonymous with excellence throughout his policing career. Always there with an offer of a coffee, a shoulder to lean on or an ear to listen, Brad is the consummate "go to guy." By sharing his knowledge and experience, Brad will inspire and validate those who have struggled with, or those who love someone who has struggled with, PTSD. Brad was my "go to guy" and I am proud to call him my friend. After reading this book, I'm sure you will see how lucky I am! ~ Neil Orr, Ret'd Constable, Former Secretary, York Regional Police Association and York Regional Police. Throughout his thirty-three-year career with York Regional Police, Staff Sergeant Brad McKay was highly respected as an exceptional police officer who excelled on the front line and as a detective. A police leader, who truly led by example as a mentor, team-builder and action-orientated advocate, Brad was committed to the development and well-being of others. His encouraging leadership style and relentless dedication to the service of others were instrumental in establishing the York Region Critical Incident Stress Management Team and our Peer Support Unit. Brad's career has left a legacy that will ensure the best possible care and support are available to the members of York Regional Police and other emergency services personnel who have dedicated their lives to the safety and security of our citizens. ~ Thomas Carrique, M.O.M., SBStJ, MA, Deputy Chief of Police, York Regional Police - Operations Branch WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT SYD GRAVEL: Sylvio (Syd) is a sought-after speaker and has delivered presentations to diverse organizations on a wide range of topics, including breaking down barriers in addressing mental health in the workplace, suicide prevention, building resilience to trauma, and helping families of those afflicted with PTSD. He helped develop a web-based continuing medical education course for primary care physicians and specialists, directed at diagnosis, clinical approach to treatment and stigma reduction for those suffering from PTSD. Having known Syd for a number of years, I would say that what most distinguishes Syd's character is his unfaltering availability and willingness to help his colleagues and their families at any time of the day or night. His tireless, voluntary efforts put toward awareness, education, support and effective treatment of PTSD in first responders are exemplary. ~ Dan Bowers, Ret'd Sergeant, Ontario Provincial Police Since his retirement, Syd has devoted all his time and energy to promoting and protecting mental health, building resilience in the face of trauma and promoting peer support systems within first responder organizations. By sharing his personal experience as a PTSD survivor, Syd provides hope to other officers who have suffered psychological injuries from traumatic events faced during their policing career. Syd provides a unique contact-based training experience. He is an excellent resource for policing organizations looking to implement new strategies and a tireless leader, continuously driven to improve the quality of life of first responders living with, or in recovery, from a mental illness. Sylvio (Syd) exemplifies the values, dedication and passion that all individuals involved in mental health or other fields should aspire to by being both selfless and relentless in the pursuit of improved quality of life for first responders living with a mental illness. ~ Ed Mantler, Vice-President, Programs and Priorities, Mental Health Commission of Canada, Ottawa

About the Author

Syd is a more than twenty-eight-year PTSD survivor and has been a peer supporter since 1988. In 2007, he was nominated by his peers and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and inducted by the governor general for the Order of Merit in Policing in Canada. Since his retirement, he has devoted all his time and energy to speaking on developing resilience and resistance to trauma and setting up peer support systems. He has written and published "56 Seconds" and "How to Survive PTSD and Build Peer Support". In 2014, Syd developed a trail-blazing curriculum for the certification of peers in Canada, based on the guidelines and practice for the selection and training of peers developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Syd is currently co-leading the Peer and Trauma Support Systems (P.A.T.S.S.) Team for the Mood Disorders Society of Canada. He is a lead facilitator for peer workshops for Soldiers Helping Soldiers in Ottawa. The peer work focus is on helping homeless veterans. He has developed the content for the three days of peer training for the Transitions to Communities Project for the Mood Disorder's Society of Canada. He has also developed the content for an on-line trauma management course for Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. Syd is a board director for Badge of Life Canada. In 2016, he was nominated by the Mental Health Commission of Canada as a Canadian Champion of Mental Health.

As a Certified Trauma Services Specialist with the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists, Brad has responded to and coordinated hundreds of interventions for frontline responders and their families. Brad has been asked to appear on TV news to provide the first responder perspective. Currently, Brad is providing clinically supervised peer support for mental health professionals in York Region and is the peer lead for a weekly yoga group for first responders. Brad is proud and honoured to join Syd Gravel in co-leading the Peer and Trauma Support Systems (P.A.T.S.S.) Team. This is a team of highly skilled, trained, experienced and professional peer and mental health experts from across Canada. Many of these professionals have volunteered countless hours to support frontline responders. Brad recently joined Badge of Life Canada as a senior police advisor and volunteers on two peer teams. A family man, Brad is a community-minded energetic advocate for wellness and peer support.

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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Walk the Talk: First Responder Peer Support