Responder Self-Care: How do you take care of you?
SAMHSA DTAC DBH
Greetings members,
Below we are sharing the content from the November SAMHSA DTAC Bulletin,
focused on Responder Self-care and Stress Management.
Please reply to this thread to share your self-care and stress management strategies and tips!
We look forward to hearing from you.
Responder Self-care and Stress Management
This month, the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) is raising awareness about managing stress and adopting positive self-care practices in the first responder and disaster responder communities. Responders face many hazards, human suffering, and traumatic events that can affect their mental health. Due to the nature of their jobs, it is key for responders to understand stress and its impacts and learn positive, healthy coping mechanisms. Sadly, from 2018 to 2020 suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the United States, with some first responders such as law enforcement officers having a higher number of deaths from suicide than in the line of duty. With compassion, self-awareness, and increased understanding, this can change for the better.
Below are resources designed to protect, sustain, and promote behavioral health. These are for disaster responders and first responders, and they teach practical skills to use to help maintain and promote behavioral health as well as providing background information on stress and resiliency for context.
Service to Self Training Course
This hour-long SAMHSA online course provides free, interactive, and relatable training to first responders about their increased vulnerability to substance use and mental health conditions while also providing resources and support to address these concerns. Those who complete this course are eligible for continuing education units (CEUs) from the Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE), the accrediting body for continuing education for emergency medical services (EMS) personnel.
Produced by the Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC), part of the SAMHSA MHTTC Network, this interactive toolkit was developed for healthcare professionals serving as frontline responders during the COVID-19 pandemic to address compassion fatigue, stress, and burnout using research-based learning content. Although it was developed for responders during COVID-19, it can be used to support behavioral health for responders to other incidents as well. The 10-module training includes adult positive psychology and organizational theories for both individuals and organizations. Although many first responders and healthcare professionals are familiar with self-care practices, these practices are frequently not understood or prioritized. This learning content teaches new and innovative ways for professionals to improve and maintain their well-being and mental health.
Disaster Responder Stress Management
Disasters may involve trauma, and those responding are exposed to survivor experiences in a deep and often personal way. To help responders cope with this exposure, SAMHSA DTAC has developed educational content to help disaster responders manage stress. Included on this webpage is a compassion fatigue wallet card to help disaster responders keep track of their mental health needs. Self-awareness is critical for effective stress management, and this resource also provides many strategies and resources for first responders to use so that they can best manage the stress that comes with the disaster response field.
A Guide to Managing Stress for Disaster Responders and First Responders
Including information for disaster and first responders, this guide provides education on the effects of stress on the body and suggests strategies to manage stress for both individuals and organizations. It teaches about the stress cycle, promoting positive workplace environments, stress management planning for organizations, suicide risk and management, and self-care for responders before, during, and after disasters and other crisis events.
This free online course teaches law enforcement officers about stress, how to recognize it in themselves and others, and how to best manage it with research-based practices. It includes resources, videos, and quizzes. By the end of the course, law enforcement officers will recognize symptoms of stress and other mental health issues like posttraumatic stress disorder, suicidal thoughts and actions, and depression.
A 1-hour online training course from SAMHSA, this training was designed for first responders nationwide who are responding to the opioid crisis, but its research-based resources, coping strategies, and exercises are useful in any type of stressful event. This learning activity is accredited by CAPCE for CEUs for EMS professionals. Once the course is complete, learners will be able to use healthy coping and stress management strategies, have a knowledge base of research-based self-care practices, and be able to recognize signs of mental and substance use disorders in themselves and others.
If you have any questions or if you would like additional information, please reach out to the SAMHSA DTAC team at 1-800-308-3515 or via e-mail at dt...@iqsolutions.com.
