Stress First Aid: Train the Trainer
Dates: August 31 – September 1, 2023
Class Size: Limited to 30 participants
Location: Gallatin County Detention Center, 605 S. 16th Ave., Bozeman, MT
Cost to Agencies: $200
POST Credit hours: 16
Sign up: Contact Sgt. Erin Taylor at erin.taylor@gallatin.mt.gov
Course Description
The stress encountered by those who work in law enforcement settings is influenced by a number of factors: the exposure to many types of trauma, the losses which they may witness or experience, the difficult decisions they have to make, threats the job can present, the pressure they put on themselves to make a difference in the lives of those they serve, and the cumulative demands the job places on them. Added to these factors, personal issues from home and family stressors can also come into play. As a result, law enforcement professionals may juggle many competing demands.
Stress First Aid (SFA) is a framework of practical actions that can help reduce the likelihood that stress reactions will develop into more severe or long-term problems. SFA offers a flexible menu of options for addressing stress reactions. It can be used for self-care, to help co-workers with stress reactions, or to help someone seek other types of support. Ideally everyone in an organization would learn the basics of Stress First Aid so that support could occur wherever and whenever it’s needed.
In law enforcement settings, the individuals best positioned to provide SFA are co-workers, mentors, supervisors and others who have existing relationships with someone experiencing significant stress. Friends and family members can also play an important role.
Instructor Vickie H. Taylor, LCSW, is the Director of the Prince William County Public Safety Resilience Center, a wellness promotion and counseling unit created and funded by Prince William County government to serve law enforcement officers, firefighters, corrections officers, paramedics and 9-1-1 tele-communicators. The Prince William Police Department was awarded the national 2019 Destination Zero Officer Wellness VALOR Award due to the comprehensive nature of their wellness program, which includes the Public Safety Resilience Program. Prior to assuming this position, Ms. Taylor worked in community behavioral health for 36 years at Prince William County Community Services. In 1985, she began providing behavioral health consultation to the public safety agencies in Prince William County, VA. She also works on a contract basis with the First Responder Center for Excellence and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation as a trainer, behavioral health consultant, and the coordinator of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Week-end Family Day. She is a contributing author and trainer of Stress First Aid for Firefighters and Emergency Medical Personnel and Stress First Aid for Law Enforcement