Ignoring the Past: The Cost to Cops and Everyone Else
I am Jewish by heritage and a second-generation American. With the rise of anti-Semitism in the U.S. and worldwide, I feel alarmed. My paternal grandparents came to America from Russia to escape conscription by the Czar. The discrimination they and my parents...
Do You Do Too Much for Others?
Feeling resentful is a clue that you've done enough, perhaps too much. I recently facilitated a retreat for first responder significant others and spouses, all six of them women. They arrived exhausted and emotionally depleted. Tasked with jobs, raising children, some...
How Do You Live With Yourself When You’ll Never Be Perfect?
Can we agree on one thing? Perfection, however much we crave it, is impossible to achieve. I’d like my surgeon to be perfect; ditto for the pilot on my plane. What constitutes perfect or even good is open to opinion and the subject of a zillion lawsuits. Especially if...
Treating Traumatic Stress in First Responders
First responders see things that no one should have to see, do things that no one should have to do, and go places no one should have to go. They console the inconsolable, encounter the unthinkable, and are exposed to some of the cruelest, most tragic moments life has...
First Responders: Do You Know the Difference Between Trauma and Tragedy?
Learning to distinguish trauma from tragedy is a must for first responders. Knowing the difference between trauma and tragedy can strengthen a first responder emotionally and minimize the effect of trauma. Maturing as a first responder requires accepting your own...
Leaving the Job: How Cops Can Transition to a New Career
30 years of police work is not for everyone. Here's how to make a graceful exit. Asking police officers to stay on the job for 20 to 30 years may be a mistake, costly to the officer, the agency and the community. Transitioning out of police work into the civilian...