Courses aimed at first responders
Yukon College is putting on a unique course this week in Watson Lake, and at the end of March in Whitehorse.
Yukon College is putting on a unique course this week in Watson Lake, and at the end of March in Whitehorse.
The instructor, former Yukoner Michael Swainson, is in the territory this month to deliver courses for the Northern Institute of Social Justice at the college.
Swainson, a first responder in the Yukon for many years, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) in 2009.
He has taken his experience with PTSD, the diagnosis, education and the healing process and developed a set of practical survival skills that others can use in their work and home life.
He wants to help prevent others from travelling the hard road of first responder burnout, or worse yet, a diagnosis of PTSD.
Swainson is teaching “Survival skills for the first responder”, a one-day program that has been piloted through the institute and has been delivered across North America.
He is also teaching “Survival skills for the first responder – spouse/partner”, a three-hour session for a first responder’s spouse/partner.
Swainson is also certified to deliver a number of courses developed by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.
He has delivered those courses in the past for the institute and will do so again in April.
Those courses are “Assisting individuals in crisis” and “Group crisis intervention”.
The Watson Lake sessions are today through Wednesday.
Comments (4)
Up 6 Down 1
I. Loositay on Mar 4, 2020 at 9:23 pm
Dear Yukonner - Prolonged exposure to traumatic events is a sufficient but not necessary condition for an occurrence of PTSD. Individuals who have experienced a job loss, physical assault, sexual assault or the loss of a loved one can develop PTSD.
PTSD can be induced in individuals who are the targets of workplace bullying and/or domestic violence. The parallels are striking between workplace bullying and domestic/intimate partner violence such that the programming for domestic violence could easily be adapted to a Bullying in the Workplace 101 course and made mandatory in the Unionized sector of the Yukon’s workforce.
Although we do not acknowledge it there is a bullying epidemic in the government in which the very people employed to make sure that it does not happen actually make it worse - Managers, HR, the RWO and the Union.
But I wonder at the uncounted who have been bullied, drummed and harassed out of the workplace? How did they manage their Trauma, their Stress, or their PTSD?
PTSD is treatable and hopefully we can work to take the stigma out of our conversations by learning how to talk about PTSD and to understand that it is not a product of war and death but rather it is embedded in the senselessness of a given traumatic event. It is not an individual weakness or flaw and we need to de-emphasize this perspective.
Here is a short screen to consider. It is not diagnostic but you may want to discuss your answers with someone?
https://adaa.org/screening-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
Up 17 Down 2
Scott MacLean on Mar 3, 2020 at 7:42 pm
My opinion, what happens the day our first responders decided we can't do it who do you call? It's not that we can't do it, it's the fact that when we do it takes a toll on us. I have been a FF since I turned 18 both on volunteer side and career side and have worked with the best first responders and Heath care providers, we can't take our job and put it in a drawer at the end of the day. We take it home and live with it forever. It's an injury like any other that has treatments. We train on the trucks and the care we need to train ourselves to handle the stress also. Saying we should just go get another job is disrespectful and next time before you put people who help people down, maybe you could give us a hand up.
Up 21 Down 4
Yukonner on Mar 3, 2020 at 4:33 pm
Most people will think hard about these careers. In most cases it's not a singular event that leads to PTSD, depression etc. It's prolonged exposure to traumatic events, compassion fatigue, and the physicality of the work.
If it was as simple as moving on...people would. I'm glad that it's finally a subject that is being approached and handled. Someone falls off a roof....the injury is apparent. But mental health...sometimes the pain is not visible. ALL first responders not just the big 3 ( firefighters, EMS and police)...are exposed to traumatic events....let's help take care of them...they take care of us.
Up 6 Down 23
My Opinion on Mar 2, 2020 at 7:32 pm
I believe people should think hard about what jobs they are cut out for. I know I don’t want to cut people out of car wrecks. I don’t have to do it for years to figure that out.
These jobs pay well as they should and they attract people who think it will be a good career. Then when they realize, they don’t want to walk from the pension.
I wouldn’t be an undertaker either but it does not bother some people at all. Good career for them.
If you don’t like it, don’t do it. Move on.