By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Lethbridge Herald
Published:
The Lethbridge Police Service, in partnership with the Diversified Rehabilitation Group, hosted a special workshop to support the spouses and family members of first responders Thursday at the Lethbridge Trade and Convention Centre.
The “Getting Better Together” workshop included members of the Lethbridge Police Service, Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services and their families.
Facilitated by Derek Sienko, Chief Mental Health Officer of the Diversified Rehabilitation Group, the workshop focused on understanding operational stress injuries, developing healthy coping strategies and fostering open communication within families.
Sienko said the workshop’s main goal was to help spouses to understand what first-responders are going through and help both of them to maintain the relationship to the best of their abilities.
“Frequently what we see in the first responders’ world, due to the nature of the job, that they carry it with them from work to home and this impacts their families.”
First responder families face unique challenges and make significant sacrifices as their loved ones manage the demands of operational stress, anxiety and depression. That’s why the workshop provides vital support, tools and resources to help family members build resilience and maintain mental wellness.
“Some of the basic practical tools consist of being self-aware, that the job changes you as a first responder in a number of ways,” said Sienko. “People become emotionally numb, hyper-vigilant, which impacts their relationships and how they communicate with people.”
Some of the coping skills first responders received during the workshop included how to share what happened at work without disclosing too many details and still being present for family members.
“We also gave them some tools on how to decompress, like when leaving their work environment to take 10 minutes to themselves before they enter their home environment,” said Sienko.
He said many workshop participants said that once they enter their home environment, their families need them, so it is important to decompress before, so they can be there for them.
“They can use techniques like mindfulness exercises, journaling or practicing gratitude to decompress.”
Sienko said spouses were offered techniques with that in mind as well.
“We talked about creating some love ritual, whether is taking the time during the week to spend time together and go on a date, or to dedicate specific time to nurture the relationship,” said Sienko.
The tools learned during the workshop also can be applied to other types of relationships, not only with extended family members and friends, but also among colleagues.
“One thing that exists among first responders is a high level of stigma in not being able to share and we have two types of stigma,” said Sienko.
One of them is individual stigma, under the belief of “strong body-strong mind,” where individuals think they should not ask for help because they should be able to help themselves as first responders.
“And there is also an organization stigma, where individuals have a fear of sharing with their superior because they might not be understood, or because it may impact a promotion,” said Sienko.
First responders need to find the right person to talk to about any mental health issues, as it will be more helpful if they are aware of the different types of stresses that come with the job.
“The resources are out there,” said Sienko, “but they need to be culturally sensitive to first responders. Today we also talked about choosing the right clinician, recognizing they operate in a different type of environment.”
Lethbridge Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh said the workshop was not only about first responders, but also the extension of who they are, their families and loved ones.
“Because if they are whole at home and they have good relationships, they can continue to serve the community and more importantly, they can continue on to retire and have a great life after.”
Mehdizadeh said the job is very demanding and if first responders do not have support from their families, they do not make it. But if they do, they don’t have the quality of life that they deserve after retirement.
