Traditional first responder programs focus primarily on the impact of critical incidents. Our knowledge of the impact of trauma exposure on the lives and wellbeing of first responders has grown significantly over the years. We cannot continue to approach performance and wellness issues with the mindset and interventions of decades past. Now, we know better.We must do better.
As South Carolina’s first resiliency-based wellness program for first responders and their families, our FLOW program addresses each of the three most important areas of first responder wellness—their individual functioning, their family relationships, and peer support. By “going upstream,” we can prepare first responders for longer, healthier, more fulfilling careers.
While most first responder programs target problems after symptoms have severely impacted the life of personnel and their families, FLOW offers proactive solutions to address contributing factors such as relationship issues, depression, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Left untreated, these issues can make personnel more vulnerable to work-related trauma exposure.
Research shows that first responders who are more resilient miss fewer days of work, manage strong emotions without relying on unhealthy coping strategies, get back to routines more quickly after an incident, have lower recovery expenses, and have greater job satisfaction and career longevity. Our FLOW program gives your personnel the resiliency skills and support needed to manage the public safety lifestyle and stressors with these targeted services:
- Counseling and support services for your personnel and family members
- Trauma-informed training and consultation to prepare your leadership to better support resiliency
- Peer Support Team training and clinical supervision
- Post critical incident response, intervention, support, and assessment of functioning for affected personnel
- Psychoeducational opportunities, counseling, and support for spouses and partners
- Services tailored to the specific needs of your agency
FLOW Program Director, Amy Lutz, LMSW, is a licensed clinician with more than a decade of specialized law enforcement leadership experience. She understands the pressures of the public safety lifestyle. She knows the importance of moving beyond the culture of silence in order to remain healthy and productive in this career.
For four decades, Post Trauma Resources has been at the forefront of services supporting first responders. Contact us today at 803-765-0700 or by email at FLOW@posttrauma.com to learn how this comprehensive wellness program can prepare your workforce to better manage the job and life’s stressors.
