NSU Horizons Fall 2018

11 NSU HORIZONS emergency first responders — and for good reason. Van Hasselt has been a certified police officer for more than 20 years. Much of Van Hasselt’s research has involved collaborations with the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation and Behavioral Science Units. He is co-developer of the FBI’s Global Hostage- Taking Research and Analysis Project, which is studying the motivations and tactics of hostage-takers internationally. He is also involved in the development of the Long-Term Evaders Project with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of U.S. Marshals Service. According to Van Hasselt, it’s not uncommon for the public to view first responders as impervious to the horrors they see and hear on the job. Overwhelmingly, lay people believe emergency personnel can respond, do their jobs, and then simply return to their police or fire station as if everything is normal. Sometimes that is possible, but frequently it’s not. “Trauma incidents are usually rated on a scale from 1 to 100, and Parkland was about 150,” Van Hasselt said. “You can’t think people won’t be affected by what they saw and heard.” In the days following the MSD shooting, there were reports of police officers who responded to the scene describing the scope of the trauma with words to this effect: when I became a law enforcement professional, I didn’t sign up to step over dead teenagers. Others who recounted experiences at horrific scenes said the aftermath at MSD was something they’d never be able to forget. Traumatic incidents pack a particularly hard punch when they involve children. The impact is further compounded when first responders’ children are of a similar age to those involved, or when victims and survivors are personal acquaintances. Van Hasselt said that most first responders aren’t comfortable talking about their personal experiences. Getting help, however, has become more accepted over the last few years. “With the increase in these sorts of incidents, it has allowed the [counseling] issue to come to the forefront and be addressed,” he said. “In the past, many felt that it wasn’t really needed, but we now see that’s not the case.” But for many, the stigma of talking with “an outsider” still remains. The job of helping this special population is, according to Van Hasselt, not something that anyone with an advanced degree can do. First responders have their own language, and use terms that may be unfamiliar to those not accustomed to interacting with police officers or firefighters. One possible way to address this need is to have people with counseling skills within the agencies themselves — fellow police officers and firefighters who help their colleagues. He likened it to a “train the trainer” model, where first responders learn how to support coworkers. “I cannot stress the importance of peer-support training,” Van Hasselt said. “[Officers] are often reluctant to seek professional help, but they’ll turn to a friend – someone they know and trust. If that person has some training, they can help where others may not, and also assist in identifying additional resources when necessary. [Peer support] can cut through the stigma associated with asking for help.” Quinones said that no matter who is involved in a traumatic incident, there is one constant. “The need to communicate, that is key. We’re all in this together – no one is an island unto themselves. No one can do this alone. We cry, we mourn — we heal, together.” ¨ “Trauma incidents are usually rated on a scale from 1 to 100, and Parkland was about 150. You can’t think people won’t be affected by what they saw and heard.” — Vincent Van Hasselt Vincent Van Hasselt, Ph.D., NSU College of Psychology