Author: J. Fay, M. D. Kamena, A. Benner, and A. Buscho
First responders, which include police officers, fire fighters, correctional officers, emergency medical tech nicians, and dispatchers, face unique challenges in dealing with and recovering from critical incidents. In their work with emergency responders at the West Coast Post-Trauma Retreat (VCPR), the authors have found that short-term residential treatment is an effective treatment component. In this article, the authors discuss the VCPR residential treatment model.
Keywords: first responders; trauma; residential treatment; post traumatic stress disorder; peer support