You witness or are involved in a horrific event.  You may not realize it but someone is yelling “All Aboard… the Trauma Train is now leaving the station”.  Not knowing it, you have a ticket to ride.  A window seat on the Critical Incident Stress Express.

Psychological Trauma starts the moment an event occurs.  Your emotions, thoughts, feelings etc. start rolling like that train. Moving along, picking up speed… going faster and faster.  You feel overwhelmed and out of control.

How do we stop, or at least slow down, the Trauma Train? Keep it from getting to a place you don’t want to be.

K9 First Responders (K9FR) are not psychotherapists. Psychotherapy identifies and changes the thought and behavior patterns that are keeping you from feeling your best.

K9FR teams work to prevent change from occurring in the first place. Or at least, slow change until a connection is made to additional mental health support.

Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) are tools we use to prevent change.  The picture above shows there are different options for a train to travel. K9FR Teams help the Trauma Train move off the main line to a side track and idle.