Critical Incident Stress Management, or CISM, is an intervention protocol developed specifically for dealing with traumatic events. It is a formal, highly structured and professionally recognized process for helping those involved in a critical incident to share their experiences, vent emotions, learn about stress reactions and symptoms and given referral for further help if required. First developed for use with military combat veterans and then civilian first responders (police, fire, ambulance, emergency workers and disaster rescuers), it has now been adapted and may be used where there is a need to address traumatic impact in people’s lives.

Those of us who own animals know that they can sense changes in one’s personality. Stress impacts how we act, respond and our physical well-being overall. K9 First Responders are trained to work with individuals suffering with high levels of stress.

Below the picture is a link to an excellent article explaining how dogs can sense stress.

http://barkpost.com/dogs-and-mental-health/#

Congratulations to K9FR Team Member Lisa DeAngelo on her recognition award from the Cheshire CT Board of Education.  Lisa received this recognition at a special meeting on Thursday, March 19, 2015.  Superintendent Floria and Chairman of the Board Gerald Brittingham presented the award.

Lisa was one to our response teams to Cheshire High School after the untimely deaths of two of their students.  She is also a member of Pet Partners; the largest therapy animal organization in the United States.  Tank & Dakota  are her two therapy dogs.

Traumatic events can impact anyone.  No one is exempt.  Each person has their own emotional trigger.

This is especially true for First Responders.  While there are common reactions to traumatic events, an individual’s reaction may very based upon the life experiences, immediate support network and overall connection to their larger social networks. First Responders take care of others first.  We have to remember to take time for self-care and our teammates.

This day, just after the Sandy Hook Elementary Schools shootings, even Santa was too overwhelmed.  All he could do was cry.

Can psychologically traumatic events change the physical structure of the brain?  An interesting study looks at this question.

Children’s brains are literally shaped by traumatic experiences, which can lead to problems with anger, addiction, and even criminal activity in adulthood.  Traumatic childhood events can lead to mental health and behavioral problems later in life.

K9 First Responders can help lessen the impact of trauma and encourage acceptance of help.  Learn more about this interesting study by listening to the interview at:

http://soundmedicine.org/post/childhood-trauma-leads-brains-wired-fear

Last summer, Dr. Hannah Allen-Miller completed her dissertation at the Michigan School of Professional Psychology entitled “Animal Assisted Psychotherapy: An Exploration of The Adult Client’s Experience of Individual Psychotherapy with the Assistance of a Dog”. Her research included intensive interviews following a narrative model of qualitative research to co-create meaning from the stories of the participants.

The goal of this project was to find out how the dog influenced the client’s experience.  Eight themes were identified through a detailed data analysis of the complex interviews and listed from most commonly identified themes. Read the article for details regarding this insightful paper.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/decoding-your-pet/201501/what-if-your-therapist-had-dog-in-the-office

A wonderful article about team members Lori Ratchelous and Kate Nicoll and their work with therapy dogs and children. We are proud to have them with us.

http://www.myrecordjournal.com/wallingford/wallingfordnews/6905758-129/trained-therapy-animals-at-soul-friends-of-wallingford-are-working.html?fb_action_ids=10206267

The world faces increasing challenges every day.  K9 First Responders (K9FR) provide aid and comfort not only with traditional relief aid such as shelter, food distribution and basic health care, but also with psychosocial support.

The term “psychosocial” refers to the close relationship between the individual and the collective aspects of any social entity. Psychosocial support can be adapted in particular situations to respond to the psychological and physical needs of the people concerned, by helping them to accept the situation and cope with it.

Social effects are the shared experiences caused by disruptive events and consequent death, separation, sense of loss and feeling of helplessness.

Psychosocial support is an integral part of K9FR’s response. It helps individuals and communities to heal the psychological wounds and rebuild social structures after an emergency or a traumatic event. It can help change people into active survivors rather than passive victims.

Early and adequate psychosocial support can:

~ prevent distress and suffering developing into something more severe

~ help people cope better and become reconciled to everyday life

~ help beneficiaries to resume their normal lives

~ meet community-identified needs

Disasters, conflicts and health problems have severe psychosocial consequences. The emotional wounds may be less visible than the destruction of homes, but it often takes far longer to recover from emotional impact than to overcome material losses.

Early support and adaptation processes – which respect local customs in mental health or psychosocial healing – allow an affected population to cope better with a difficult situation.

K9 First Responders, Inc. is hosting a “meet & greet” at Rainbow Gardens in Milford, CT for those interested in learning more about what we do and discuss joining the organization.  Open to all…  You don’t have to own a dog to come!

Date: Wed. Feb 18th. 6 PM – 8 PM

Rainbow Gardens
117 North Broad
Street, Milford, CT 06460
http://www.rainbowgardens.org/

Google Map Link: http://tinyurl.com/k8p2qps

Please RSVP by Feb 17th via e-mail:    k9fr@k9fr.org

PS: This is a non-dog event.

Biology plays an important role in our reaction to trauma as well as our ability to heal. Dogs help reduce a person’s stress and in turn lessen production of hormones that have a negative impact on the healing process.  K9 First Responders provide an avenue to lowering stress and increasing one’s openness to mental health assistance.

The result is a person who is more open to assistance and more likely to ask for help.

This podcast deals with the biological aspect of trauma.  This is a long segment… so grab a coffee, tea or soda and enjoy.