• Crisis intervention for traumatic/stressful life events within your organization, community, or group

• On-site counselors following a traumatic/stressful life event within the organization/community/group

• Ongoing interventions for death and non-death related events

Responders:

• At least one licensed therapist/clinician and one crisis-trained responder

Services Provided:

• Skills and strategies for coping with the event

• Information about the impact of trauma

• Education on traumatic/complicated loss & grief

• The importance of self-care

GRIT uses an approach that includes listening, empathizing, validating, educating, legitimizing, and supporting (LEVELS) those who have been affected by the event(s).

• Listening – to how individuals/group have experienced the event

• Empathizing – acknowledging individual’s/group feelings about the event

• Validating – acknowledgement that a person’s reactions such as thoughts, feelings, and behaviors make sense at the time of the event

• Educating – providing information to individuals/group about how the event may affect them in the coming days including common reactions and responses to the situation.

• Legitimizing – normalizing the individual/group reactions to the event

• Supporting – providing support for individual(s) who are in emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused event

Crises involve an unexpected event that is beyond the individual's control. Examples of crises include natural disasters, loss of a job, assault, and the sudden death of a loved one.

• They cause distress

• They overwhelm and challenge an individual’s usual coping skills

• They are often precipitated by a traumatic event(s) – natural or human-caused

• Examples include natural disasters, loss of a job, assault, and the sudden death of a loved one.

Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. In addition, individuals may experience any or some of the following:

• Intrusive thoughts

• Anxiety

• Avoidance, social withdrawal, detachment

• Distressing dreams

• Intense distress

• Inability to recall

• Detachment

• Loss of interest

• Irritability and anger
  

Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.

Crisis intervention is a short-term strategy designed to help reduce potential negative effects to an individual(s) who have experienced, witnessed, or been affected by the event in any way.

Crisis intervention is for individuals/groups in emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster in which a person(s) experiences (witnesses or is confronted with):

• Actual or threatened death

• Serious injury

• Threat to the physical integrity of self or another

• Learning that an event has occurred

A crisis can include but is not limited to, a homicide, death by suicide, death by overdose, mass casualty events, natural disasters, sudden, unexpected deaths and/or violent deaths.

Crisis intervention is important because it:

• Aims to reduce the intensity of the person’s physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral reactions to a crisis.

• Differs from other counselling interventions in that it focuses on short-term strategies and support during and immediately after the experience of trauma.

• 24-48 hours after the event - provides short-term immediate care, support, and strategies to individuals who have experienced an event that produces any level of distress.

• 3-7 days after the event – provides short-term strategies and support as soon after the event as the need is determined

• Ongoing treatment – individual appointments as needed to process the effects and impact of the event

Click here for a link to fill out the form or get more information about F.R.A.P.

We realized that first responders weren’t connecting with therapists who were trained to understand the ins and outs of the emergency services. So we created the First Responder Assistance Program.

If you would like to talk to someone about F.R.A.P. call our hotline at 1-855-970-3727

Joining F.R.A.P. grants access for first responders and their families to counselors who are culturally competent in the emergency services.

F.R.A.P provides support for trauma, stress, depression, anxiety, grief, eating disorders, gambling, substance use, and more.

Includes crisis intervention & group debriefings for departments and clear paths to in-patient mental health or substance use treatment if needed.

Our counselors work with volunteer & career emergency service personnel and both individuals and departments are eligible to join.