Transcript WORKSHOP Weerbaarheid en collega*s met PTSS

Police work is, and will always be, a people job
Life goes on and the work is never done.
Arthur van der Vlies
• Former police officer
• 21 years of experience in the police force
• Surveillance unit/mounted police/policeman
on the beat/police welfare officer
• Diagnosed with PTSD in 2009
• Now, gives talks and advice about the impact
of police work.
• Author
• Advice to 24/7 Loket Politie, a 24/7 support office for
police officers with psychosocial problems, their
colleagues and family members/Programma Versterking
Professionele Weerbaarheid Politie, a programme to
strengthen the professional resilience of police
officers/police managers
• Discussion partner of several units of the police/
National Police/Ministry of Security and Justice.
Questions
Ask your questions as they arise!
I will also try to answer difficult and personal questions
Sometimes life is so unfair
Impact of police work
• Most Dutch police officers are not adversely affected by demanding
police work
• A small number of Dutch police officers probably have lower mental
resilience
• A very small number of Dutch police officers definitely have lower mental
resilience
• About 8% of all Dutch police officers have received psychological support
in the past year
• 1% of Dutch police officers have suffered permanent health damage or
resign
Stress symptoms
• Unpleasant memories
Reliving
• Disturbing dreams
• Flashbacks/hallucinations
Stress symptoms
• Thoughts/feelings/conversations
• Activities/places/people
• Inability to remember important aspects
Avoidance
• Participation in important activities
• Alienation
• Reduced feeling of affection
• Hopelessness about the future
Symptomen van Stress
• Thoughts / feelings / conversations
• Difficulty sleeping
• Angry outbursts/irritation
Irritable
• Concentration problems
• Heightened alertness
• Extreme fear responses
What behaviours may be displayed
• Looking for conflict (with managers/colleagues/the
public/partners/children)
• Aggression
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Debt (attachment of earnings)
• Illness caused by minor ailments/physical complaints.
(headaches/back pain)
• Unwillingness to see the other person’s point of view (the other
person is always to blame), this may cause industrial disputes
What is PTSD?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Psychological disorder:
Is caused by:
Anxiety disorder
• extremely stressful situations
• Life-threatening
• Serious physical injury
• Threat to physical integrity
PTSD symptoms
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Extreme fear responses
Angry outbursts
Flashbacks/Hallucinations
Avoidance of activities/places/people
Alienation
Hopelessness about the future
Deviant behavior
Some stress-related illnesses have agreements with PTSD.
PTSD can only be determined by an expert
Treatment EMDR
(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
EMDR is used to help kick-start the brain’s blocked information processing
system in traumatic experiences.
How:
: beeps/clicks/taps
Treatment EMDR
(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Questions about the incident: 1. : how do you see yourself (in the negative sense)?
2. How would you like to see yourself in relation to this
(positive)?
3. What emotions do you feel?
4. What do you feel in your body?
5. Feeling about the incident on a scale of 1 to 10.
Treatment EMDR
(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Questions after the incident:
1. How do you see yourself (in the negative sense)?
2. How would you like to see yourself in relation to this
(positive)?
3. What emotions do you feel?
4. What do you feel in your body?
5. Feeling about the incident on a scale of 1 to 10.
Has the negative feeling disappeared and have you gained a more
positive self-image; if yes, the incident can be closed.
Residual damage or residual complaints
After recovery, colleagues may report residual damage or complaints
Boston bombing
Soldaat van Oranje musical
Partners/parents/family
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Partners/parents are the first to pick up the signals.
Inform partners/parents/family.
Partners/parents can help create a stable home environment.
Contact between chief police officer/occupational health and
welfare department (BMW) and partner/parents is very
important.
• Providing support to the partner/parents.
• Partner/parent contact is very important.
Colleagues and managers
• Create a safe space/squad/classroom environment
• Listen sympathetically
• Don’t assume the role of psychologist
• Family/partner of the police officer can also be a victim
• Give a colleague peace and quiet
• Respect a colleague’s wish to end the conversation for a moment (continue the
conversation another time)
• Be a colleague where possible and manager where necessary.
Hold up a mirror
• Say what you see is going on with a colleague
• Be honest. Describe his behaviour
• Dare to dig deeper
• Allow moments of silence (saying nothing also
communicates something)
Propositions
• Police officers tend to suffer from ‘white-coat syndrome’ (avoiding contact with
care providers, so-called care avoiders)
• Police officers are brilliant at helping others (but are not very good at helping
themselves and often feel that they don’t need help)
• Police officers think that they are weak if they suffer from stress or stress-related
disorders (like PTSD)
• Police officers are always fine. Right?
• When they visit the police welfare unit (BOT) they do this out of concern for a
colleague and never for themselves.
Blauwe Veerkracht website
• Website
for (former) police officers, trainee
officers, partners and family members
• Questions and answers about the impact of
police work
• Personal stories from colleagues and partners
• Stress impact self-assessment test. Forum page
and Buddyfinder.
De impactmeter
Uitslag van de impactmeter
24/7 LOKET POLITIE
• For (former) police officers, trainee officers, partner/family, police officers
on foreign assignment.
• For questions about the impact of police work.
• For direct support for police officers with psychosomatic symptoms.
• 24/7 Loket Politie is completely independent.
• Accessible 24 hours a day.
• Can also be contacted by managers with questions.
Police work is, and will always be, a people job
Police officers are also people with feelings
Recognising that you need help is the first step towards finding a solution.
The fact that an employer/manager understands that police officers may become sick as a result
of traumatic events is the biggest recognition police officers can get.
Trying to find a solution together.
Taking action together to make things better.
MORE INFORMATION
• www.reflectieinblauw.nl
• www.blauweveerkracht.nl
• 24/7 Loket Politie 0800-1218
• [email protected]
Thank you for your attention