Trauma, Resilience, and Posttraumatic Growth in Frontline Personnel

Foreword  

Richard Tedeschi

Part One: Mental Health Strategies within Frontline Organizations  

1. Introduction, Core Concepts and Purpose 

Jane Shakespeare-Finch

2. Psychoeducation, Leadership, and Interventions  

Jane Shakespeare-Finch and Paul J. Scully

Part Two: Specific Frontline Roles and Contexts 

3. Emergency Medical Dispatchers 

Renee Treolar-Munro

4. Law Enforcement 

K. C. Kalmbach

5. Paramedics 

Jane Shakespeare-Finch and Paul J. Scully

6. Firefighters 

Robyn Kirby

7. Disaster and Emergency Response Volunteers 

Leanne Hinsch and James Douglas

8. Nurses 

Elly McCormick and Gillian Ray-Barruel

9. Emergency Physicians 

Gerry Fitzgerald

10. Correctional Officers 

Olivia Miller and Dagmar Bruenig

11. Military Personnel 

Kaye Adams and Megan Fry

12. Child Protection Workers 

Emma Malone

13. Mental Health Workers 

Louise Munro

14. Disaster Victim Identification Specialists 

Peter Ellis and Howard Way

15. Humanitarian Workers  

Gülşah Kurt, Mohamed Elshazly, Olga Rebolledo, Ruth Wells, and Simon Rosenbaum

Part Three: Building Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth in Individuals and Communities  

16. Therapy and Counseling for Frontline Workers 

Paul J. Scully

17. Community Growth and Resilience in the Face of Disasters 

Vivienne Tippett and Benjamin Ryan

18. Summary and Reflections 

Dagmar Bruenig and Jane Shakespeare-Finch

Biography

Jane Shakespeare-Finch has spend 25 years conducting research to inform psychoeducation and intervention programs promoting resilience and posttraumatic growth in frontline personnel. 

Paul J. Scully has worked in emergency services for over 40 years, first as a paramedic, then paramedicine educator, and later as a clinical psychotherapist.

Dagmar Bruenig works in genetics and epigenetics maintaining a focus on interdisciplinary research. Dagmar has worked with diverse cohorts, including military personnel, paramedics, and correctional service officers. 

"This refreshing book notes that trauma emerges from the subjective response to the event, rather than the event itself. This is the first book to extend beyond traditional frontline professions to include others that are also vulnerable to trauma and traumatic reactions. As a result, the book is an extraordinary and lucid overview of the field from the perspective of trauma and posttraumatic growth."

Charles R. Figley, PhD, the Tulane University Paul Henry Kurzweg, MD, distinguished chair in Disaster Mental Health and director of the Tulane University Traumatology Institute

"Internationally known researcher Jane Shakespeare-Finch has teamed up with an extensive range of interdisciplinary colleagues to produce this important collection. This is a beautifully organized book that follows the journeys of emergency first responders to those who remain involved long after the immediate situation averts, and it combines personal vignettes with rigorous reviews of the literature. It will serve as a welcome resource to students, academics, and practitioners alike."

Professor Cheryl Regehr, vice president and provost, University of Toronto

"This book makes an invaluable contribution to the literature on resilience and posttraumatic growth. There are similarities but also distinct differences among the various groups of frontline workers. Each chapter provides a unique understanding of posttraumatic growth that is greatly needed not only to facilitate health and wellness in the individual, but also to improve our overall society. I highly recommend the work of these authors."

Professor Brian A. Chopko, PhD, PD, Department of Sociology and Criminology, Kent State University at Stark