Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, Paramedics, EMTs, crime scene investigators and others are frequently exposed to human tragedy on a regular basis yet few have purposely developed a coping strategy for dealing with this repeated exposure. These concepts also apply to those who are affected by secondary traumatization such as crime scene investigators, attorneys and others who are in frequent contact with images or information regarding gruesome acts of violence.
Dr. Christiansen presents an explanation of how persons come to believe things to be true on a philosophical level, followed by a model of the human brain which helps to explain how trauma affects persons in a profound way. This philosophical/psychological model is used to show how trauma can negatively affect one’s personal and/or professional life and the various consequences that are often observed in those who do not deal effectively with this repeated exposure. Dr. Christiansen presents some real life examples of trauma, the negative consequences, and positive steps a person may use to alleviate the emotional toil such exposure may bring. This webinar is a very brief introduction to Dr. Christiansen’s training “Psychological Survival in a Violent Career” which he has provided to many different agencies.