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Badge of Life Canada
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Badge of Life Canada is partnered with the Badge of Life in the United States and is dedicated to educating police officers and the public about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the prevention of police officer suicide.
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Feedback from
Our Readers
GREAT JOB PEGGY!
"Your work is valued and valuable. May you continue to be blessed in this challenging endeavor".
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If you are NOT a regular subscriber to this newsletter then....
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| You are NOT Alone!
Please contact the hotline or one of our trusted and valued friends. They have been where you are today.
Suicide Hotline
1-800-273-8255
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Peggy Sweeney
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Shannon Pennington
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Andy O'Hara
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Peter Platt
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Skip Straus
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Clarke Paris
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Ed Stauffer
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"Painted Pictures"
(a poem)
by
Deputy Chief
Robert R. Devonshire, Jr
These painted pictures in my mind
They pay a visit from time to time.
Out of the blue and from memories
They pull me back to what I still see.
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Our main theme for this issue is
Coping with Off-Duty Stress
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Greetings!
Sometimes, it isn't always the job that puts stress on us. In this issue, some of the articles will focus on life's other stressors; physical illness, on-the-job injury, personal grief, addiction, to name a few. If you find that you relate to one of these articles and want help for coping with depression, some form of addiction, or life in general, there is a wealth of information and people you can contact for help. Check out the left-hand column, You Are NOT Alone. Recently, the Mental Health Commission of Canada was host to a multi-day conference entitled Opening Minds: Canada's Largest Ever Anti-Stigma Initiative. This initiative was "created in response to the knowledge that sigma is a major barrier to recovery... for people with mental illness..." Over the next several months, I will be inviting attendees and speakers at this conference to share their thoughts and experiences. One of my goals is to influence the way you, as an emergency response professional, look at post-traumatic stress and grief as well as help reduce suicides in these occupations.
Thank you to each person who has subscribed to this newsletter. Your support of my efforts to provide help to emergency responders, their families, and department chaplains means so very much to me. I do not take you "friendship" lightly.
 Stay safe, Peggy Sweeney, Editor 320+ newsletter subscribers ~ help me grow this number |
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Things Happen for a Reason
by Peter Platt
Ottawa (Canada) Police Service (Retired)
I have been to say the least, on a very strange and wonderful journey since I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 19 years ago. And you are probably asking yourself why I say wonderful, considering PTSD is horrible mental disorder........ I was numb. That is the only word I can think of to describe how I felt about being told that I had breast cancer. I felt that I was just handed a death sentence when my doctor informed me that the small lump in my chest was cancer. Men don't get breast cancer, women do. Continue reading....
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by Sgt Robert Ruth
City of Saginaw (MI) Police Department
Editor's Note: Sgt Ruth shares his story of how the murder of his friend and co-worker's teenage daughter changed the dynamics of being a police officer.
I have put a lot of thought into what has happened to Vince Sanchez over the past 13 years. I don't know how I would react if I were in the same situation. Everyone reacts in a different fashion to a life-altering experience similar to the one that Vince has gone through over the years. Vince lost a daughter and the suspect's family has lost a son, due to a very reckless decision that the suspect made on September 26, 1999. Continue reading....
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Twelve Years Later, the Healing Continues
by Vince Sanchez
Patrol Officer, Saginaw (MI) Police Department
Editor's Note: In the May issue, I featured a story about the murder of Vince's daughter, Coco:
I Was Not Able to Protect My Daughter
Today, he shares some of what he has learned on his journey through grief.
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There is no stopping grief. If you try to fight it or ignore it, grief can and will destroy you. Everyday people that we come in contact with--co-workers, strangers whom we've just met, even animals--can pick up on the sadness and depression in you! Negative waves so to speak. At one time, someone mentioned to me that we have to find a reason to start living again. Continue reading....
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A Firefighter with PTSD
a radio interview
with Dr. Marion Perpick-Breton
In March 2011, Shannon Pennington, Executive Director and founder of North American Fire Fighter Veteran Network (NAFFVN), was interviewed on Talk Therapy radio about his service to his country and his community as soldier and firefighter. As the result of the events and experiences during his time in these professions, he slowly descended into the depths of post traumatic stress disorder.
This is a very graphic and highly emotional program, but I believe it is something that everyone in emergency response, their families, and department chaplains should listen to.
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Grief
by Aubrey Futrell
Louisiana State Trooper (Retired)
Grief is a long and hard process that only time will ease. You will be going about your life when unexpectedly, without warning, something happens that reminds you of the one you've lost. You will see someone who looks like them or laughs like them. You hear a song on the radio that reminds you of them or you think of something you need to tell them and as you pick up the phone you realize, they're gone... Your heart will break all over again, and the flood of tears will come. Continue reading....
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Smell the Grass and Say "Today is gonna be a great day"
by Sgt Clarke Paris (retired)
Las Vegas (NV) Metropolitan Police Department
"I need help!" Those were three words I thought I would never say. I did though. It took 21 years but I finally mustered up enough courage to say "I need help." After all, just like every other police officer in America, I was chosen for this job. I was chosen not only because of my military background but because I did well on the entrance exam. I fit the profile. I had both intelligence and common sense. I had everything required to be a good police officer and in this day and age, law enforcement agencies would never hire a man or woman whom they did not think would be able to handle the stress of the job, right? ....Wrong! We are human and the very same attributes that make us good cops are the same personality traits that will cause this job to destroy us, if we let them. Continue reading....
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Silently Screaming ~ Ignoring the Whimpers and Disregarding the Cries of Depression Part 2 of 3
by Bobby Bush
Masculinity has never been something I thought about. I have never felt the need to prove my toughness to the world. I am, however, a perfectionist who will go through exhaustive lengths to exceed those around me at any task at hand. Occasionally, I would joke about someone else's masculinity or my own in a sarcastic manner, but that's it. As a society, we have such ridged expectations in regards to gender. Females are bombarded with advertisement campaigns that push forward product to promise to make them look younger, prettier, and ultimately become more desirable to the opposite sex. These campaigns shout You are not good enough, but we can fix you! Women are supposed to be petite, soft spoken, and emotionalized. Men are supposed to be tough, strong, independent, mechanical, and the financial supporter of the family. All this responsibility is enough to depress anyone, but I try to ignore it.
I try to ignore lots of things. Continue reading....
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Bereavement Study
by Jeremy Broussard
Jeremy Broussard is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Lafayette and Abbeville, LA and also a student at Capella University working on his dissertation titled, "Surviving suicide: Understanding the lived experiences of bereaved parents." The purpose of his study is to understand how the parent-child relationship changes after the suicide death of a child and how this relationship informs the bereavement process. The findings from his research will be used to inform mental health professionals working with bereaved parents and assist in the development of effective treatment interventions. Mr. Broussard is requesting participation from those bereaved parents who have lost adolescent child aged 10 to 21 years old to suicide at least 1 year ago. In other words, parents must be at least 1 year into their grief in order to participate in my dissertation study.
If you are interested and meet the criteria click on the link below.
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| Grieving Behind the Badge
"Improving the lives of
emergency response professionals"
presented by The Sweeney Alliance
In 1997, Peggy Sweeney wrote the Grieving Behind the Badge program because she saw a need to provide training and resources on coping with traumatic stress and grief for the men and women who serve their communities as firefighters, EMS personnel, law enforcement and correctional officers and emergency dispatchers. Since then, Peggy has taught the Grieving Behind the Badge program throughout the United States and in Canada. A unique, inter-active training that addresses traumatic stress, grief, and suicide prevention.
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About Us
The Sweeney Alliance
Mission Statement
The Sweeney Alliance, a non-profit, Texas-based organization, provides training programs and educational material relating to grief, post-traumatic stress, and suicide prevention for the public in general as well as emergency response communities and their families in North America. We promote a mentally healthy work environment through cooperation with local, state, and national fire service and law enforcement agencies and organizations.
Tax deductable donations always appreciated
Peggy Sweeney
Founder and President
1601 Quinlan Creek Drive
Kerrville, TX 78028
830.377.7389
EMAIL
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