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Happy New Year from all of us at the Sweeney Alliance. I am excited to introduce our two newest board members in this issue's Press Release below.
During the next several months, the Sweeney Alliance will be restructuring its Board of Directors. In addition, we will be working on guidelines and developing an application form in order to provide financial assistance for addiction treatment and mental health concerns for public safety personnel [firefighters, police and correctional officers EMS and 911 dispatchers] and their families.
The Grieving Behind the Badge program will be expanding its curriculum to include topics often overlooked in today's first responder communities. Furthermore, I have enlisted the help of experienced instructors in their field of study to assist me in implementing these classes.
Thank you for your continued support.
Stay safe and HUGS, Peggy
Peggy Sweeney, Editor
830.377.7389
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December 3, 2015
Press Release CONTACT
Peggy Sweeney
The Sweeney Alliance
peggy@sweeneyalliance.org
sweeneyalliance.net
Kerrville, Texas - Peggy Sweeney, founder and president of the Texas-based, non-profit company, the Sweeney Alliance, is pleased to announce the appointment of two new directors to its board of directors. The new appointees are Peter Billera of Firefighter Mortgages and Reverend Bill Minson of TUDAY Ministries.
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Those of us in public safety careers - law enforcement, fire service are usually gung-ho, Type A personalities, self-reliant, confident and sometimes even a little cocky. We love excitement. We feel there is nothing we can't do; we're self-important, helpers, fixers, we need to be needed, and we enjoy being the front-line of defense and first responders when something goes terribly wrong in our neighborhoods, our districts and our jurisdictions.Read more here »
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WE'RE NEVER THE SAME AGAIN
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by Robert Cubby, Captain (retired)
Jersey City Police Department
This is something I hear regularly with first responders that have experienced life changing trauma. With a career full of such events, is it any wonder that sooner or later those events and those traumas take their toll on us? Like water constantly hitting a rock, our rock solid existence that we built so carefully erodes and dissolves, no longer insulating us against the traumas we witness on a daily basis.
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By Heather McDowell
A short documentary about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in first responders focusing on the Fire Department.
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by Careen Condrotte
Every waking moment of each and every day
Leaves an imprint, a memory that may stay
Locked in the very essence of who we are
But do we always know if that memory will scar?
Was the imprint a moment of joy or of sorrow?
Are we present in the moment, or thinking about tomorrow?
Was the moment gone, much to fast?
Or did it leave an imprint to last?
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HOPE - THE ANTITHESIS OF SUICIDE
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by Renae Griggs
Any carefully considered discussion about suicide must be carried out with the explicit understanding that the decision to end one's life is filled with colossal complexities. The multidimensional aspects of completing suicide have been studied and theorized by great minds that do not categorically agree. No doubt in part because this is not an equation for which experts can develop a replicable mathematical or scientific formula to prove the validity of their hypothesis. There are simply far too many variables. People who carry out their own death take with them the unique characteristics of their own path to that choice, and we must respect that fact. Each with their own story...their own motivations...their own individual calculations and beliefs.
Read more here »
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by Karen Solomon
Sometime after the incident in Ferguson, I jumped down the rabbit hole and haven't been able to make my way back out. I've looked around, there is no exit. Well, there is for me, sort of. I'm not injured, disabled, have PTSD or suffering from the absence of a career that defined me. I still can't find the exit and believe me I've looked for it.
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Once Upon a Crisis: A Look at Post-traumatic Stress in Emergency Services from the Inside Out
by William May
An informative true story about a police officer cross-trained in law enforcement and emergency medicine that takes many unexpected twists and turns over a thirty-year career. An up-close account of surviving loss that takes a good look at post-traumatic stress from the inside out. A must read for emergency service workers, those close to them, anyone considering a career in the emergency response field, or anyone trying to overcome personal loss
Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families
by Kevin Gilmartin, PhD
Dr. Gilmartin is a behavioral scientist who specializes in issues related to law enforcement. With twenty years of police experience under his belt, he currently provides service to the law enforcement community as a consultant. In writing this book, it was his goal to aid officers and their families in maintaining and/or improving their quality of life both personally ad professionally.
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GRIEVING BEHIND THE BADGE ~ IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT GRIEF
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For over 20 years, the Sweeney Alliance has been committed to helping first responders learn skills to cope with the emotional and traumatic events of their job. We deliver an interactive training program and resources that can improve their quality of life. Peggy Sweeney works with you to design a comprehensive training to meet your specific objectives. Training programs are ideal for any size group, from a single department to a countywide initiative. Who should attend: firefighters, EMS personnel, public safety officers, 911 dispatchers, families, chaplains, and mental health professionals. Call today to discuss training options.
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