Managing Trauma in the Uniformed Services: An ESTSS Task Force
Background to the Task Force
The uniformed services are at high risk of exposure to psychological trauma. In January 2008, the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies set up a Task Force with the aim of promoting the understanding and treatment of psychological trauma in the military, police and fire services by
- Providing a forum for expert exchange to develop best practice in proactive support and intervention
- Encouraging research that guides policy in how best to promote access to and delivery of mental health care to members of these populations
- Reviewing research results and ascertaining figures for the prevalence of mental illness within these specific populations
- Considering what is deemed helpful / not from the service user's perspective
The Task Force Working Group
The Lead Person for the Task Force is Liz Royle, Pathways through Trauma who has spent many years working initially within the police service and later externally as a trauma consultant to several UK forces. She is joined by:
Dr Walter Busuttil, Director of Medical Services, Combat Stress. Walter served for 16 years with the RAF as a psychiatrist. He joined Combat Stress the national charity which looks after the mental health needs of combat veterans and ex-servicemen and women in 2007. He plays a key role in the reformation and development of clinical services to veterans.
Dr Jamie Hacker Hughes, Head of Defence Clinical Psychology, Ministry of Defence. Jamie was Vice Chair of the NATO Task Group on Stress and Psychological Support in Modern Military Operations. He is particularly interested in the psychological preparation of troops and early interventions.
Gill Moreton, Rivers Centre for Traumatic Stress, NHS Lothian. Gill heads up a fast track assessment and treatment service to fire and police services following critical incidents and trains and supervises peer supporters working in the firearms team. Gill also provides a training on resilience for new recruits at the Scottish Fire Service College.
Mack Norton, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service. Prior to working as a welfare officer for the fire service, Mack spent 30 years in the Ambulance Service, both operationally and as an Officer in Shropshire and London.
Areas of Interest
Areas of interest for the Task Force include:
- The uniformed services culture - benefits and drawbacks and whether it can be better harnessed to mitigate against psychological trauma
- The effects of cultural changes within the last 40 years
- The reintegration of veterans leaving the armed services - identification of the psychological issues, such as identity, purpose
- Effective treatment for PTSD within this area and the role of social support / peer networks to facilitate recovery
- The prevalence of major depression, PTSD, alcohol abuse and other maladaptive coping strategies amongst this population
- Vulnerable roles in the emergency services- how to identify and support them
- The consequences of challenging protective cognitive schemas following the death of a colleague, serious injury and "close calls"
- The impact on families where an individual has chronic or acute psychological trauma
How to get involved
One of the main goals of the Task Force was to build a network of interested parties, representative of the military, police and fire services that will become a forum for expert exchange. There are several ways that interested professionals can get involved in the Uniformed Services Task Force:
- Take part in the European survey on managing psychological trauma in the police and fire services. Find out more:
download the Information Sheet [36 kB]
download the European survey: Managing trauma in the police service [40.3 kB]
download the European survey: Managing trauma in the fire service [40.5 kB]
- Sign up to our email group and be kept informed of relevant training and conferences as well as current and published research in the field of the uniformed services
- Sign up to access our blog where members of the Task Force can contribute information and post comments and questions
To sign up for the email group or blog, or for any questions or suggestions about the Task Force, please contact Liz Royle
Tel: +44 (0) 1204 534119
Email: liz.royle@pathwaysthroughtrauma.co.uk