About 911 resilience

911resilience.ca was developed by Dr. Jeff Morley to help police and emergency service organizations and their employees stay healthy and strong.  While each Emergency Service profession is unique and has its own strengths and challenges, they all share the challenge of working with trauma, threat, and exposure to unfixable suffering.

Emergency response work can be an incredibly meaningful, rewarding and exciting. Research consistently shows Emergency Response work can also put your physical and psychological health at risk.  Compared to most occupations, emergency responder are at greater risk for the following:

  • PTSD
  • Divorce
  • Addiction
  • Sleep Problems
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Suicide
  • Spiritual Crisis

The Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) is doing some very current research on Canadian first responders detailing the risks to psychological health.

The good news is that there are proactive and practical strategies first responders can employ to mitigate the potentially negative effects of the job.  Research is showing key factors that contribute to resilience in people. I use evidence-based treatment approaches to help first responders address psychological challenges in their lives and careers. 

Police and emergency response organizations are also being called to be more pro-active and creative in dealing with issues of trauma and PTSD in their ranks, even in the midst of tight financial restraints for most organizations.  Police and Emergency Response Organizations should all have in place a unique Psychologically Healthy Workplace Strategy, consistent with Canada’s new national Psychologically Healthy Workplace Standard.  The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Strategy should include an integrated Trauma & Resilience Strategy to address the known risks to responders psychological health and well-being.