CopShock: Second Edition
Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
by Allen R. Kates, MFAW, BCECR
Grief and Bereavement
After witnessing a horrific crime scene,
many officers believe they don’t dare show how they feel, not even to loved
ones. But holding grief inside can become overwhelming. Talking to friends,
family, clergy, counselors or participating in support groups can help heal
officers and their families.
Grief is
not limited to what officers experience on the job. They experience the death of
loved ones, illness, job loss and many other forms of loss. Sometimes the stress
of the job intensifies other sorrows. Few of us seem to know what grief is and
how to handle this natural process.
Crisis, Grief &
Healing
An internationally known psychotherapist, author and
speaker on healing and loss, Tom Golden offers many resources on this website.
He provides stories from over 450 people who have written of their grief and
healing, as well as articles, a discussions page and workshop information.
Go to: http://www.webhealing.com. Write:
Tom Golden, 149 Little Quarry Mews, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. Phone:
301-670-1027.
Grief Recovery Institute
(GRI)
GRI provides a series of articles with commonly asked
questions on grief recovery and reaction to loss. It offers books, audiotapes,
workshops and a certification program for professionals.
Go to: http://www.grief-recovery.com. Call
toll-free in the U.S.: 818-907-9600. In Canada, call: 519-586-8825.
Grief
Talk
This website provides links to counseling, support
groups, stress management and more to help deal with loss and grief.
Go
to: http://www.grieftalk.com
Grief
Work
Barbara Rubel, MA, BCETS, CBS, is a Certified
Bereavement Specialist. Her father, a retired New York City police officer, took
his own life, and she has sought ways to cope and help others ever since. A
nationally acclaimed speaker on stress management, burnout, compassion fatigue,
loss and resiliency, Barbara has drawn on her experience as a suicide survivor
and has written several books on grief and loss, in particular, Death, Dying and
Bereavement. She is a consultant for the Department of Justice and Office for
Victims of Crime. Among other things, her website discusses how to cope with
vicarious trauma.
Go to: http://www.griefworkcenter.com.
Write: P.O. Box 5177, Kendall Park, NJ 08824. Phone: 732-422-0400.
Living With Loss
Magazine
This magazine offers “Hope and Healing for the Body,
Mind, and Spirit.” It is a support group in print offering articles, stories,
poems, and resources for the bereaved by grief educators and presenters,
facilitators and caregivers, authors and writers, and most important the
bereaved themselves. It often offers articles about traditional and alternative
perspectives, coping techniques and resources that address physical and mental
health issues, the psychology of mourning, ecumenical faith and cross-cultural
perspectives, the grief of children and seniors, grief in the workplace and even
appropriate humor.
Go to: www.bereavementmag.com. Write:
Bereavement Pub-lications, Inc., PO Box 101, Eckert, CO 81418. Phone toll-free:
888-604-4673.