Military and Emergency Service personnel, which includes Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s), Firefighters, Law Enforcement, and Public Safety, often place themselves in harm’s way in order to assist others in times of need. In service to the community these people risk health and injury in performance of their duties that may easily lead to debilitating health issues including Acute Stress, PTSD, Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue. Counselors who choose to serve these populations need to understand the cultural values, and the particular issues that these personnel face in the performance of their duties.

Counselors must also understand the potential issues that may arise when working with populations that have experienced, or work with, trauma, and the potential impact on the counselor including secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization. In this training event, participants will review significant cultural and clinical elements of working with Military and Emergency Service personnel/issues and their families, and identify ways to promote growth in their clients as well as avoid burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization in themselves.