Safety & Sanity

“I did not know when I became a Corrections Officer that conflict with fellow staff and supervisors would create such a hardship towards functioning as a professional.” ~ Anonymous

Over the years, staff from across the nation has reported to us that much of their work-related stress stems from their interactions with other staff – not with offenders.

This, in essence, is PREVENTABLE, AVOIDABLE stress. Staff have no control over what types of offenders they are assigned to manage. However, they do have control over how they relate to coworkers,
supervisors, and subordinates.

One source of such avoidable stress among corrections employees involves staff undermining other staff’s psychological safety.

Psychological safety is a dimension that is extensively addressed in Desert Waters’ signature course, “From Corrections Fatigue to Fulfillment™” (CF2F). Psychological safety involves a need most of us have.

Its frustration adds to the accumulation of Corrections Fatigue, and its satisfaction contributes to Corrections Fulfillment.

Psychological safety refers to how emotionally comfortable we feel in social groups, such as in the workplace, based on how we expect to be treated by people in these settings.

In healthy workplace environments where psychological safety is flourishing, staff do not try to aggravate or hurt other staff by spreading negative rumors about them, perhaps because they do not like them, are jealous of them, are competing with them for a position or assignment, or because they are holding a grudge against them.

When psychological safety is robust, staff do not ridicule or put down other staff through the use of mean-spirited jokes or comments, making fun of other employees’ vulnerabilities or mistakes.

In such healthy workforce environments, staff do not “talk trash” about other staff in their absence. In fact, if someone puts an employee down, other employees would intervene and say that it is not right to
tear into someone in their absence, when they are not there to defend themselves.

When psychological safety is prevalent, staff is reasonably confident that if they share a personal detail with another employee confidentially (information that has nothing to do with security or policy
matters), asking them to keep it to themselves, the coworker will honor that confidence and not betray them by divulging their personal information to others.

Psychological safety forms the foundation of other key dimensions essential for corrections fulfillment, as taught in the CF2F course—trust, respect and connection. Without sufficient psychological safety,
staff do not trust other staff, do not feel respected by them (and end up not respecting them in return), and do not feel connected with them as a team. So due to weakened psychological safety, division
reigns among the troops, with the notion of teamwork amounting to empty words, an abstract “pie in the sky,” and not an experienced reality. Moreover, being disconnected from the team can easily result
in employees feeling disempowered, as corrections staff depend on each other for their physical safety and to get the work done. As an end result, the job loses at least part of its positive meaning.

When psychological safety around other staff is on shaky ground, employees feel anxious and tense during their workday. They may be more concerned about getting hit by “friendly fire” than about
managing offenders effectively. And as the tempers of uptight staff tend to be short, employees who feel psychologically unsafe around coworkers may end up lashing out at staff or offenders, overreacting
to perceived provocations or annoyances—and potentially endangering their own physical safety or others’.

When psychological safety becomes seriously a casualty in a corrections workplace, staff may even come to believe that offenders are “safer” (and nicer) than other staff, and so they might gravitate
toward offenders for social connection. Consequently, policy violations and overall physical safety end up becoming compromised.

When psychological safety is undermined, resulting staff injuries may not be visible, but they are just as real as physical wounds. Staff often talk about wanting all employees to go home safe at the end of their workday—referring to physical safety. How about making it at least as important of a goal for staff to go home psychologically safe at the end of their shifts as well?

What we want is for staff to go home every day after work with their bonds of trust to coworkers intact (if not strengthened), with a healthy sense of belonging on the team, and with their professional dignity
intact, having been instructed or held accountable for their actions, but in respectful ways.

So, how about making it your resolution for 2018 to create a “psychologically safe zone” around you in relation to fellow staff, acting with consideration and sensitivity towards them as part of your overall
professionalism?

 Email This Post     Print This Post

admin Uncategorized

The colorful holiday season is supposed to be a time of fun, love and joy around family and friends, and
for some, also a time of spiritual reflection. Yet, there might be some downsides to this time of year, in
spite of the touted “holiday cheer.” This article is about identifying some of the factors that may try to
creep in and steal the true joy of the season, and suggesting ways to reduce or avoid avoidable stress
associated with the holidays.

So what can happen from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day? Words like overstimulation,
overindulgence, and overdrive may capture the average picture. We may find ourselves on the go
nonstop, overeating, overdrinking, and overspending, not wanting to miss out on any of the fun.
Weighed down with buyer’s remorse, some of us might start the New Year exhausted and frazzled, and
staring a pile of holiday debt in the face.

One of the culprits may be the seemingly obligatory gift giving. There is this pressure floating around,
this expectation, that we must prove our love to significant others through the purchase of “the” perfect
gifts for them. Parents and others may compete as to who will spend more on a child or on someone
else, as if number of dollars spent is the gauge of sincere love and devotion.

Along the same lines, we may feel obligated to buy gifts for just about every person we know, so no one
feels left out. So we might buy “stuff” we don’t necessarily even like to give to someone we may not
even really like, because this is the thing to do during the holidays. And regarding this compulsory gift
buying, we might not really care what we buy, as long as it fits our budget, and helps us cross that
person off our shopping list. Gift bought for ___? Check. That can end up being a lot of pressure.

This not-so-subtle competition can spread to who has the prettiest Christmas lights, who has the tallest
and most elegant Christmas tree, who has the most guests show up to their Christmas party, who… who
… who … to no apparent end.

Another culprit may be the sheer volume of activities associated with the holiday season, causing
essential down time and other “me” time to get pushed aside in order to meet children’s, employers’,
friends’ and relatives’ expectations, by attending numerous events. And on top of that, we may also host
a party, with all the expense and preparation this requires, the energy it takes, and the clean-up that
follows. Why have all these gatherings bunched up during a few weeks of the year instead of spreading
them out throughout the year?

A third factor that saps energy during the holiday season can be the extended family gatherings on “the”
special days. Oftentimes, these are not the easiest to pull off. There can be tension and even outright
verbal clashes regarding whose house we go to for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, or whose house
we visit first from among key relatives when we make our rounds on these holidays.

Hurt feelings, pouting, complaints and guilt trips by dissatisfied relatives can rob us of the joy of the
holiday season.

Moreover, spending time with family members one tends to avoid the rest of the year can cause old
conflicts to resurface. Such pressures, not so subtle competition among relatives for others’ affection,
and overt conflict among (at times) inebriated guests has led a friend of mine to declare that the holiday
season is the “Olympics of dysfunctional families.”

How might a season of celebration end up becoming a season of overindulgence, overstimulation,
buyer’s remorse, exhaustion, the dreaded weight gain, and even the “blues?”

I think that part of the reason is that, somehow, we’ve been led to believe that the holiday season with
its opportunities for indulgence on many levels will bring us the perfect emotional state, the perfect gift,
the perfect meal, the perfect gathering, THE perfect whatever. High expectations for satisfaction and
happiness abound. And such unrealistic expectations are most likely going to lead to disappointment
when they do not come to pass like we thought they would, or evaporate after the novelty of a present
or excitement of an event—no matter how special—wears off. The fantasy bubble of holiday happiness
bursts, followed by the day of reckoning, when the credit card statement hits our mailbox or our inbox.

The drive for the high of indulgence is masterfully fueled by retailers’ bombardment with “holiday
specials,” bargains and sales. We don’t want to miss out on a good deal. So we buy. The shopping frenzy
says a lot about what we consider to be important, what we think we cannot do without (the latest,
biggest, best, 33% more), and the degree to which we may be susceptible to this special form of “peer
pressure.”

So here are some suggestions for staying sane during the holiday season stampede.

Regarding gift buying

• Make a realistic budget for holiday shopping (that is, within your financial means), and stick with it.
  Absolutely don’t go into debt for Christmas presents. One way to do that is to save throughout the
  year for your upcoming Christmas shopping.

• Don’t buy something to just buy it because it is advertised as a good deal. Do you, or the person you’re
  buying it for, really need or have use for this item at this time? When accosted with all kinds of
  bargains, remind yourself that just because something is supposedly a bargain, you don’t have to
  have it.

• Make symbolic personal gifts that are expressions of your affection or appreciation for someone. Bake
  some goodies, make something, sew something, or give a “coupon” for child sitting, house cleaning,
  or for a time together fishing, jogging, walking, playing a game.

• Create your own family traditions. You don’t have to do it the way everyone else does. For example,
  you may choose to have your gift giving take place during New Year’s Eve, instead of Christmas Eve
  or Christmas day. Or you can give small and inexpensive gifts as tokens of appreciation and
  demonstrations of affection during the holidays, while giving expensive gifts or making large
  purchases the rest of year, such as during someone’s birthday, an anniversary, a graduation, as a
  surprise, and/or in response to a real need. These practices remove the societal pressure for
  expected (and almost competitive) mega gift giving during the Christmas holidays. Instead, you and
  your loved ones can focus on quality time together, shifting the season’s focus from commercial or
  obligatory gift-buying to expressions of gratitude and love, and to relational and spiritual activities.

• Shop after the holiday season is over. This will increase the probability that you’ll be able to buy items
  at truly reduced prices. Store them and give them during the rest of the year as suggested

• If you have a large extended family, consider drawing names and buying for the one person whose
  name you have drawn rather than knocking yourself out buying for each individual. Consider setting
  a price limit for gifts, for example, no more than $25—and honor that. Don’t try to outdo everyone
  else by buying presents that cost more than the set amount.

• Refuse to get drawn into competition with an ex-spouse or with other relatives or friends regarding
  how much was spent on gifts, what gifts were purchased, or how many people attended a holiday
  celebration.

• If your favorite way to express love is through gift giving, and you absolutely want to celebrate by
  emphasizing this aspect of the holidays, of course do that, but keep it affordable. And remember
  that you can express love that way throughout the year. There is nothing sacred or exclusive about
  bestowing gifts on others (or on yourself) around Christmas time.

• Instead of buying the seemingly obligatory gifts that people may put aside and not use much, if at all,
  consider giving to reputable charities that provide services to those in truly desperate straits. This
  practice can also help teach your children compassion and sharing.

Family Gatherings and Other Social Events

• Try to maintain your daily and weekly routine as much as possible to avoid feeling disoriented and
  overwhelmed during the holiday frenzy. Protect your personal downtime and workout time.

• To avoid one person getting overloaded, divide up who brings what dishes to a family dinner, and
  annually rotate houses where the family dinner takes place. If traditionally everyone gathers at their
  parents’ home, seek to expand and alternate the options as the years go by and the parents get
  older or are widowed, and make a special effort to include in-laws.

• Don’t skip meals in order to splurge during a holiday dinner. Research shows that skipping lunch in
  order to splurge later can result in people eating over twice as many calories during that splurge as
  they would have eaten had they had their normal lunch and snacks prior to the holiday meal.

• If family gatherings are predictably toxic—high-pressure and high-conflict, consider spending key days
  of the holidays with your immediate family out of town.

• Make sure you get sufficient rest and sleep on a daily basis.
• If you’re working during the holidays—which very likely you will be—set up times to celebrate on your
  days off work.

Mark your calendar for special get-togethers with family and friends during the spring, summer and
fall. This will free up your holiday season so you can maintain a reasonable pace in your life and not
get overloaded and worn out.

These are just some suggestions about ways to avoid “holiday fatigue.” You may have already figured
out some that work for you. If you’d like, email your thoughts to me.

Wishing you all a safe and sane holiday season, reflecting on this special time, enjoying your loved ones,
reaching out to those in need, and counting your blessings!

 Email This Post     Print This Post

admin Uncategorized

Reprinted with permission from “Correctional Oasis”, Volume 13, Issue 7.

A prior version of this article was published in the September 2008 issue of the Correctional Oasis.

Dialogue (dī′ə lôg′, -läg′)
1. a talking together; conversation
2. interchange and discussion of ideas, especially when open and frank, as in seeking mutual understanding or harmony
From Yourdictionary.com

I heard once that we have one mouth but two ears because we need to listen twice as much as we speak. The need for careful and strategic listening is always in order. However, it is probably never greater than when we find ourselves in disagreement with others—holding contrasting viewpoints—whether in our professional lives or in our private dealings.

Interacting with others includes experiencing friction with them at times, with “iron sharpening iron.” Whether it is administrators negotiating with unions, supervisors confronting sub-ordinates, parents clashing with teen children, or spouses disagreeing, conflict happens.

When we experience a disagreement, our first urge is to try to convince the other party that our way of thinking is the right one, and so have our views and preferences prevail—and thus “win” the argument.

Conflict resolution experts suggest, however, that, when at an impasse with others, we need to dialogue with them if we want to enjoy possible mutually satisfactory resolutions, and to preserve relationships.

One goal of dialoguing is to look for common ground with people with whom we disagree. That is why the essence of successful dialogue is exploratory in nature. It aims to help both parties identify and clarify complexities and nuances about their positions.

If arguing to win resembles a fierce game of tennis, dialoguing looks like deep-sea diving with the other party in each other’s territory with the goal of bringing discovered treasures to the surface from BOTH parties’ territory.

Effective dialoguing requires approaching each other with the goal to better understand each other’s history, needs, interests, context and foundational assumptions. Dialoguing also seeks to identify what is acceptable, valuable and meaningful to each party. This takes having a vested interest in long-term outcomes, not just short-lived victories.

Dialoguing presumes that all parties involved hold pieces of the puzzle, that they all have validity in their perspective.

Through dialoguing all parties involved have the opportunity to recognize the value of each other’s stance, and to acknowledge that the other party’s contributions can advance and enrich everyone’s thinking. This takes objectivity, generosity of spirit, and a realistic self-assessment.

While engaging in dialogue all parties are expected to present their positions, while at the same time remaining willing to reevaluate them in light of additional evidence. This takes integrity, courage and flexibility.

Dialoguing is built upon respect of the other party, humility to accept that we don’t have all the answers, self-control and patience with the process of discovery and discussion, and the desire to maintain a working relationship with those with whom we are dialoguing.

Ultimately, dialogue conducted effectively can help all parties come up with creative new possibilities to address their disagreements. For example, instead of verbally attacking someone over their doing something in a certain way, dialoguing entails both parties presenting their positions. Topics to be covered include the reasons for one party’s dis-pleasure with the other party’s actions; alternatives that the objecting party is proposing instead; the other party’s reasons for doing things in their particular way; areas that would be impacted by change and also by lack of change of how things are done; and possible ways to combine elements of the two approaches (if feasible) in order to ad-dress both parties’ agendas and needs more effectively.

Of course all this takes maturity of character, time, and effort. Dialoguing is hard work. Engaging in it challenges our very human urge to cut to the chase, and “win” the argument by wrapping the discussion up, and settling matters our way. When we look at the toll of broken relationships and divided teams, however, it becomes apparent that investing in dialogue is well worth it. In fact, we cannot afford not to dialogue with both colleagues and our loved ones.

Suggested reading:
Isaacs, William. (1999). Dialogue and the Art of Think-ing Together. New York, New York: Currency Double-day.

 Email This Post     Print This Post

admin Uncategorized

The following has been reprinted with permission from the July 2016 Correctional Oasis, Volume 13, Issue 7.

A prior version of this article was published in the Correctional Oasis, November-December 2005 issue. This topic of basic assumptions being shattered when people are victimized by traumatic experiences was first addressed and studied in a systematic way by Ronnie Janoff-Bulman in 1989.

When CO Smith was caught in his first “large group disturbance” (aka a riot) in the chow hall, he dissociated and froze. Surrounded by 200 offenders who were throwing around food, plates, kicks, and punches, he remained transfixed. The last conscious thought that flashed through his mind before he “checked out” was that this was the end of the road for him. When he came to himself, partly due to the ear-piercing din in the room, and partly due to staff surrounding him and asking him if he was okay, he couldn’t believe that he had just stood there. Deep shame about not responding as trained washed over him. “I never expected to just freeze!” was all he could think. How could he explain to anyone (including himself), what happened, and why he let his partner across the room down by not taking action as he should have? CO Smith felt so defeated, he started to question his courage and his ability to do his job. The taunts and biting comments of his coworkers in reaction to his freezing did not help any. His view of himself as a warrior lay shattered in the depths of his mind. In its place now stood the specter of a coward.

Exposure to a traumatic stressor can shake us to the core, rattling us emotionally and causing an earthquake in the do-main of cherished core beliefs about ourselves and about life.

When trauma tears our “safety bubble” apart—our expectation that we or our loved ones will be protected from harm—it can also decimate our expectation that we will rise to the occasion and deal effectively with whatever life dishes out to us, or that what happens to us will be fair, or that life events will follow a logical or comprehensible sequence.

What can happen instead is that our basic positive assumptions in areas of importance to us are shredded and re-placed with opposites regarding our beliefs about our efficacy and our invulnerability, our beliefs about other people’s trustworthiness or benevolence, and our beliefs about the meaningfulness of life in general.

Here are some core beliefs and expectations which can be negatively and extremely distorted by trauma.

Expectations of personal invincibility and immortality. Assumptions such as, “I can handle whatever comes my way,” or “Nothing bad will happen to me,” may be replaced with “I was overwhelmed,” or “I almost died.”

Expectations of justice and fairness. Assumptions such as “Justice always wins in the end,” or “If you do the right thing you’ll be rewarded,” may be replaced with “It makes no difference how decent of a human being you try to be; you’ll still get railroaded,” or “The crooks end up getting away with murder.”

Expectations of predictability. Assumptions such as, “My life is unfolding as planned,” or “I know what’s coming next,” may be replaced with “Life is chaotic, totally out of control,” or “My life is in shambles—all that matters to me is gone.”

Expectations that people will be “good.” Assumptions such as, “People are basically good /decent /honest,” may be replaced with “People are con artists /thugs /evil.”

Expectations that life events will make sense. Assumptions such as, “If you’re a good guy bad things won’t happen to you,” or “If you never smoke, you won’t get lung cancer,” may be replaced with “Bad things will hit you out of the blue, whether you’ve been good or bad,” or “It doesn’t matter how healthy you try to live, you can still get sick.”

The shattering of these basic assumptions about safety, predictability, justice and meaningfulness of life can leave trauma survivors in a state of bewilderment. It is as if they find themselves in a game where the rules have changed, but they can’t make sense of these new rules, and there’s no one available to explain the changes to them.

The journey of healing after trauma involves (among other components) the ability to repair these shattered core beliefs by moderating the extreme pendulum swing caused by trauma. Traumatized people who get better learn to view their crushing experiences through the lens of a more balanced and accurate assessment than the all-or-nothing perspective of traumatic stress. They pull back from overgeneralizations and, instead, learn to moderate their thinking. They understand—and accept—that there may be a degree of randomness in life, but that there is also a degree of predictability, justice, and order. They accept that “bad” circumstances that happen to them may also be incubators of opportunities and new beginnings. Sometimes, instead of “Why me?” they learn to say, “Why NOT me?” And they choose to trust again that there is still goodness in this world, and that it is “better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

Suggested further reading:

1. Janoff-Bulman, R. (1989). Assumptive Worlds and the Stress of Traumatic Events: Applications of the Schema Construct. Social Cognition, 7, Special Issue: Stress, Coping, and Social Cognition, 113-136.
2. Janoff-Bulman, R. (2010). Shattered assumptions. Simon and Schuster.

 Email This Post     Print This Post

admin Uncategorized

Corrections Fatigue

Corrections Fatigue is a term I coined in the year 2000. Corrections Fatigue is a broad “umbrella” term that aims to capture the combined and snowballing effects of repeated exposure to an array of occupational stressors that are essentially unavoidable in corrections work settings. Here is the latest definition:

Corrections Fatigue is the cumulative negative change over time of corrections professionals’ PERSONALITY, HEALTH and FUNCTIONING, and of the CORRECTIONS WORKFORCE CULTURE, as a result of insufficient and/or unhealthy individual and/or organizational coping strategies and/or wellness resources necessary for healthy adaptation to the demands of corrections work.

Said more simply, Corrections Fatigue is the gradual and progressive wear-and-tear of body, soul and spirit of staff as they repeatedly experience high stress workplace events of various types during the course of their careers. Corrections Fatigue affects individuals, teams, and eventually even the entire workforce culture of corrections institutions and offices.

Negative changes characteristic of Corrections Fatigue may interact, resulting in self-reinforcing consequences—the proverbial “vicious cycle”—with effects/outcomes of Corrections Fatigue becoming causes/sources of additional Corrections Fatigue impinging upon the corrections workforce.

When corrections workplace cultures become unhealthy as a result of sufficient numbers of individual staff being affected in this manner, then counterproductive values, core beliefs, thinking patterns, and behaviors become the norm. Staff in these workforce cultures may even become resigned to working under such conditions, accepting them as “the way we do things in corrections.”

The impact of Corrections Fatigue exists on continuum of severity from non-existent or mild to extreme. Corrections Fatigue is NOT a clinical term. It is not a disease, although at the more severe end of the spectrum, staff who display Corrections Fatigue signs may be suffering from health conditions.

The workplace stressors that affect the development and progression of Corrections Fatigue can be conceptualized as falling in three broad categories: (a) operational (related to operations, such as staffing, shift work, work load, and certain policies and procedures); (b) organizational (related to the workplace culture and managing people—whether employees or offenders, such as interpersonal conflict, and certain management practices and leadership styles); and (c) traumatic (related to exposure to incidents of violence, injury and death, whether directly or indirectly).

Stressors related to staff’s personal lives, perhaps preceding their corrections career, may additionally constitute areas of vulnerability and risk that interact with workplace stressors.

To measure Corrections Fatigue in a quantitative way for groups of staff, Desert Waters’ researchers constructed the Corrections Fatigue Status Assessment, a psychometrically sound assessment instrument, now in its fifth iteration (CFSA-v5; Denhof and Spinaris, 2014). According to the CFSA-v5, Corrections Fatigue affects nine distinct but related dimensions of functioning of the corrections workforce. These are, in alphabetical order: Behavioral Functioning, Leadership Supportiveness, Meaning, Moral Injury, Morale, Outlook/Disposition, Psychological Safety, Staff Reliability, and Staff Supportiveness. And as was stated earlier, when these areas are negatively impacted, they in turn become the source of further Corrections Fatigue for a workforce.

As shown through the CFSA-v5[1] and through other studies[2], research supports the notion that a broad spectrum of consequences of Corrections Fatigue exist in varying degrees in the corrections workforce, in both institution and community corrections environments. These consequences must be increasingly acknowledged, studied, and under-stood. When they are minimized or overlooked, they end up permeating and shaping the workplace culture in lasting negative ways, culminating in reduced staff wellness, substance abuse, decreased job performance, employee misconduct, absenteeism, high turnover, and increased staff suicide risk.

Corrections Fulfillment

Corrections Fulfillment is a term I coined in 2006, to describe the combined outcomes of healthy professional and personal practices of corrections staff and of healthy corrections work-place cultures. Here is the latest definition:

Corrections Fulfillment is the cumulative result of corrections professionals’ EFFECTIVE COPING STRATEGIES and WORK ENGAGEMENT, and the POSITIVE QUALITY of the corrections workforce culture.

And as effects of Corrections Fatigue become causes of more negative outcomes, similarly, Corrections Fulfillment has a positive snowball effect as well. Increases in Corrections Fulfillment permeate workforce cultures, creating a positive and supportive workforce climate where resilience-promoting behaviors are practiced, shared, and modeled. This facilitates the personal growth and professional development of corrections professionals, which in turn can promote more Fulfillment.

Corrections Fulfillment starts with a reduction in negative changes associated with Corrections Fatigue. It then moves to increased resilience (the capacity to bounce back after negative experiences), increased well-being, and increased job satisfaction. And at the peak of Fulfillment, staff may experience Post-traumatic Growth, their development as people and as professionals after facing traumatic events. Post-traumatic growth may involve, among other types of transformation, an increased appreciation for relationships, deepening spirituality, increased capacity for compassion, and increased gratitude for and appreciation of life.

Reduction and prevention of Corrections Fatigue and the promotion of Corrections Fulfillment require persistent, multi-faceted, and system-wide improvement programs that target change at both the organizational level (“top down”) and the individual staff level (“bottom up”).

Such improvement efforts encourage and model sound core beliefs and values, positive styles of staff interaction with both other staff and with offenders, and health-promoting self-care practices. They include the provision of affordable and effective wellness resources, ongoing staff wellness assessments, and education on a regular basis on data-driven resilience-promoting strategies and wellness-promoting behaviors. The aim of these interventions is to increase understanding of strategies that can reduce Corrections Fatigue, and implement ways to attain and maintain Corrections Fulfillment across an agency—staff well-being, work engagement, and quality of life.

We at Desert Waters Correctional Outreach are dedicated to continue to develop evidence-based educational materials and interventions for corrections professionals and their families. The overall well-being and functioning of corrections staff both at work and in their personal lives is our goal.

[1] Denhof, M.D., & Spinaris, C.G. (2014a). Corrections Fatigue Status Assessment—version 5 http://desertwaters.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/CFSA_V4_Data_Sheet.pdf.

[2] Denhof, M.D., & Spinaris, C.G. (2014b). The Violence Injury and Death Exposure Scale (VIDES) http://desertwaters.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/VIDES_Data_Sheet.pdf.

 Email This Post     Print This Post

admin Uncategorized

The following has been reprinted with permission from Correctional Oasis: Volume 13, Issue 4.

My special thanks are offered to Greg Morton, DWCO’s Training Manager, for his careful reading and compassionate edits of this article.

Those who work in corrections have most likely experienced at least one traumatic episode directly, and/or also encountered traumatic material indirectly, possibly repeatedly. You may still be bothered by these exposures, and might be experiencing some of the symptoms that are mentioned later on in this article. Remember, even the “toughest of the tough” show signs of wear-and-tear as the number and types of traumatic material to which they are exposed at work continue to accumulate. We should consider this wear-and-tear outcome to be an inherent and practically inescapable part of our profession, and therefore a subject worth acknowledging and validating by all involved. Peers and colleagues, support each other when you recognize signs of discomfort and strain in your coworkers. Administrators and supervisors, let your staff know that corrections workers, like police officers, fire-fighters and military veterans, do get affected more or less by what they experience at work, and that these effects have nothing to do with weakness. Not seeking help when help is needed is the actual weakness, just like not keeping one’s tools cleaned or one’s vehicles maintained reduces their utility.

That said, please read the following with care. We at Desert Waters are not implying that corrections staff as a general rule suffer from these symptoms at a diagnostic level. Rather, we want to note that these symptoms can exist on a continuum from mild to moderate to more severe. Just because you might recognize individual behaviors in the descriptions below, that does not indicate a diagnosable condition. However, it would also be a mistake to believe that the very real consequences of incidents that happen during a corrections employee’s career might never rise to a severe level of dysfunction. This information is provided so that the profession overall can begin to recognize the possible severity of these outcomes at their most extreme, both on and off duty.

According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, (DSM-5, APA, 2013)1, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is comprised of four groupings of symptoms. These symptom clusters are intrusive remembering, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and increased arousal and reactivity.

If a certain number and combination of the four clusters of symptoms exist for more than one month following exposure to a traumatic stressor, a trauma-exposed individual can be diagnosed with PTSD. For such a diagnosis, however, experienced symptoms must also result in significant distress and impairments in functioning socially, occupationally, or otherwise.

Interestingly, it is possible that diagnostic criteria based on the above symptoms may not be met in full for six months or longer following exposure to traumatic stressors, in which case symptom expression is described as being delayed. That is, a person may show few if any symptoms at first, but months after the event they may start exhibiting enough symptoms to meet criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.

Again, please remember that PTSD, or any psychological condition, can only be diagnosed by a licensed clinician following direct contact, including a one-on-one interview with the person assessed, and perhaps also the administration of clinical tests. If you think that you are suffering from PTSD, please seek professional assistance. Your family and friends, not to mention all of us at Desert Waters Correctional Outreach, want only the best for you.

1. Intrusive Distressing Memories

   This category of symptoms refers to repeated and unwelcome remembering of details of traumatic events. These details are based on our senses—such as, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or textures related to the incident. It is as if sensory details are branded in one’s memory, popping up repeatedly in their raw format, unaltered, and like one hit the replay button. This involuntary remembering can be unexpected, “out of the blue.” Or it is cued (“triggered”) by reminders of the traumatic episode(s). Such reminders may be in the person’s external environment (for example, certain smells, sounds, sights, textures, people, locations, situations), or in the person’s internal environment (for example, their own thoughts and emotions). In the case of PTSD, intrusive memories are accompanied by intense emotional distress and physiological arousal, such as increased heart rate, shaking, or sweating. Flashbacks are dissociative reactions, a particularly disturbing type of intrusive remembering, when the person re-lives the event vividly, as if it is happening all over again. Intrusive memories can be experienced both while awake and while asleep (as in nightmares). Distressing dreams of traumatic events rob their victims of what is typically a refuge for all of us—peaceful sleep. Intrusive remembering can become so upsetting, that sufferers may resist falling asleep (trying to stay awake no matter what), as they do not want to re-experience their nightmares.

   Examples of Intrusive Distressing Memories

   A corrections case manager still has nightmares about violent incidents she witnessed during the course of her corrections career. The nightmares are like a movie playing or a slide show of still photos of the event. The images remain unaltered, identical to those on the day of the incident. Sometimes she hears sounds and smells odors related to the events. Invariably, she wakes up with a start, sweating, heart racing. To avoid her haunting nightmares that seem to strike unexpectedly, “out of nowhere,” and for no apparent reason, she tries to stay awake as long as she can. Or she has several stiff drinks before going to sleep.

   A corrections educator, who had been assaulted by an offender a couple of months prior, has a flashback of the attack while he’s driving. He “sees” the offender on his left side lunging at him, shank in hand. Overtaken by the vividness of the experience, and forgetting that he is in fact driving, he ducks and swerves to avoid the offender in his mind’s eye, driving his vehicle into the ditch. As the flashback subsides, he sits in his car shaking until he can compose himself enough to drive to his destination.

2. Avoidance

   Avoidance is an attempt of trauma survivors to “insulate” themselves, to protect themselves from reminders of traumatic events (“trauma triggers”) in order to avoid or reduce the jarring distress they can cause. Trauma triggers may exist either in the outer world (that is, they are external), and/or they may be birthed in one’s own mind (that is, they are internal). Such trauma-related avoidance is persistent, active, effortful, and intentional. External re-minders that are studiously avoided may include people, places, activities, conversations, situations, and things. Internal reminders may be one’s own thoughts, emotions, or memories associated with traumatic events. It would seem relatively easy to avoid at least some of the external reminders. The harder part may be insulating oneself from internal reminders—from one’s own mind—that is, from oneself. How does a person escape their own haunting feelings, thoughts and memories? There is considerable research that suggests that substance abuse and other compulsive and addictive behaviors may be one method of attempting to avoid/block one’s own memories, thoughts and emotions that are associated with traumatic events.

   Examples of Avoidance

   Since he retired on disability due to work-related PTSD, a corrections officer avoids driving in the vicinity of the prison where he used to work, and he absolutely refuses to drive down the road that leads to the prison. When he needs to go to the next town, he takes a 40-minute detour in order to avoid driving by his old place of employment. He says that just thinking about the gate causes him to start having feelings of panic. He’s also told his wife he no longer wants her to fix spaghetti with spaghetti sauce for him to eat. What he did not tell her was the real reason for that. The sight of spaghetti sauce has now become a strong trauma trigger, a reminder of what he saw on the concrete floor of a cell following an inmate-on-inmate assault that involved serious brain injuries. He’s also quit deer hunting, which he used to love doing annually.

   Since an attempted sexual assault in her office by a mentally ill parolee she supervised, a Parole Office has been postponing reading parolee files, especially when they contain details of sexual violence. She has also been having an increasingly harder time coming into her office every day. Just looking at the desk behind which the parolee had pinned her while she was screaming for help, causes her to start sweating. Lately she has been seriously contemplating a move, either to a different parole office, or to an entirely different profession unrelated to criminal justice.

3. Negative Changes in Thinking and Mood

   This grouping of symptoms involves negative changes in one’s thinking and emotions that start after exposure to traumatic events, and that become entrenched, habitual. They involve negative changes in one’s thinking patterns, expectations, and beliefs about oneself and/or others; the persistent experiencing of distressing emotions; and an inability to recall key details about traumatic incidents. Examples include persistent negative judgments of self or others; exaggerated or unfounded self-blame and/or blame of others regarding perceived causes or consequences of traumatic events; hopelessness; pervasive anger, fear, sadness, guilt, or shame; loss of interest in important activities or activities that were previously enjoyed; feelings of emotional detachment from others; difficulty experiencing positive emotions, such as affection, and not remembering incident details or having said or done things during a traumatic event that are on tape or that coworkers state they witnessed them saying or doing.

   Examples of Negative Changes in Thinking and Mood

   A corrections lieutenant feels like life has lost its flavor. Even pleasant family activities that he used to enjoy now feel to him to be empty, meaningless. He cannot feel affection for his own children like he used to, or compassion toward them when they get physically hurt or when they are otherwise in distress.

   A Probation Officer cannot stop feeling angry about how an incident was handled by her supervisor over a year ago. She is convinced that had her suggestion been taken, a probation-er she supervised would not have had the opportunity to rob and murder his elderly grandmother.

   A youth counselor has been feeling guilty about the injury of a coworker, holding herself responsible for it, even though her supervisor and administrators have told her that she did everything she could have possibly done to help—and by the book. She keeps re-playing the incident in her head, remaining adamant that had she gotten there just a minute sooner, her coworker would not have been stomped by a group of juveniles in the dorm.

   A corrections sergeant, who has been assaulted on numerous occasions by members of a certain ethnic group, has developed deep-rooted and hate-filled prejudices against all people of that ethnic group. He has tried talking himself out of that type of thinking, but has not been able to get rid of his sweeping negative generalizations. He feels ashamed, as the logical part of him tells him he’s wrong to think that way.

4. Increased Arousal and Reactivity

   This refers to being ready to go off—on yellow much of the time, and ready to explode onto red at the least perceived provocation. That is, to be chronically agitated, irritable, “on edge,” and at times unable to keep oneself from going “over the edge,” quickly progressing to a “fight or flight” mode (which most of the time is “fight”). Examples include snapping at people; anger outbursts; verbal or physical aggression; reckless or self-destructive behavior (including self-injury and suicide-related behaviors); heightened sensitivity to potential threats; an unusually strong startle response; difficulty concentrating; and restless sleep.

   Examples of Increased Arousal and Reactivity

   A corrections officer feels angry much of the time. In fact, if you asked his family members, they’d tell you that’s he’s mad all the time. At work he sometimes purposely provokes inmates by staring at them and by saying humiliating things to them in front of their “homies.” A couple of times recently he confronted men in public as well, because he thought that they had stared at him disrespectfully. His wife has told him that she no longer wants to go out with him, because she’s afraid he’ll get in a fight. After particularly intense shifts he drives home at 90mph in 65mph zones, at times riding other drivers’ bumpers, screaming at the top of his lungs, and cutting them off. At home, he can see fear in his children’s eyes when he approaches them. His wife has pleaded with him to not give her “the prison look” any-more. She has told him that when he gets enraged at her, she is afraid he is going to hit her.

   After 10 years of working at a metro jail, a detention officer feels safe only when he is inside his house. He avoids going to grocery stores (his wife does all the shopping now), malls, movie theaters, concerts or the state fair—all activities that he used to enjoy prior to starting his corrections career. He also worries greatly about his family’s safety. He has installed several security devices in his home, and motion-triggered lights all around his yard. And he has hidden fire-arms and knives in secret locations in his house. He cannot sleep for more than two hours at a stretch without waking up. He feels chronically wired and tired at the same time.

In addition to the above four clusters of PTSD symptoms (intrusive remembering, avoidance of trauma reminders, negative changes in thinking and emotions, and increased arousal and reactivity), PTSD sufferers may also experience the following two types of dissociative symptoms, persistently and repeatedly. These are:

• Depersonalization: feeling detached from oneself, from both one’s own mental processes or one’s body, such as having a sense of time moving slowly, feeling as if one’s body is not real, or experiencing events as if they were dreams;
• Derealization: feeling as if one’s surroundings are not real, or as if the surroundings are distant or distorted.

If you identify any of the above issues in yourself, here are some suggestions:

• Acknowledge that you are still bothered by extremely stressful situations to which you were exposed;
• Talk to significant others, peers, or spiritual advisors about this;
• Seek help from knowledgeable medical and/or behavioral health professionals;
• Engage in activities that are positive, health-promoting, body-calming, emotion-calming, and nurturing physically, socially and spiritually, such as physical exercise, outdoors activities, psychotherapy, journaling, hobbies, or attending support groups or faith-based gatherings; and
• Abstain from substance abuse or other addictive behaviors.

Do not put it off any longer. Pursue your healing!

Yes, you can work through traumatic experiences. And you can even grow in self-awareness, compassion, and appreciation of life and of relationships as a result of doing so. As many wise people have said, the greatest challenges in life also present the greatest opportunities for growth and transformation. As corrections professionals, you have jobs that on certain days may cause you to encounter the worst in life. But every single one of you also has the capacity to grow stronger afterwards. And that is one of the many things to be proud of as corrections professionals!

Here are the resources mentioned earlier: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255); Safe Call Now at 206-459-3020; and Serve & Protect at 615-373-8000. Safe Call Now and Serve & Protect serve all U.S. first responders and public safety employees, including corrections staff and their families.

[1] American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) (Fifth Ed.). Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.

Please note: This series on Psychological Trauma will be continued in future issues of the Correctional Oasis.

 Email This Post     Print This Post

admin Uncategorized

The following has been reprinted with permission from Correctional Oasis: Volume 13, Issue 3.

The following is an actual encounter I had years ago that describes parts of a correctional family’s journey in dealing with family violence.

Have you ever had the sense that someone behind you is studying you? I had that experience the other day at the grocery store. Instinctively I turned around to see who was looking at me and “caught” a woman in her forties watching me intently. I half-smiled and pushed my cart down the next aisle wondering absentmindedly about what might be on her mind.

Suddenly she was right next to me again. “Are you the one who reaches out to corrections officers?” she asked sheepishly. “You know, Desert Waters?” I lit up. “Yes, I am.”

She went on. “I recognized you from a photo in an old newspaper that a friend gave me.” “Do you work in corrections?” I asked. “No, I don’t, but my husband does. He’s been at it nine years now.” She hesitated for a brief second, and then her eyes filled with tears.

Seeing that, I motioned her to follow me to a quieter area of the store. After regaining her composure, she whispered, “What you’ve been writing about is SO true. We’ve been through SO much as a family over the years.” She then stopped like she was weighing what to say next, took a deep breath, and then threw open the floodgates. “It’s much better now. But just a year ago I wasn’t sure we were going to make it as a family.”

“I’m very glad things are better now,” I replied. “And I feel for you, for all you’ve been through.” Then I asked, “Where does your husband work?”

She gave me the name of a facility where I had heard that incidents of violence were an all-too-common occurrence. (I remembered a correctional staff member telling me that working in that type of environment for even just a few years could change a person to the core—and not for the better.) I felt my heart ache for this couple. “Corrections!” I thought to myself. “We need the prisons and the jails, yet what a toll they can take on staff and families alike!” I then repeated, “I’m glad things are better now at home.”

She smiled and nodded. I could tell that she was once again weighing whether to open up some more or not. Then she took the plunge. “My husband became so mean after a few years on the job. He’d fly off the handle over ridiculous things. He’d put me down over nothing. He didn’t want to be around people. He had never been like that before. His goal became to work nights. He quit doing things with us as a family. I felt abandoned, like a widow.” She paused again as if impacted by her own words. I found myself almost holding my breath. The moment felt sacred. One human being making true heart-to-heart contact with another without even exchanging names.

The woman looked me in the eyes ever so seriously. “My husband is a good man. We’ve been married 16 years. I did not know what to make of it when he started becoming violent. He’d throw things. He’d break things. He even hauled off and hit me once. I just couldn’t believe it! Up to that point he had never done anything like that.” Her tears were flowing now. And my eyes were misty too. “I did not call the cops. Don’t ask me why not.” She looked away, seeming embarrassed. “I could tell he felt bad afterwards for what he’d done. And the kids were terrified. They were in the next room and heard it all. After that, we all walked on eggshells around him. No noise, no requests, no complaints. Did not want to set him off. And we didn’t even know what might set him off! After a while I knew I couldn’t go on living like that. I told him we had to get help, or we were history. He kept refusing until the day he hauled off to hit me again, caught himself at the last second, and put a hole in the wall instead. A week later we started counseling.”

She smiled and I smiled back. “Thank you for trusting me and sharing this with me,” I said. “And I’m so glad you took action and that he agreed.” “You know, I finally realized that I had to do something for our family,” she replied. “I refused to go on living in fear and worry. I refused to have the kids’ lives ruined. And it’s been better. We talk more. He is more respectful. There are still things he is working on. His occasional yelling. His talking to the kids like a drill sergeant. Treating us like inmates sometimes, ordering us around. But on the whole our home life is so much better. He does back off when I ask him to. We’re growing close again one day at a time.” We both sighed a sigh of relief.

“I know the kids will need more help,” she added wistfully, as if talking to herself. “We’re thinking about what would be the best way to do that. I can tell that at times they’re still scared of their dad, and mad at him, too. He’s apologized to them, but they need more. In our counseling we talk about ways he can rebuild bridges not only with me, but also with them. The other day I sat our children down and told them that sometimes daddy’s work is very tough , and that he’s still all revved up when he gets home. I told them that we’re getting help.” “You’re doing a wonderful job,” I said, admiring her courage. “Last week I caught my son putting his sister down just like his dad used to treat me. I got on him right away. Told him that I was not going to tolerate disrespect in our home. I made him apologize to her. It felt so good!”

We both smiled again. “Yay for mom!” I cheered. She changed tone. “Thank you for listening. Thank you for caring.” “You’re welcome,” I answered. “Meeting you made my day. When you can, visit our website and see about getting on our mailing list.” “Will do. Keep praying for us in corrections!” she said as we parted ways to continue our shopping.

Afterward I kept thinking about our call to come alongside corrections folks and share the burden with them. What a privilege it is to have the opportunity of such encounters—whether groups in training or one person at a time! And I also thought of you all who support our mission through your giving. Thank you.

And going back to the Sam Houston University study, the Correctional Management Institute developed a brochure for correctional officers to recognize signs of stress and for ways to address them. Here are some of the suggestions:

• Exercise regularly
• Maintain proper nutrition
• Get enough sleep
• Reach out to co-workers, friends and family
• Do something enjoyable every day
• Use meditation and other relaxation techniques as part of your daily schedule
• Avoid drugs and alcohol
• Use your employer’s confidential Employee Assistance Program

And if you have suffered intimate partner violence, please get help for yourself. Resources for victims of violence are many, both in local communities and nationally. Here’s a start: http://www.apa.org/topics/violence/partner.aspx and http://www.womenshealth.gov/violence-against-women/types-of-violence/domestic-intimate-partner-vi.

You can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or TTY 800-787-3224.

And in case you’ve crossed the line, and became physically violent with a loved one, PLEASE get specialized professional help right away. Your most important support system is at risk.

MUCH is at stake.

 Email This Post     Print This Post

admin Uncategorized

The following article was reprinted with permission from Correctional Oasis, Volume 13, Issue 1.

Who does not want to be resilient and happy, and have a long and healthy life? I’d venture to say, most, if not all of us, do! The key is how to get to that place, and how to find our way back to that sweet spot after getting blown off course by some of life’s turbulence. To achieve these goals, we need to know and practice behaviors that contribute to enduring resilience, to happiness, and to an improved quality and perhaps even length of life.

In this and subsequent articles I’d like to discuss some of the factors that research has shown promote resilience, happiness, well-being, and even longevity.

To start with, I want to highlight some research evidence on the factor of social relationships, as good relationships seem to be a major contributor to resilience, happiness and well-being.

According to a report [1] in which 270 relevant studies on resilience were examined, the following were found to be among the factors that were strong resilience boosters in military populations: family support, a positive military command climate, and community belongingness.

Family Support refers to perceiving that comfort is available from, and can be provided to, others, and includes emotional, informational, instrumental, tangible, and spiritual support.

Positive Command Climate, in the context of military units, includes facilitating and fostering positive interactions within a unit, effective leadership, and positive role modeling.

Community Belongingness includes the integration of the individual in their community, friendships, and participation in spiritual/faith-based organizations, protocols, ceremonies, social services, and schools, among others.

According to another study [2] mortality of older married individuals was found to be significantly reduced for those who reported providing instrumental support to friends, relatives, and neighbors, and for individuals who reported providing emotional support to their spouse. Receiving support had no effect on mortality when giving support was taken into consideration. That is, the key ingredient for increased longevity was the giving of support.

Interestingly, in a study of corrections professionals, DWCO research [3] established that supportive staff relationships efforts (giving support to other staff) increased the giver’s resilience. Specifically, the following behaviors were found to promote the resilience of GIVERS of these behaviors:

• Supporting others through communication (e.g., validations, acknowledgements)
• Talking to others about best practices and lessons learned
• Seizing opportunities to encourage teamwork and collaboration
• Exerting effort to maintain professional relationships or repair damaged ones
• Making efforts to “stay connected” to other staff
• Taking advantage of opportunities to improve the workplace environment generally

Similarly, research on authentic happiness [4] examined the effects of having strong ties to friends and family, and com-miting to spend time with them. The study found that strong personal relationships contributed to a sense of genuine happiness and a lower number of depression symptoms, compared to study participants who did not report strong personal relationships. The authors concluded that good social relations are necessary for happiness.

Another contributor to the resilience of corrections professionals was found to be, in the context of self-care—acting to ensure that their relationships with significant others were healthy/satisfactory [3]. More specifically, the following behaviors that targeted the quality of personal relationships were found to boost resilience of corrections staff:

• Taking steps to ensure engaging in activities and enjoyment during time outside of work
• Taking steps to address potential personal relationship difficulties related to workplace stress
• Taking steps to stay emotionally connected with others outside the workplace
• Letting go of workplace issues when returning home after their shift
• Maintaining an optimistic frame of mind (which makes a person easier to be around)
• Letting go of anger related to workplace frustrations, so it does not affect one’s personal time and relationships

Perhaps it would not be much of a leap to equate having strong and supportive relationships to having loving relation-ships, where love in various forms is given and received in a back and forth loop. If so, what would love look like in action? What are basic attitudes and behaviors that characterize loving relationships, and which can apply to all types of relationships and interactions— be it in one’s family, one’s community, or in the workplace?

Here is a partial list of some attitudes and behaviors that convey love:

• Listening well to hear what is said and what is implied (“the story behind the news”), making time to hear people out. This requires caring, respect and patience. Paul Tillich said that the first duty of love is to listen.
• Seeing the good in people, and identifying and pointing out their specific strengths.
• Encouraging others when they’re down and tempted to give up.
• Letting people know that you believe that they can improve and grow.
• Cheering people on as they make efforts to improve and to accomplish goals.
• Rejoicing with people when they rejoice, and mourning with them when they mourn. This requires empathy, the capacity to put yourself in their shoes and understand where they are coming from.
• Being compassionate toward others who are suffering, both verbally and through practical acts of service.
• Taking the necessary steps to make time to spend quantity and quality time with those who matter to you.
• Celebrating their successes with them without giving in to envy and the temptation to undermine them.
• Working hard on resolving disagreements and conflicts through dialogue, even if at times that means agree-ing to respectfully disagree.
• Asking for forgiveness and/or making amends for your wrongdoing, failures or for dropping the ball.
• Forgiving/letting go of grudges, and starting afresh without bringing up past failures or wrongdoing again. This is a step that people have to work out in their own minds and hearts, as letting go of grudges looks different to different people.

As stated in past articles, and based on DWCO’s research and clinical experience, psychological traumatization is an inherent occupational risk in corrections. In the context of the current article’s discussion of the contribution of social relationships to resilience, happiness, and well-being, it is critical to note that several of the cardinal symptoms of PTSD undermine social connections, and interfere with the capacity to have healthy relationships and to love.

For example, according to the DSM-5 [5], one of the symptoms of PTSD is a persistent inability to experience positive emotions, such as loving feelings of affection or tenderness. One can only imagine the effects of that on relationships.

Two other related PTSD symptoms also affect social interactions. These are “feelings of detachment or estrangement from others” and “markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities [5]”. Again, it is not difficult to see how these symptoms would sabotage relationships.

Additionally, the PTSD symptom of avoiding (or making efforts to avoid) people, places and events that are reminders of trauma can interfere with what could otherwise be satisfying and enjoyable social interactions and activities [5]. Trau-matized persons either do not participate at all, or if they do, they remain aloof and/or cut such engagements short.

And lastly, PTSD can result in “irritable behavior and angry outbursts (with little or no provocation) typically expressed as verbal or physical aggression toward people or objects [5]”. Obviously, such behaviors can poison and even destroy relationships.

So, not only does PTSD affect sufferers in terms of their experiencing haunting memories and related physiological symptoms, it also interferes with and undermines one of their most important resources for healing and recovery—their relationships and social support systems.

Since corrections staff (and in particular security/custody staff) and other first responders suffer from post-traumatic symptoms at much higher rates than the general population, it is critical that they discipline themselves to make every effort to protect, preserve and enhance their key relationships. That is, they need to deliberately and often engage with others in enjoyable activities, connect emotionally with trusted others by sharing personal feelings and thoughts, express caring and affection, and provide support to coworkers, relatives and friends. The pursuit of positive social interactions has to be intentional and focused. Certain such activities have to be scheduled in the calendar just like high-priority medical appointments, otherwise they will not happen.

In conclusion, giving support and having loving interactions are major contributors to well-being and psychological resilience, and perhaps even to longevity. They form the foundation on which other factors that promote resilience and well-being can be built.

And now I’d like to close with a true story of what I consider to be “love in action” in corrections.

A while back I received the following email from a Correctional Officer, with the subject “How do you offer assis-tance?” It is reproduced here with permission, and with all identifying details removed or altered.

“I am acquainted with a supervisor who works second watch. I work third. I only see him for about 15 minutes during shift change. He told me that he is in the process of losing a very significant and long-term relationship. I can tell by his words and from personal experience that he is about to go down a dark road. And I can tell that he is contem-plating the final choice. Any ideas on how to approach the subject and share that I have been there and that a new life and experience can be afforded to him?”

After thanking the writer for his concern and for going out of his way to show caring to the supervisor, I replied:

“Express your caring and concern to the supervisor. Tell him you’ve been down that road, that it hurt like crazy, but that you got through it, and perhaps share what healthy strategies helped you. Don’t minimize the pain of the loss, as if someone can easily be replaced. Most importantly I recommend you let administrators and/or a psychologist at your facility know your concerns so a psychologist can talk to him, assess the situation, intervene as needed, and offer him resources. I know that staff may be reluctant to ‘rat’ on a friend, but this is not ratting. It is about doing all you can to avert or lessen the risk of a tragic event happening. And keep offering support to him, such as getting together after work—without alcohol being involved. Give him the number for the national lifeline, 800-273-8255, and SAFE CALL NOW at 206-459-3020, a hotline for first responders, including corrections staff. You can also offer to go with him to a counseling appointment and wait in the waiting room. I also know of people who stayed with someone at their house or had them stay at theirs till they got over the crisis phase. As you’re well aware, people going through loss like you’re describing can be overwhelmed by emotional pain. They need to grieve, but oftentimes don’t know how to do that in healthy ways. Be there to help him grieve.”

I received this reply the very next day:

“Thank you for your kind words and advice. Today I was able to talk to him and I was also able to connect him with our peer support group at our facility.”

To me, this situation exemplifies love in action 100%. This Correctional Officer noted the need, and went out of his way to seek help for this supervisor (whom he did not even know well). His actions could very well have saved this person’s life. At the very least, they helped encourage that individual, point him to resources, and let him know he matters, that others care sincerely about him.

And according to what research shows, the Correctional Officer was blessed abundantly for his caring. He received a boost to his own sense of happiness/joy and resilience simply by reaching out to someone else in need.

REFERENCES
[1] Meredith, L.S., Sherbourne, C.D., Gaillot, S., Hansell, L., Hans V., Ritschard, H.V., Parker, A.M., & Wren, G. (2011). Promoting Psychological Resilience in the U.S. Military. RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research.
[2] Brown, S. L., Nesse, R. M., Vinokur, A. D., & Smith, D. M. (2003). Providing social support may be more beneficial than receiving ot: Results from a prospective study of mortality. Psychological Science, 14, 320–327. doi:10.1111/1467-9280.14461.
[3] Denhof, M.D., & Spinaris, C.G. (2014). Corrections Staff Resilience Inventory.
[4] Diener, E., & Seligman, M. (2002). Very happy people. Psychological Science, 13. doi: 10.1111/1467-9280.00415.
[5] American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) (Fifth Ed.). Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.

 Email This Post     Print This Post

admin Uncategorized

A prior version of this article was printed on Corrections.com January 03, 2011. It has been updated and reprinted with permission from Correctional Oasis: Volume 12, Issue 11.

Continued from the September 2015 issue of the Correctional Oasis. A prior version of this article was printed in the Correctional Oasis, January 2010 issue.

In Part 2 of this article, a distinction was made between true resilience and what has been labelled as “negative resilience,” in relation to military personnel and first responders [1]. Negative resilience is believed to be the result of avoidance strategies, such as denial and dissociation, and its façade of toughness can collapse as undealtwith psychological pressures mount. Therefore, the quest for solid and enduring resilience is of primary importance, as literally lives may depend on it.

What can be done to help increase the resilience of the public safety workforce and more specifically that of corrections staff? Doing so would very likely lead to improvements in staff morale, and in the lowering of sick leave rates, work-related disability claims, and staff turnover.

To begin with, what is meant by resilience? As stated in Part 2, Desert Waters’ researchers defined resilience as a degree of immunity to health-degrading consequences of high-stress events (Denhof & Spinaris, 2015). So, psychological resilience is not viewed as an all-or-nothing construct—either present or absent. Rather, it is defined in relative terms, as resistance to the manifestation of negative health signs and conditions despite exposure to events that tend to affect health adversely. For example, highly resilient corrections staff may still exhibit some negative health signs following exposure to high-stress events, but these signs may be relatively few, compared to what is exhibited by staff with less resilience.

To use the hazmat suit analogy once again, staff may still suffer some effects of toxic exposure, and their hazmat suit may show some tears, but these might be significantly less than what they could have suffered had they not been wearing their hazmat suits.

Effective hazmat suits for the soul can be provided through two primary means: (a) strategies which target prevention, and (b) strategies which target intervention.

Prevention methods are inoculation-type, long-term approaches, where lifestyle strategies are taught and skills are trained before high-stress workplace events happen. Prevention involves embracing health-promoting practices as habitual behaviors that foster health and wellness, with the goal to neutralize negative consequences of stressors. These methods include ways of thinking that counter negativity and boost optimism. Prevention methods also involve strategies for taking care of one’s physical, psychological and spiritual health and overall well-being.

Intervention methods, on the other hand, involve strategies to counter negative consequences of high-stress events and promote wellness following exposure to them—that is, after a high-stress incident. Such strategies may be brief and may be implemented short-term. They are easier to engage in if the groundwork has already been laid to some degree through long-term and habitual resilience-promoting behaviors. Staff members who are well-versed in practicing positive behaviors prior to a high-stress incident are most likely going to be at an advantage compared to staff members who are not. If the analogy of a 4-mile race is used, staff members whose lifestyle includes regular use of resilience-promoting behaviors are starting at, for example, 30 yards closer to the finish line than staff members who have not been practicing such behaviors regularly.

Research studies have helped identify several prevention-type protective factors that increase positive resilience in the face of traumatic or other high-stress exposure [2]. Some of these factors are social connectedness, effective emotional regulation, identifying positive aspects of negative situations, and other types of positive thinking.

Through Desert Waters’ research studies we have also identified four categories of behaviors (factors) that are specifically associated with resilience in the corrections workforce. These behaviors are measured by the Corrections Staff Resilience Inventory™ [3] (CSRI, Denhof & Spinaris, 2014), a psychometrically sound assessment instrument that provides information on the extent to which an individual or an entire corrections workforce at an agency, a facility or office engages in these specific resilience-promoting behaviors. The categories of these behaviors are: (1) Supportive Staff Relationship Efforts; (2) Self-care Health Maintenance Efforts; (3) Confident/Perseverant Frame of Mind; and (4) Controlled/Logical Problem Solving.

What follows is a description of each of the four factors in some detail, and ways in which staff can practice behaviors associated with each factor in order to boost their resilience.

1. Supportive Staff Relationship Efforts: This factor refers to the skill of building and maintaining effective social support systems among staff in the work-place. More specifically, it measures the degree to which staff rate themselves as being socially supportive of other staff. Desert Waters’ data show that offering support to fellow staff helps boost the resilience of the staff who provide the support. That is, interacting positively with coworkers has resilience-promoting effects on the staff who is being supportive.

   Examples of practical ways to offer support to colleagues at work are: behaving in ways that are friendly and respectful; asking how coworkers are doing and stopping long enough to listen (as work circumstances allow); making compassionate comments toward staff who seem down; acknowledging a job well done, staff improvement, or increases in staff’s efforts; looking for ways to assist coworkers upon completion of one’s own work; and thanking others for their assistance whenever it is offered. Such behaviors build stronger bonds among staff; increase staff’s sense of psychological safety (which, we know through multiple studies, is woefully low in the corrections workforce); and reduce covert interpersonal tension and overt conflict among staff.

2. Self-care Health Maintenance Efforts: This is the second factor that promotes resilience of the corrections workforce. This factor refers to staff tending to their physical, psychological, and social needs when off duty.
   Examples of practical ways for staff to boost their self-care efforts include: developing healthy transition strategies—both when returning home from work, and also when going back to work; maintaining life balance by detaching from the work’s mind-set when away from the workplace, and switching to family mode; engaging in pleasant activities; making it a priority to regularly spend quality and quantity time with significant others; following an adequate sleep regimen on a regular basis; and implementing healthy emotional regulation strategies to neutralize anger-generating thoughts.

3. Confident/Perseverant Frame of Mind: This factor refers to the skill of effectively managing challenging circumstances at work through confidence that one is competent at handling these tasks, and by not giving up (quitting, walking away) when faced with challenges or obstacles. Examples of ways to practice a confident and perseverant frame of mind include: resolving to complete tasks even when it is difficult to do so, and maintaining that resolve in the face of adversity; using positive self-talk to motivate oneself to persevere during challenges; rehearsing and repeating one’s training until it becomes automatic, “muscle memory;” being ethical and behaving with integrity; and reminding oneself of the importance of being flexible and adapting to change.
4. Controlled/Logical Problem-solving: This is the fourth factor of the CSRI that was found to boost the resilience of corrections staff. This factor refers to the skill of “keeping one’s wits about them” in spite of frustrations or disappointments; making every attempt to think logically during decision-making; and using the strategy of addressing complex situations incrementally, one section at a time. Examples of practical ways to help increase one’s logical problem solving and ability to maintain one’s self-control in the face of high-stress circumstances are: learning how to detach emotionally from challenging situations; reminding oneself that one cannot control everything, no matter how hard they may try; reminding oneself that mistakes are learning opportunities; reminding oneself of the importance of facing one’s fears and of proceeding in spite of them; using emotional regulation techniques; and dividing complex tasks into successive components, and tackling them one at a time.

Research evidence suggests that by practicing these behaviors at work and in one’s personal life, corrections staff can go a long way toward putting a hazmat suit together. And this will make it possible for them to be better able to confront adversity in the workplace, and to bounce back faster following highly-stressful incidents and conditions.

REFERENCES
[1]Friedman, M., & Higson-Smith,, C. (2003). Building Psychological Resilience: Learning from the South African Police Service. In Paton, D., Violanti, J.M. & Smith, L.M., (Eds.), Promoting Capabilities to Manage Posttraumatic Stress: Perspectives on Resilience. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, IL.
[2]Meredith, L.S., Sherbourne, C.D., Gaillot, S., Hansell, L., Hans V., Ritschard, H.V., Parker, A.M., & Wren, G. (2011). Promoting Psychological Resilience in the U.S. Military. RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research.
[3]Denhof, M.D. (2014). Corrections Staff Resilience Inventory.

 Email This Post     Print This Post

admin Uncategorized

A prior version of this article was printed on Corrections.com January 03, 2011. It has been updated and reprinted with permission from Correctional Oasis: Volume 12, Issue 10.

Continued from the September 2015 issue of the Correctional Oasis. A prior version of this article was printed in the Correctional Oasis, January 2010 issue.

The correctional workplace culture tends to reinforce the message that staff are “weak” if they are distressed by what they are exposed to on the job. So, the only viable option that remains for staff in that context is a machismo attitude that nothing “gets to them”—an attitude of “No worries, I’m good. I can handle it.” This attitude may work short-term to convey to offenders that the exposed staff are not cowering in fear. And it may be necessary “in the moment” so that staff can respond quickly and effectively. However, this type of denial also strips them of the freedom to admit to themselves and to others any longer-term emotional wounding, and that they may need help to get through an experience successfully. This mindset reinforces a “code of silence” of sorts, an implicit agreement to not acknowledge painful truths in order to not lose face or standing in the workplace community (or in order to not lose their job due to being declared unfit for duty).

Consequently, when misplaced pride and denial prevail, staff end up trying to cope with often toxic occupational stress without a psychological “hazmat suit.” And, for the same reasons, if/when such a suit were provided to them, they might leave it laying on the ground, unused. (And remember, the wounding referred to here may not just occur at the emotional level. If sufficiently severe and the outcome of many such exposures, wounding also happens neurologically through disrupted brain function or even altered brain structure.)

The prevalence of a “machismo” stance has been the norm in corrections seemingly forever. It is understandable if some people may want to keep it that way. Change requires grounds to believe that it will bring about true improvement. Change also requires courage, perseverance and ingenuity. It also takes the investment of time, energy and money. It is not a small undertaking. Yet, while waiting for change, real people are being negatively affected daily—poisoned in their souls—and in turn, they may affect others, both on and off the job.

A noteworthy and relevant discussion of these issues in law enforcement and military service includes the phenomenon of “negative resilience.” [1]

Resilience refers to the ability to cope with adversity and stressors effectively—whether short-term or long-term stressors. Resilience enables people to “bounce back” to a previous state of normal functioning after a stressful experience, or even to grow from it, functioning better in some areas than they did prior to their adverse exposure. At Desert Waters, we define resilience in relative terms, as a degree of immunity to health-degrading consequences of potentially traumatizing or other high-stress events (Denhof & Spinaris, 2015). [2]

Negative resilience, on the other hand, has been defined as the semblance, the appearance, of resilience after a traumatic exposure, when in fact those exposed are coping poorly. Negative resilience is fake, an imitation, not the real thing. It is a counterfeit hazmat suit. Negative resilience leads individuals, such as military personnel or police officers, to say that they have become used to traumatic events, that they are immune to their effects. In reality, however, with each exposure they are becoming increasingly more fragile psychologically and perhaps also in terms of their neurobiology—the capacity of soul and brain to endure stress. Think of it as a gradual erosion of resilience and psychological stamina, akin to a gradual failing of a vehicle’s brakes. Clinically, we know that professionals under such circumstances can develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), various types of depression, and substance use disorders, accompanied by the functioning impairments associated with these conditions—both on and off the job. They may also be suffering from brain matter changes. Most disturbingly, their risk of suicidal behaviors (thoughts, attempts, and death by suicide) may increase significantly over time. (Schoenbaum et al., 2014). [3]

Negative resilience has been attributed to “disenfranchised distress.” [1] By “disenfranchised” is meant distress that is marginalized, excluded. It is distress experienced by the individual, but not allowed to be expressed because it is denied, rejected, or ridiculed by fellow staff due to the unwritten “rules” of the organizational culture. [1]

Negative resilience helps public safety staff appear to be “keeping it together,” but in effect they are experi-encing psychological numbing and/or dissociation. [1] (Dissociation can be thought of as distortions in the awareness of time, thought, emotion and of one’s body in relation to traumatic events. [4]) This is usually accompanied by substance abuse or other addictive behaviors, which serve as means of temporarily blocking awareness of distressing emotions or thoughts. Addictive behaviors compound the negative impact of trauma on health and functioning, and increase the potential for additional highly stressful outcomes, such as relationship conflict or adverse legal consequences.

Due to the psychological defenses of numbing/dissociation, members of the military or law enforcement can appear unaffected for a time period following a traumatic incident. However, at some point they may no longer be able to keep the facade of “I’m just fine,” and they “crash.” This is called the “twin peaks effect,” [1] with the first peak in traumatic symptoms oc-curring soon after exposure to a traumatic stressor and subsiding quickly (“I’m over it”). The second peak can occur at a much later time. Research indicates that military personnel exposed to a traumatic event might “crash” about 60 days later, even though they have been conducting combat operations and functioning well during the past 60 days. [1]

For police officers one study showed that the negative resilience phase may be as long as 16 years. (This figure represents the average number of elapsed years from hiring onto the force to completed suicide of French police officers. [1]) The time between the two peaks is the time characterized by negative resilience: the public safety professional may look strong on the outside, but be gradually crumbling on the inside. If colleagues only go by the outward appearances, they are totally stunned when they find out that their fellow officer of soldier has, for example, died by suicide.

Corrections professionals, and especially corrections officers, deal with situations very much like those of other law enforcement officers, and at times even like those of military personnel in combat. Perhaps you also can think of corrections professionals who have exhibited negative resilience for quite a long time, appearing and acting as if they were doing “just fine”—until, seemingly suddenly, one day the bottom fell out, and they died by suicide.

So, the urgent question is, what needs to be done to ensure that corrections professionals, starting on their first day at the Training Academy, begin to be instructed as to how to knit an appropriate hazmat suit for them-selves? How are they to be taught to develop true resilience, and not to resort to a version of resilience that is only skin-deep?

To be continued in the November issue of the Correctional Oasis.

 Email This Post     Print This Post

admin Uncategorized