Lisa Robinson presents to Gloucester Fire and EMS personnel during the Trauma-Informed Response Training May 23-25. (Photo courtesy Operation 2 Save Lives & QRT National) 
Will Mueller presents to Gloucester Fire-EMS personnel during the Trauma-Informed Response Training May 23-25. (Photo courtesy Operation 2 Save Lives & QRT National) 
Maureen Cavanaugh and Edward Jacoubs, M.S.W. at the Trauma-Informed Response Training delivered to Gloucester Health & Housing Authority Department employees. (Photo courtesy Operation 2 Save Lives & QRT National)
GLOUCESTER – Operation 2 Save Lives (O2SL) & QRT National continued its training in Gloucester recently, delivering Trauma-Informed Response Training to personnel from the Gloucester Housing Authority, Health Department and Fire Department personnel.
From May 23-25, training took place with approximately 50 Gloucester Fire and EMS members and from June 1-2, training was delivered to about 35 employees of the Gloucester Housing Authority and Health Department.
The trainings were the third and fourth separate trainings O2SL & QRT National has delivered in Gloucester as part of a “Whole System Trauma-Informed Approach,” an initiative led and sponsored by the Gloucester Health Department. O2SL & QRT National previously provided trauma-informed training to the Gloucester Public Schools and Gloucester Police in December and March.
Instructors included Scott Allen and Michael Botieri of O2SL & QRT National who are both retired Massachusetts police chiefs; Edward Jacoubs, M.S.W. and retired Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office Director of Programs and Grants; Maureen Cavanaugh, founder of nonprofit Magnolia New Beginnings; Joel Ristuccia of the Trauma Learning Policy Initiative at Harvard Law School; Colerain Township, Ohio Fire & EMS Assistant Fire Chief Will Mueller; and Lisa Robinson, former Director of the Plymouth County Children’s Advocacy Center.
Trauma-Informed Response Training seeks to strengthen skills in trauma recognition and response by utilizing trauma-informed care as an approach when engaging with youth and adults that may have histories of trauma. The training provides awareness, tools and skills to recognize the presence of trauma symptoms, acknowledge the role that trauma can play in people’s lives and help avoid re-traumatization.
The Health and Housing Authority employee training covered the physiology of addiction and family cycle of addiction; stigma and its impact on the family; trauma and its relationship to stress, PTSD, harm reduction and addiction; as well as the short- and long-term effects and implications of trauma.
The Fire-EMS training incorporated training and awareness on adverse childhood experiences and responding to children exposed to violence, including on-scene protocol, what traumatic stress reactions in children may look like and how to respond to these reactions for children of different ages. The Handle with Care model was introduced, which allows first responders to collaborate with their school partners to address the needs of children who may have experienced trauma so that they are “Handled with Care.”
Training participants were introduced to tools they can use for both themselves and those they serve as they respond to traumatic incidents. The concept of Vicarious Trauma and its signs and indicators were introduced. The team of instructors discussed how working with a traumatized population affects staff and introduced strategies to enhance personal and professional resilience.
Each of the trainings included common principals of trauma-informed responses, but were customized to meet the needs of the specific community agencies.
“Trauma affects everyone differently, and understanding its effects on families, children and communities as a whole helps community employees and first responders respond appropriately, professionally and compassionately,” Allen said. “We applaud the City of Gloucester and Mayor Greg Verga, Fire Chief Eric Smith, Health Department Director Max Schenk and Housing Authority Executive Director David Houlden for their efforts to give their employees the training and tools to respond to the needs of those experiencing trauma, as well as building resilience for themselves as they respond to difficult situations.”
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