First Responders Mental Health Initiative

The purpose of McDermott Center’s First Responders Mental Health Initiative is to increase law enforcement officers’ (i.e., project beneficiaries’) preparedness to maintain or improve their mental health throughout a traumatizing career. By aiding officers' mental health, the project offers the practical benefit of advancing the Byrne Discretionary Grants Program’s goal of improving the functioning of the criminal justice system. The main service area will be northeastern Illinois, the secondary service area will be the rest of Illinois, and the tertiary service area will be any jurisdiction in the U.S. with a law enforcement agency which believes it stands to benefit from the retreat.

The goal of the project is that of 250 individuals, including 180 law enforcement personnel and 70 other first responders whose work is related to the criminal justice system, who participate in retreats, at least 200 report improved knowledge related to mental health. The outcomes and primary activities of the project are described below.

Outcome 1. Engage 250 individuals, including 180 law enforcement officers, through the primary activities of large group didactic training modules focused on specific issues related to mental health and wellness in first-responder personnel. Topics of these large groups will likely include the following: the traumatic stress spectrum (including critical incident stress); psychology of responders and cost of responding perspective; eye movement reprocessing and desensitization (EMDR) in first-responder applications; suicide recognition and prevention; stress management and healthy coping skills; health over the course of a first responder career; and officer wellness initiatives and resources.

Outcome 2. Engage 250 individuals, including 180 law enforcement officers, through the primary activities of small-group discussion sessions. These small group discussions will likely discuss many of the same topics discussed in the large group sessions but with a greater emphasis on how the topics personally apply.

Outcome 3. Engage 250 individuals, including 180 law enforcement officers, through the primary activities of keynote presentations. These keynote presentations will be delivered by leaders in the law enforcement mental health field or peers with compelling first-hand insights into mental health.

Outcome 4. Engage 250 individuals, including 180 law enforcement officers, in verbal debriefing sessions after the activities of the retreat have concluded.

Outcome 5. Administer pre- and post-tests on the topics addressed throughout the retreat to at least 200 participants.

Outcome 6. Collect written feedback instruments about the events of the retreat from at least 200 participants.

There will be no subrecipients.