Trauma from the Frontline

Bruce is with Dr Gail Kinman. Gail is a renowned Chartered Psychologist and Fellow of both the British Psychological Society and the Academy of Social Sciences. With extensive experience in research and practice, Gail is an expert in improving the working conditions and well-being of those who engage in emotionally demanding work, such as health and social care professionals, prison officers, and academics. In this episode, Gail shares her insights on the importance of emotional resilience in high-intensity workplaces and discusses her own work in this field. Connect with Dr Gail Kinman: • Email Dr Kinman • Google Scholar • Linekdin Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fulfilment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand. ----- The material from the first twelve speakers has been so rich I have decided to spend some time pulling these resources together in a written format and teasing out the many issues that these discussions have raised for me and hopefully for you as the listener. I am very open to doing another series of interviews later in the year and I welcome feedback on these first two series of interviews and any suggestions of future topics. For any Frontline workers wanting to share their experience  of working on the frontline please register that interest with me and I will be in touch.I can be contacted via email on bruce@letstalkdifferently.com.au Until Series 3, take care, look after yourselves and those around you!

Bruce is with John A Shuford. With over 30 years of experience in delivering innovative staff development training programs, John is regarded as the national leader of the award-winning Immersion-Experiential© methodology, which utilizes the ‘4 E Principle' - engage, energize, empower, and enjoy - and has produced notable results in improving work culture, staff relationships, and cooperation between departments. John's background as a rehabilitation counsellor with a focus on trauma healing has equipped him with a unique perspective in his leadership positions. Recently, he has published his book Mid 21st Century Criminal Justice: Work Culture Transformation. Join us as we explore John's experiences, insights, and expertise in transforming work culture in the criminal justice system. Connect with John A Shuford: • Buy Mid 21st Century Criminal Justice • Team CRS Website Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fulfilment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Bruce is with Dr Susan Jones. We had the pleasure of speaking with Susan, who has worked in the corrections system in Colorado, USA for 31 years. She has had an extensive career within the system, starting as a Community Corrections Counsellor and rising through the ranks to become a Warden. Now she spends her time working as an Instructor at Desert Waters Correctional Outreach. With a Bachelor's degree in Behavioural Science, a Master's degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and a Doctorate from the University of Colorado. Her academic background, combined with her extensive practical experience, provides her with an educated perspective on the corrections system, which she shares with us during the podcast. Connect with Dr Susan Jones: • Desert Waters Website • Desert Waters Email Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fulfilment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Bruce is with Anthony. In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Milbourne, a seasoned professional with years of experience in compliance enforcement. Throughout his career, Anthony has worked in various positions in local and state government in Australia. One of his biggest passions is youth justice, and he has written a book titled ‘Psych Warden: An Officer's Psychological Account of the Inside', which features the psychological accounts of both a psych warden and officers who work inside the system. The book sheds light on the dangerous nature of youth criminal justice and how custodial workers can keep themselves as safe as possible. He shares his experience of being seriously assaulted in a youth justice centre, the road to recovery and the importance of understanding the environment you are walking into, Anthony's work is a positive contribution to this much-debated area, highlighting the compassion he had while working with youths in custody. Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fulfilment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Bruce is with Maggie. Maggie was a Correctional officer for ten years and in this interview, she shares how the prison environment/culture just wore her down to the point she had to leave. The constant exposure to trauma events in a system that just seemed to struggle to understand the enormity of the officer experience. Equally though Maggie points out officer to officer exchanges were equally damaging and in the end she had enough of it. Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Bruce is with Jennifer, Mia's mother from the previous episodes. I am very keen to her the family members stories as well as frontline stories. In this interview she shares her doubts about Mia wanting to be a Correction officer and her helplessness in watching the devastating psychological toll it took on her in the course of three ‘short' years. Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Part 2 of Mia's Interview: Bruce is with Mia, Mia was a Correction Officer for 3 years and in this very open and honest two part interview she shares the enormity of the prison experience and culture and the resultant impact it had on her. I found it quite confronting, in parts, and while Mia's experience will not be everyone's experience there is much in Mia's story that resonated with me and highlight the complexity of working in a prison environment. It also brought home to me we have very little exposure to the psychological state of people leaving these systems, the state they leave in and the factors behind doing so. Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Part 1 of Mia's Interview: Bruce is with Mia, Mia was a Correction Officer for 3 years and in this very open and honest two part interview she shares the enormity of the prison experience and culture and the resultant impact it had on her. I found it quite confronting, in parts, and while Mia's experience will not be everyone's experience there is much in Mia's story that resonated with me and highlight the complexity of working in a prison environment. It also brought home to me we have very little exposure to the psychological state of people leaving these systems, the state they leave in and the factors behind doing so. Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Bruce is with Greg Morton. Greg worked for Oregon State Corrections for more than thirty years, hehas a Bachelor degree in Psychology and a Master of Science degree in Industrial/Organisational Psychology, and since retiring in 2009 Greg has been a Master Trainer at Desert Waters Correctional Outreach Service. In this interview we talk about his experiences of training officers and his deep commitment to their mental health and well being. Connect with Desert Waters Correctional Outreach Service: • Desert Waters Website • Desert Waters Email Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Bruce is with Ajdin (Adi) Mujezinovic, Adi is a psychologist and works part time at Assistance Dogs Australia as a Mental Health Clinician. In this interview Adi shares how the dogs are trained, the matching process and the roles a therapy dog can play in the life of someone living with PTSD. Connect with Assistance Dogs Australia: • Assistance Dogs Australia Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand. Please Note: Some of the questions refer to a therapy dog as opposed to an Assistance Dog. A Therapy Dog is a dog used by a Allied Health professional to meet goals in a therapeutic setting, they do not have public access. An Assistance Dog (sometimes called a Service Dog) is trained to alleviate a disability when teamed with an individual. These dogs do have public access and are the dogs we use for PTSD.

Bruce Perham is with Don Gillies, Don worked as a Policeman for 5 years which he followed up with 37 years as an ambulance paramedic. Don talks about his work experiences, the continual exposure to trauma and his ultimate diagnosis of PTSD. Don is now retired from work and spends considerable time with his Bernese Mountain therapy dog Bernie which was trained by Assistance Dogs Australia. Don was very keen for me to interview someone from Assistance Dogs Australia - which I did! Connect with Assistance Dogs Australia: • Assistance Dogs Australia Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Welcome to 2023 and the second series of Trauma from the Frontline!! It was quite an amazing experience to interview such interesting guests. There were many light bulb moments for me which directly connected with my own experience of working with people on the frontline. I learnt a great deal about what is happening in the trauma arena and came out of the experience far more optimistic that highly skilled help is available for people with mental health/trauma issues and a great deal more needs to be done to link people into available support services. This series has more of a ‘Corrections' focus however the majority of issues raised are applicable to any frontline organisation or worker on the floor. In this episode I have my good friend Felicity Childs interview me around my Narrative approach to work, the terrific training I was able to have with Michael White Co-founder of Narrative Therapy and my resolute belief not nearly enough attention or influence is afforded to people's descriptions of their own lives. Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

It's been abit of a journey reflecting on the first season of Trauma from the Frontline. I've learned an immense amount from each episode & I can't express my gratitude I have for all our guests we've had on the show. Our goal is to make the second season just as helpful and knowledgeable as the first, so please do subscribe and follow us as we continue our conversations in Season 2! Please do get in touch if you have any comments or questions, of if you would like to feature on Trauma from the Frontline at bruce@letstalkdifferently.com.au Take care, Bruce

Timothea Goddard has been practising Yoga and Meditation (in the Vipassana tradition) from early on in her life. Tim is acknowledged as a pioneer in bringing Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and associated programs to Australia. Tim is a Psychotherapist and founding Director of Open Ground -an Australia wide network of Clinicians and teachers offering MBSR and related mindfulness programs, workshops and retreats. In this interview Tim discusses mindfulness and how it is useful in working people with trauma. Connect with Timothea Goddard • Openground Mindfulness Training Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand. As always do send this through to your networks as it is really important that we reach as many Frontline workers as we can. Also do send me your feedback to the podcasts and any suggestions you may have to bruce@letstalkdifferently.com.au Have a great Christmas and New Year. Trauma from the Frontline will resume in 2023

Linda Curran is an international speaker, author and trainer on the treatment of trauma. Linda has developed, produced and presents multimedia workshops on all aspects of psychological trauma. Her latest projects include the completion of trauma101 an extensive guide for clinicians and clients a like. In this interview Linda talks about Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing and the role it plays in treating people with PTSD and a variety of mental health issues. Connect with Dr Linda Curran • Integrative Trauma Treatment Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Dr Turner is Chief Social Worker at Forensicare, Victoria. Prior to that Dr Turner worked in a variety of positions within the youth justice system and more recently was a Senior Lecturer Social Work in the School of Primary and Allied Health Care at Monash University. In this interview Dr Turner openly talks about her thoughts on the youth justice issues and the importance of mental health supports. Connect with Dr Shelley Turner: • Monash University Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Dr McKinnon has integrated several approaches to develop her own model of therapy called Radical Exposure Tapping (RET) for rapidly resolving disturbing memories and symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In this interview Dr McKinnon provides and in-depth insight into the thinking behind RET and how it works. Dr McKinnon works privately at her practice Insite Therapy and Consulting in Sydney NSW. Connect with Dr Laurie MacKinnon: • Insite Therapy & Consulting • Radical Exposure Tapping Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Dr Jon Finch specialises in treating people with complex trauma histories and specifically Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In this interview Jon shares his earlier work as a Clinical Psychologist and his developing specialization in working with people who have PTSD. Dr Finch has over fifteen years of experience in this field and works with his clients using Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD. Dr Finch is the Director of the Centre for Clinical Psychology in Carlton Victoria. Connect with Dr Jon Finch: • Centre for Clinical Psychology • CPT for PTSD • Psych PD Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Andrew is the Emergency Management Victoria Commissioner. Prior to that Andrew was a Policeman for 38 years and was Deputy Commissioner of Regional Development when he accepted the position at EMV. In this interview, Andrew shares his trauma experiences as a police officer and the importance of providing mental health support to frontline workers. Andrew also discusses his move to EMV and the broadening of his experience in emergency management. Connect with Andrew Crisp: • Emergency Management Victoria Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Tim Peck was a police officer for more than 20 years and in this interview shares his experience of police work. He tells me how it totally took over his life, leading to a spiral into depression, PTSD, alcohol dependency, and the decision to take his own life. Tim is now open to sharing his experience and through his position at Phoenix Australia encourages police to seek professional help. Tim is involved in establishing specialised trauma counselling services for people with PTSD. Connect with Tim Peck: • Phoenix Australia - Responder Assist Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Dr John Arden shares his thoughts about the psychological demands of frontline work and the importance of looking after your brain and body. John is a Neuropsychologist specialising in the field of brain research and impact of trauma on the brain and is a leading expert in this area. John has written extensively on this topic and I hope to interview him again in 2023 about his latest book release. Connect with Dr John Arden: • Dr. John Arden's Website • TED Talks • Rewire Your Brain 2.0 - Amazon • Rewire Your Brain 2.0 - Barnes & Noble Barnes & Nobel is offering a 25% discount on preorders with code PREORDER25 Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

In this interview Dr Spinaris talks about correction fatigue, PTSD, and her thoughts around the key things officers need to do in this work to ‘stay well.' Dr Spinaris is the founding director of Desert Waters Correctional Outreach Service in Colorado, USA. Dr Spinaris has provided counselling, and training to correction officers for more than twenty years. Connect with Dr Caterina Spinaris: • Desert Waters Website • Desert Waters Email • Free Monthly Publication Bruce is licensed to deliver From Correction Fatigue to Fullfillment Training throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Trauma from the Frontline is a podcast series directed at correction officers and frontline responders to provide them with access to a wide range of psychologists working in the trauma fields, key stakeholders in the emergency sector and individuals willing to share their experiences of trauma in the delivering of their frontline occupations. The focus is educational and the goal is to encourage people to be proactive in managing their own mental health and for people who need help to find the pathway of achieving it.