2018-055 Counseling Services for First RespondersDate: May 11, 2018 Report No. 2018-055
Page 1 of 5
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
Counseling Services for First Responders
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
As part of the benefits package, the City of Denton offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
to all City of Denton employees and their dependents (“members”). The current EAP provider is
Deer Oaks. Deer Oaks provides members 24-hour phone access to a licensed counselor as well as
6 in-person, telephonic, or Facetime counseling sessions per incident, per member. If there is a
traumatic company incident, Deer Oaks can respond quickly to provide Critical Incident Stress
Management Services as well-for both group interventions and one-on-one support.
Additional counseling or support is available to first responders through services offered by their
department or other resources available to them as a first responder.
BACKGROUND:
At the conclusion of the May 1, 2018, City Council meeting, Councilmember Briggs requested a
report on the counseling services available to first responders. This report provides information on
those services.
DISCUSSION:
The City of Denton has contracted with the Deer Oaks EAP to offer counseling services and other
work/life resources to all employees and their dependents. Unlimited telephonic support and crisis
intervention is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. In-person, short-term assessments (6
per member per incident) and counseling services are available as well. While in-person sessions
are recommended, counseling services can be obtained via phone or through a Smartphone App if
that is more convenient for the member. EAP services are provided to the members at no cost.
In the event an employee needs more than 6 counseling sessions, Deer Oaks will refer them to a
provider in the City’s health insurance network. Or, if the employee chooses to do so, they can
access mental health care through the City’s health plan without going through the EAP first. The
employee would be responsible for any applicable co-payments, as with any other similar medical
treatment, if they seek counseling in this manner.
Deer Oaks also provides management resources such as on-site Critical Incident Stress
Management Services, on-line training, and a mandatory employee referral option in the event an
employee’s behavior is negatively impacting the workplace or their performance.
Date: May 11, 2018 Report No. 2018-055
Page 2 of 5
In addition to the EAP provided through Deer Oaks, both the Fire and Police Departments provide
resources for counseling and support services for their Civil Service employees. Information on
these services, as reported by a representative from each department, is outlined below.
A. Fire
1. Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)
The CISM process includes education and awareness. CISM is a comprehensive range
of integrated services, procedures, and intervention strategies designed to mitigate the
effects of exposure to a critical incident. The Denton Fire Department currently has
13 members trained and ready to respond to CISM situations. The core components
of CISM are:
a. Defusing: A front line response to a critical incident or potential critical
incident. It is provided immediately, within the first 12 hours after a crisis event
to minimize the effect of acute critical incident stress. Its goal is to reduce
intense reactions to the event; to normalize the experience; to provide practical
information (stress education); to develop expectancies about recovery, and to
assess the need for follow up with a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD).
This process is used primarily to assist small groups of individuals who were
directly exposed to and most seriously affected by a critical event. An (in house)
defusing may be conducted by Denton Fire CISM personnel for Denton Fire
Department members.
b. Critical Incident Stress Debriefing: A structured seven-phase group process
utilized in the normalization of critical incident stress or traumatic stress and
integrates crisis intervention strategies with educational techniques. It is best
conducted in the short-term aftermath of a critical incident, approximately 24
hours post-incident, but usually within first 72 hours (later if circumstances
require). A CISD is called for after deeply disturbing events that may
overwhelm the coping skills of those involved. Typically a 1-3 hour
confidential group intervention is led by a trained CISM team member and
assisted by trained employee peers. After delivery, follow up is essential. A
CISD must be conducted by CISM members from a different organization than
the one experiencing the critical incident crisis.
c. Individual Intervention (One-On-One): An individual intervention provided by
a Peer Team Member after a critical incident or potential critical incident.
Individual Intervention is used to support, stabilize, and provide stress
education and to help assess the need for a formal Debriefing, in a group setting,
if other individuals were involved. It is best provided within 24 to 72 hours of
an incident (later if circumstances require) and may be conducted by specially
trained peers, in person or by telephone. An Individual Intervention should
Date: May 11, 2018 Report No. 2018-055
Page 3 of 5
NOT substitute if working with a group of individuals. After delivery, follow
up is essential and a referral may be required.
2. IAFF Behavioral Health Treatment Center
The IAFF Center of Excellence is an in-patient treatment center for firefighters
suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and associated illnesses, including
unlimited counseling sessions during their stay. Below is information that has been
provided by the IAFF about their services:
This 15-acre facility opened in 2017 and treats firefighters who suffer from PTSD.
As more members are experiencing post-traumatic stress, the IAFF has undertaken an
intensive effort to remove the stigma associated with behavioral health issues and
provide resources for treatment and recovery.
In continuing efforts to provide resources to help members suffering from post-
traumatic stress, the International developed the IAFF Center of Excellence for
Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery. The concept is the first of its kind for this
profession and this union, and a tremendous opportunity to build a program and
facility to address post-traumatic stress in a residential setting and designed
specifically for treating firefighters with post-traumatic stress and its co-occurring
addictions, as well as to conduct additional research and develop new programs and
protocols.
With the help of Advanced Recovery Systems (ARS)— a leader in behavioral health
care management — the Center of Excellence is staffed by a highly experienced team
to treat the complex needs of our members seeking recovery.
Both the IAFF and ARS share a commitment that members not be burdened with large
or unexpected expenses after treatment, and have made it a priority to ensure all
members can afford treatment. The IAFF is already reaching out to major insurance
carriers to promote insurance coverage for this level of care. In some jurisdictions,
current insurance plans already provide comprehensive coverage.”
B. Police
The Police Department has several options for their employees in crisis situations. Some
are covered by departmental policy and some are not. The options are as follows:
Date: May 11, 2018 Report No. 2018-055
Page 4 of 5
1. Family Services
Richard Godoy, Family Services Coordinator, is a long term employee of the Police
Department and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). The LCSW is the
highest license level, and it is a clinical license. It allows him to assess, diagnose and
treat individuals, families, adolescents and teens. Most of his work centers on crime
victims, but he is also available to employees of the Police Department as well as to
other City of Denton employees.
The types of incidents for which he has assisted employees of the City have been:
Employee critical incidents
Employee death
Employee terminations
Mediation
Examples of types of counseling he has provided in the past are:
Crisis intervention
Trauma counseling
Grief/bereavement
Abuse
Stress management
Marital/divorce intervention
2. Chaplain Program: (General Order 15.5)
The Denton Police Department Chaplain Program is established for the purposes of
providing spiritual and emotional support to all members of the Department, their
families and members of the public. It is the policy of the Department that the
Chaplain Program shall be nondenominational, ecumenical ministry provided by
volunteer clergy without financial compensation.
Some of the duties provided by the Chaplain Program are:
Assisting in making notification to the families of department members who
have been seriously injured or killed;
Counseling personnel with personal problems, when requested;
Providing liaison with other religious leaders in the community and
Making referrals in cases where specialized attention is needed or in cases
that are beyond the chaplain’s ability to assist.
3. Peer Support Team: (General Order 12.4)
The Peer Support Team is designed to assist in the identification and resolutions of
concerns or problems (personal or job-related) which may adversely affect an
employee’s personal or professional well-being and/or job performance. These
personal concerns may include, but are not limited to:
Date: May 11, 2018 Report No. 2018-055
Page 5 of 5
Health
Marital status
Family
Emotional/stress issues
This policy is intended to supports officers after critical events. These events can
include, but are not limited to the following:
Enforcement situations in which there is a discharge of a firearm;
Use of force situations in which there is death or serious injury of any person;
Vehicle pursuits with death or serious injury to any person; and
Death of an employee, both on and off duty.
4. Officer Involved Shootings (General Order 5.2)
Most of this General Order covers steps that are taken investigating an officer
involved shooting. However, it also dictates that an officer that is involved in a
shooting that involves injury or death will participate in a “defusing” by a member of
the Peer Support Team. It also dictates that the Office of Professional Standards will
arrange counseling with a Department approved psychologist prior to the officer
returning to full duty.
The Departmental Family Services Coordinator and a member of the Departmental
Chaplin Program may also be asked to assist if necessary.
CONCLUSION:
First responders can frequently encounter dangerous and even traumatic situations on the job, and,
as a result, can be faced with a variety of physical and mental health issues. It is important that
resources are available to assist them in dealing with such issues. As such, there are several
counseling and support services provided to first responders through the Police and Fire
departments as well as the City’s benefit providers.
STAFF CONTACT:
Carla Romine, Director of Human Resources
940-349-8344