This is the handbook in Emond’s Mental Health Awareness Series. If you are looking for information on the core text, click here.

Mental Health Awareness: Self Care for First Responders is a user-friendly handbook on the numerous mental health symptoms that affect those in frontline work. It is designed to be thrown in a duty bag and referred to at various stages of one’s career.

This handbook provides valuable background information and practical tips for the self-care of frontline workers, including a concise identification and intervention guide. It also contains a checklist for physical and emotional well being, as well as tips for preventative self-care on topics such as PTSD, chronic stress, and suicide.

Those with careers in policing, corrections, residential work, or other community justice fields are often prepared to take care of others, but with this resource, they will now be prepared to take care of themselves.

• Also available: A core text with additional information and guidance for first responders, Mental Health Awareness: Practical Skills for First Responders.
• Ability to build a custom self-care plan and track goals in a special section at the back of the handbook.
• Easy-to-read checklists and charts.
• New legislation in Canada relating to PTSD.
• Coil binding, making this text easy to take with you on-the-job.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Emotional Wellbeing
Chapter 2: Critical Incident Stress and its Management
Chapter 3: Post Traumatic Stress and Acute Stress Disorders
Chapter 4: Compassion Fatigue, Vicarious Trauma and Cumulative Stress (Burnout)
Chapter 5: Suicide and Suicide Intervention
Chapter 6: Self-Care Strategies
Chapter 7: Resiliency and Support

Appendix: Self-Care Plan

Chapter 3: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorders

“I have read both books and found them to be extremely helpful in understanding the many aspects of mental health. One of the things I liked most was the Canadian content and reference/resource material at the end of each chapter or book. The research and information for a Canadian audience is fantastic.

I found the layout in the books excellent, especially the purple highlighted areas for the definitions and ‘Points to Remember’ sections. This provided a great way of getting the point across clearly. The terminology and content in both books was simple, clear, and easily understandable.

I would definitely recommend this set of books for any peer support team/group or company library to assist in their education component on mental illness. In particular, the practical skills book has great scenarios for all levels of awareness and can be easily used as a teaching or review tool.”

—Renee Jarvis
President CEO, Canadian Criminal Incident Stress Foundation.