EMDR n The First Responder Bringing hope and healing to those suffering in silence with hidden symptoms

The EMDR for 911 Campaign
Resource Information to share with 911 Local Professionals
Jim Marshall, MA, Certified EMDR Therapist
Note to EMDR Clinicians: one of the goals of this EMDRIA Conference presentation is to
empower you with insight about the enormous need that 911 dispatchers have for EMDR, and
more specifically for your leadership as a local mental health professional specializing in
treatment and education of/on trauma. Sara and I hope that our handouts will equip you to
function in this local leadership role with your area 911 centers. This article (revised slightly from
its original form as located still on the web at www.911training.net) is intended to guide your
discussion of EMDR with frontline dispatchers, and with 911 leaders whom you are educating,
entering into treatment contracts, and as you may us advocate to policy makers for new rules
and standards to protect 911 professionals’ health. You are invited to use it in part or in whole,
and in any manner, printed or for verbal presentation as you choose. Contact information follows
the article.
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T
he psychological impacts and demands of living and working in a 911 center are huge in the lives of dispatchers.
Daily, emergency telecommunicators experience trauma as they assist the public during their most tragic moments.
This traumatization can produce fallout in the telecommunicator's personal life including increased risk of depression,
anxiety, addiction, and personal relationship problems. And if we "stuff" our emotions resulting from highly stressful
experiences (such as dispatching suicide calls) we may be at increased risk of physical disease. (See my related
articles exploring the role of trauma in the lives of 911 professionals.)
Fortunately, there is a form of psychotherapy that is incredibly helpful in "clearing" the nervous system of the residue
left by psychological trauma. It's called EMDR (an abbreviation for Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing). This treatment was originated by Francine Shapiro, PhD. In 1990 and 1991 I pursued training with Dr.
Shapiro in EMDR and completed both Levels One and Two. In the years since then, EMDR has been recognized as
1
one of only a small handful of effective “evidence-based” treatments for post traumatic stress disorder" (PTSD) .
In my clinical practice, I have found it to be the most effective treatment for resolving panic attacks, critical incident
trauma, severe PTSD, and many other problems. (To learn more about EMDR and its effectiveness, click here.)
Bottom line: there is solid support for my recommendation that the nation's PSAPs consider EMDR as the First
Choice in treatment for First Line Dispatchers.
In the 911 Training Institute course Survive & Thrive in the Emotional Terrain of the 911 Center, dispatchers gain
insight about their experience of secondary traumatization and compassion fatigue, and how these conditions can
lead to depression, anxiety, chronic stress, and increased self-medication (e.g., with alcohol, drugs, and other
compulsive and self-defeating patterns). Since I began training within the 911 Community in 2005 I have urged more
than 2,500 dispatchers to visit www.emdria.org to learn about EMDR and to seriously consider seeking the help of an
EMDR therapist if they are struggling.
Yet, much more needs to be done to get the word out about EMDR to the 911 professional community. First, all
911 telecommunicators need to know that unresolved trauma accumulates in the nervous system and can result in:
1

Increased risk of mental illnesses (as noted above) and physical diseases

Impaired job performance and and increase in lost work days fueling greater financial costs to
agencies
“EMDR Listed by SAMHSA on National Registry. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is an agency
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This national registry (NREPP) cites EMDR as evidence based practice for
treatment of PTSD, anxiety and depression symptoms. Their review of the evidence also indicated that EMDR leads to an improvement in
mental health anxiety.” Source: The Official Blog of the EMDR International Association, http://emdriausa.wordpress.com/, Posted on June 13,
2011 by EMDRIA, accessed July 25, 2011.
EMDR for 911 Campaign, Page 2

Increased personal relationship problems leading to unstable family life promoting even greater
difficulty functioning in the workplace (especially amidst the high-stress demands of the 911
center!).
T
hen dispatchers and call-takers need to learn how trauma therapy and stress reduction skills and lifestyle can
resolve and prevent such toxic fallout from trauma. And they need to be encouraged to seek help and access funds
for counseling from their departments' Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Fortunately, the National Emergency
Number Association (NENA) has launched a Working Group on 911 Stress to establish an industry-wide standard
calling all North American 911 centers to establish comprehensive stress management programs for all their
employees. I am co-chairing this WorkGroup with Emergency Number Professional Dee Ann Summersett.
Summary and Recommendations
Research has established the effectiveness of EMDR in the treatment of critical incident trauma similar to that which
dispatchers experience in call taking. I believe we could greatly reduce the effects of workplace trauma on the
personal lives and professional functioning of dispatchers if they received two EMDR sessions every two years
throughout their careers. (This number is arbitrary but a starting point for encouraging use. Dispatchers with more
extensive trauma histories would benefit from additional treatment.) Toward this goal we are spearheading...
The EMDR FOR 9-1-1Campaign2
In the months to come, I will seek the support of my fellow members in the EMDR International Association,
leaders from NENA, APCO, NAED, and each state's 911 Directors Association to launch a nationwide educational
campaign for dispatchers. The objective will be to educate every emergency telecommunicator in the United
States about EMDR as the First Choice in treatment for First Line Dispatchers.
Next steps...
1. Formation of the EMDR for 9-1-1 Task Force, comprised of representatives from the above groups joined by local
dispatcher center leaders (front line, supervisory, and management). The task force will seek to...
2. Gain the support of dispatch authority administrators in doing the following:



Disseminating EMDR for 911 brochures to all dispatch staff in their PSAPs
Hosting presentations by area EMDR Therapists on site for dispatch staff, to establish relationship
and de-stigmatize psychotherapy and encourage dispatchers to seek help.
Recommending that all center dispatchers use their Employee Assistance Programs (where
offered) to pursue 2 EMDR sessions during every 2 years of service throughout their careers
We need your help to assure this effort is wisely designed and successfully implemented. Please call me to tell us
what you think of these recommendations, and to register your support. Also consider lending your expertise as a
member of the EMDR FOR 911 Task Force. The time commitment will be small but the benefits to the 911
Community will be enormous.
You can reach me directly at 231.881.1434 or by email to [email protected]. And let me urge you to visit
www.Emdria.org where you will find fascinating and helpful information about trauma and EMDR, including a list of
EMDR-trained therapists throughout the United States.
EMDR is good news for emergency telecommunicators
and they deserve to hear about it.
Thank you for helping us to get the word out!
[email protected]
Content copyright 2011, [email protected]. All rights reserved. Members of EMDRIA may cite and use this document for any local
effort in providing psychoeducation to 911 centers.
2
Jim Marshall’s promotes this advocacy campaign is in the capacity of director, 911 Training Institute. It is in part of the agenda of the National
Emergency Number Association (NENA) Working Group on 911 Stress which he co‐chairs. The draft standard of this NENA Work Groups, while
not endorsing EMDR exclusively, includes recognition of EMDR as one of the two evidence based treatments for anxiety in accord with
SAMHSAs’ recent recognition (see footnote 1 above).