2024-05-10 10:14:36
BOLZANO. Ai rescuers, when they talk about their work, the same question is (almost) always asked: “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen?”. Like some kind of attraction to pain. Thus, before their eyes, those indelible images pass before their eyes made of sleepless nights and sirens turned on which, sometimes, translate into anxiety and stress, but also bewilderment, pain and confusion.
Because rescuers are not invincible superheroes. «In 35 years of service I have seen everyone cry, from the two meter tall giant to the young apprentice. We have emotions too. We too, in addition to the victims and their families, must follow a path to overcome a trauma“, he says Roman Tschimben. He is the group leader of the post-intervention psychological assistance of the White Cross, a service that deals with the re-elaboration of interventions and contributes to the mental health of its collaborators. The peculiarity of the initiative, which started twenty years ago but only recently exploded, is that it is the rescuers themselves (called “Peers”) who lend a shoulder to their colleagues.
Tschimben, give us an example. When is assistance needed?
When the rescuer feels the need and finds himself living with an enormous burden. I’ll quote an episode: a few years ago, after a road accident, we intervened for the death of a person. As soon as we arrived on site, one of our colleagues found himself confronted by one of his best friends. You can never be sufficiently prepared for certain events.
How is this psychological help structured?
Through meetings, which can be communicated to the White Cross or remain anonymous. The rescuer who requests help relies on one of the 47 members of the White Cross who offer assistance.
Who I am?
These are staff with great experience, who have completed a training period. Over the last year they have dedicated a total of 360 hours to consultancy sessions and assisted 78 colleagues. We are not professional psychologists or therapists. When trauma has a major impact on a person’s daily life, we refer them to the health authority.
When did the need arise?
Once upon a time, assistance took place only and exclusively over a mug of beer. Thirty years ago no one knew that a well-structured therapeutic service would help the health of employees. Often a trauma was overcome out of necessity, because one could not stay behind. However, it happened that more than one person left the White Cross because their uniform reminded them of a terrible episode. Therefore, post-intervention assistance has among its objectives that of maintaining staff and avoiding their flight.
What does the conversation between the rescuers involve?
Obviously it depends on the situation. If it is a single intervention that creates discomfort, then every moment of that day is retraced. From what was done before, during and after the fact. By recounting an incident rather than a dialogue with a family member of the victim, it is possible to identify the problem.
The biggest mistake is taking too much for granted what makes us feel bad. In what sense?
I remember an intervention at the home of two desperate parents. Their child’s heart had stopped beating and the episode had significantly shaken one of our rescuers. Talking to one of the specialists he discovered that it was not the death that had traumatized him. Also because in that case the rescue was impeccable in terms of timing and methods. He understood that the pain, instead, was caused by the fact that, in his opinion, he had not been able to calm a crying relative.
It’s not just rescuers who go to the scene of an accident or a particularly serious crime event.
The same goes, in fact, for firefighters: they hear the victims screaming in pain, they hold a tarpaulin during resuscitation. The distress, which manifests itself through desperation and frustration, can also be caused by an accumulation of small episodes or by the repetition of a fact, such as suicide. They are traumatic episodes, which often end up affecting one’s family environment. The best thing to do is to talk about it as soon as possible.
What human characteristics should a “Peers” have?
First and foremost, resilience, the ability to interface and the intelligence to ask the right questions at the right time. To become an aftercare rescuer, a minimum of five days’ training with some emergency psychologists is required. We have noticed an increase in participation in the service and therefore a course in Italian has been organized for the first time which will end in June this year. The volunteer team will soon grow by another 12 members.
2024-05-10 10:14:36