Webinar | May 8, 2024 at 14:00 ET | Free to AAA Members

Many EMT students are instructed that when they feel overwhelmed, they need to “be a duck”- paddling furiously under the water while everything stays smooth and calm on the surface. While this isn’t terrible advice while actively running a call, many in emergency services take this advice to heart and embrace a brand of stoicism fairly unique to public safety. Avoidance is a nonadaptive coping style linked to increased risk of PTSD, burnout and suicide, yet it is the most commonly used method of coping with stress among EMS professionals. Types of avoidance coping such as dissociation, absenteeism and substance use will be explored. Learn healthier mechanisms to cope with adversity and ways to pass these skills along to your agency, creating a more resilient, present, and engaged workforce.

Speaker

Sari Goldberg MS, NCC, EMT-P, is a veteran paramedic and mental health professional. After more than 10 years as a paramedic in the field, Sari earned a Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since 2019, she coordinates a comprehensive wellness program for employees at Guilford County Emergency Services that includes peer support, CISM, one on one interventions, and proactive psychoeducation.