Keynote Speaker Cultivating Wellness, Mental Health and Resilience through a Vicarious Trauma-Informed Approach
Did you know that in 2022, tragically, over 49,000 lives were lost to suicide? Shockingly, a significant number were individuals aged 25-44, predominantly of Caucasian descent. This includes my father, a retired police sergeant, who, like over 50% of others, used a firearm to end his life. While there are interventions, therapies, and medications that can help prevent suicide, it's time we shift our focus. Let's open up conversations about adverse childhood experiences, the crucial nature of healthy caregiver attachment during infancy, and the traumas that precede joining professions like law enforcement. Do we need to emphasize the importance of discussing well-being, fostering healthy connections with peers, family, and spirituality, or reaching out to 988? Of course! As you share your present struggles, also bravely recount the challenges you have overcome in the past, no matter how many years have elapsed. As a suicide loss survivor, I strongly believe that together, through open dialogue and understanding, we can strive to prevent such heartbreaking losses. Jason M. Palamara and I are grateful to Dianne Bernhard for contributing to our new book, Living Blue. #vicarioustrauma #compassionfatigue #lawenforcementtraining #policechief #police
Co-Founder, Living Blue Apparel. Author, Speaker, Coach. The Cold Case Consultant.
Dianne Bernhard is the Executive Director of the Concerns of Police Survivors organization and responsible for fulfilling their mission, providing leadership, overseeing the functions of the organization, strategizing for future growth, and operating C.O.P.S under the direction of the National Board. What Dianne is most however, is an amazing human who has cared for our Nation’s heroes in such an impactful way through the work she does. Before her role at C.O.P.S, Dianne was a Deputy Chief for the Columbia Missouri Police Department and uses her years of experience and leadership to show up for officers and their families when they need it most. I had the privilege of speaking at the C.O.P.S National Conference in Dallas last year and saw firsthand what an impact her work is having on the law-enforcement profession. Barbara Rubel, Compassion Fatigue Speaker and I are excited to have Dianne’s words inside of the End of Watch chapter of our book, Living Blue: Helping Law Enforcement Officers and Their Families Survive and Thrive from Recruitment to Retirement, to share with you all.
