By Janet F Wenholz | Sr. Assistant to the Executive Director
No matter how heroic people’s actions are, they can struggle with guilt, depression, and a sense of inadequacy. It seems that the more dedicated they are to helping others, the more they blame themselves for not being able to help everyone. In trying to understand what went wrong to improve future incident response, focus on the failure takes the spotlight off all the things that have gone right. When this becomes a habit, even the most courageous veteran or first-responder can spiral into anger, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.
Service dogs can help by keeping their handlers in the moment. These dogs recognize the signs that their handlers have checked out or are having a flashback. By nudging a hand, leaning on a leg, or getting attention some other way, they can break the cycle. Handlers learn to recognize, acknowledge and take action based on their dogs’ alerts. OFP’s program includes tools such as mindfulness exercises. By consistently using the dog and these other techniques, over time clients’ instances of negativity can become shorter and less frequent.
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