Dr. Megan McElheran RPsych

Dr. Kelly Schwartz RPsych

Benefits and Barriers of Trauma-Informed

Leadership Training for Firefighters and Their Families

Fire chiefs and senior leaders carry a unique responsibility in shaping the culture of their departments. Beyond managing daily operations, their overall approach will directly influence the resilience, morale, and performance of their teams.

A Fire Chief’s Influence Beyond Operations

What we know, and how understanding the data can help us move in a new direction.

Why is this important?

61-68%

of PSP would only reach out to PSP leadership as a last resort

Carleton et al. 2020

Why is this important?

Some research suggests that support from supervisors could be more effective than peer support in assisting first responders with managing organizational stress symptoms.

Varvel et al., 2007

Why is this important?

27.8% 

of PSP members have experienced Suicidal ideation (general population 12.5-14%)

 (Carlton et al., 2018)

What can we do?

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Understanding how stress and adversity affect both individuals and groups, chiefs can respond in ways that promote stability, maintain operational effectiveness, and create a work environment where firefighters are more likely to thrive.

Shifting to a Proactive Approach

Through Trauma Informed Leadership

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2020

A need for specific PSP leadership education was recognized

2020 – 2021

The TIL program was developed

2022

Partnered with Queens University for program research

2024

Waitlist

Control Study Completed

Adapted from CultureSmith

Leadership Foundations

• Base to becoming a trauma informed leader is to have self-awareness and the ability to Self-regulate.  
• Necessary for appropriate levels of empathy.

Adapted from CultureSmith

Leadership Foundations:

Self-Awareness

• The ability to recognize and understand one's own thoughts, feelings, sensations, and experiences as distinct from those of others.
• Introspection
• Perceiving oneself as separate and unique

Adapted from CultureSmith

Self-awareness Toolbox

• Assessing levels of arousal
• Paying attention to our thoughts, and how the quality of our thoughts change with levels of arousal
• Cultivating the ability to be present within our bodies and attentive to sensations as they ebb and flow
• Determining our purpose and staying connected to approaching our goals, even when uncertain
• Engaging with emotions as sources of information that tell us about what matters to us

Leadership Foundations:

Self-Regulation

• Second foundation is self-regulation
• Introduction to the Window of Tolerance

Adapted from CultureSmith

Values and Organizational Health�

• At the individual level, feeling as though you can conduct yourself in alignment with personally held values and beliefs will enhance employee satisfaction and a sense of being valued by the employer.

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• At the organizational level, data suggests that of 91 potential factors that could enhance employee engagement, commitment to an organization’s core values is the top driver of employee engagement

Leadership Foundations

• Base to becoming a trauma informed leader is to have self-awareness and the ability to self-regulate.  
• Necessary for appropriate levels of empathy.

Adapted from CultureSmith

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Empathetic Leadership

Traits of empathic leaders (Campbell, 2017):

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Self-awareness

Self-control

Reciprocal, collaborative communicators

Attuned to others

Able to set boundaries

Employ kindness

Altruism, willingness to give to others

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Empathetic Leadership

• Therefore, essential to enhance and maintain self-awareness as a key variable in empathic leadership
• Back to the Window of Tolerance
• Importance of presence, slowing down
• Utilization of cognitive restructuring tools
• Awareness of emotion
• Attention to patterns of avoidance and withdrawal

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Interpersonal Gap by John Wallen

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Trauma Informed Leadership – Preliminary Outcomes

Leaders Who Completed TIL are changing how they lead.

• Stronger TIL skills. Leaders who took the training last fall show a large jump in day-to-day trauma-informed behaviours (think listening deeply, checking in, and tailoring support).
• More mindful leadership. These leaders also report being more attentive, less judgmental, kinder toward themselves and others.
• Closer connections. Their teams say their supervisors have become more caring, supportive, and in tune with their needs.

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Trauma Informed Leadership – Preliminary Outcomes

Their People feel the Difference

• Less “sanctuary trauma.” Team members under trained leaders report feeling less let-down by the organization when they share difficult experiences.
• Higher job satisfaction. They also now feel more satisfied with their jobs than they did before their leader completed the training — and more satisfied than those whose supervisors have not yet taken it.

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Trauma Informed Leadership – Preliminary Outcomes

Head to Head Comparison to the Trained TIL vs. Waitlist participants

When we compared the trained group to the group still waiting for their session, trained leaders were rated:

• Higher on TIL behaviours as well as caring, person-centered leadership (both by leader themselves and their teams).

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Complex trauma is . . . complex

What happens in the truck doesn’t stay in the truck

Mental Health Training, Attitudes Towards Support, & Screening Positive for Mental Disorders

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 2020 doi: 10.1080/16506073.2019.1575900

Going home after the calls: The impact on families

Key impacts on fire families:

• Secondary trauma: hearing detailed accounts of their loved one's traumatic experiences at work, leading to anxiety, fear, and feelings of helplessness (esp. if severity of disaster is intense)
• Emotional distress: both spouse/partner and children may witness firefighter struggling to cope with emotions, moral injury
• Concerns for safety of family: hypervigilance regarding previously safe activities e.g., driving, flying, water sports, etc.
• Social isolation: withdraw from social activities, numbing

Thinking holistically about TIL for EFR families

The upstream sweet spot

The TIL sweet spot for firefighters and their families

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Changing families changes EFRs

Practice what we preach: The ANTRA mantra

ANTRA (Duffy, McElheran, Stelnicki, & Schwartz, 2024)

• Awareness: Reconnection may require period of vulnerability
• Naming: Communicate about emotions, thoughts, and arousal level prior to and during reconnection
• Tracking: Employ techniques to monitor arousal states and strategy effectiveness
• Ritual: Engage in specific habits during the point of reconnection that intentionally focus on re-engaging with the family
• Assess: Continual revisiting of strategies and rituals

References

• Carleton, R. N., Afifi, T. O., Turner, S., Taillieu, T., Vaughan, A. D., Anderson, G. S., ... & Camp, R. D. (2020). Mental health training, attitudes toward support, and screening positive for mental disorders. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 49(1), 55-73.
• Carleton, R. N., Afifi, T. O., Turner, S., Taillieu, T., LeBouthillier, D. M., Duranceau, S., ... & Asmundson, G. J. (2018). Suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts among public safety personnel in Canada. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 59(3), 220.
• Carleton, R. N., Afifi, T. O., Turner, S., Taillieu, T., Duranceau, S., LeBouthillier, D. M., ... & Asmundson, G. J. (2018). Mental disorder symptoms among public safety personnel in Canada. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 63(1), 54-64.
• Duffy, H. A., McElheran, M., Stelnicki, A. M., & Schwartz, K. D. (2024). FD/FR family: Functional disconnection and reconnection in public safety personnel families. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 16(2), 420-430. 
• Koenig, H. G., & Al Zaben, F. (2021). Moral injury: An increasingly recognized and widespread syndrome. Journal of religion and health, 60, 2989-3011.