Foundations of First Responder Psychology   [Archived Catalog]
2018-2019 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook with Spring Addendum
   

PSY 3060 - Foundations of First Responder Psychology


This course will critically examines the general psychological aspects of police, fire, and emergency medical services responders including: dimensions of personality shared among emergency responders, organizational impacts on first responders, work-related impacts on family relationships, and issues of diversity and individual differences. Participants will assess theoretical models of emergency and crisis decision-making, as well as identify how stress, anxiety, and trauma impact first responders and their families. Exploration of current research on positive coping strategies, professional and peer psychological interventions, as well as resilience-building skills for first responders, and their relationship with improved job performance and efficacy, will be highlighted. Examines reality-based training simulations involving stress inoculation theory, stress management and arousal control methods useful in the field for performance an increased psychological resiliency with associated methods of evaluating these experience's effects on responders. 3 credit(s)