SARASOTA COUNTY (WSNN) – When you’re wearing the hat of being a helper, sometimes it’s hard to get help for yourself. A Suncoast non-profit’s survey results show how it’s benefitting first responders and trauma survivors impacted by COVID-19.
“Right at the beginning of the pandemic, we were already dealing with half of our first responders suffering from PTSD and compassion fatigue, and now that the months have worn on, we know that those numbers are even higher,” Reslient Retreat’s Community Wellness Educator, Mandy O’Malley said.
Resilient Retreat is a two-year-old program supporting domestic abuse survivors and healthcare professionals like first responders and doctors.
“We have a plethora of workshops and support groups and different therapies like neurofeedback and equine therapy that we’re able to provide them to help them give them a great toolkit if you will,” Resilient Retreat’s Executive Director Lisa Intagliata said.
Last year was probably one of the most stressful years for many of us, but the program’s 2020 evaluation reveals a 91-percent decrease in stress-related missed days of work
“I think it speaks a lot to that sense of community, that sense of support, that sense of hope and resilience that’s being provided in our programs,” O’Malley said.
Out of nearly 70 participants surveyed, Resilient Retreat saw a 36 percent decrease in clinical depression and a 40 percent decrease in suicidal thoughts.
“As an outcome of plugging into our supportive community and our programs,” Intagliata said. “They’re sleeping better, they have an overall better outlook on life, they have a glass-half-full versus half-empty feeling.”
An anonymous first responder told SNN, “Having a community resource like Resilient Retreat to turn to, lean on, and sit with as a first responder is a gift like no other. THEY are serving us. THEY are coming to our aid, holding our hands and empowering us. “
“I think those programs they plug into, give them the building blocks to retain their self-esteem or get it back and build that confidence and that sense of hope that tomorrow is going to be a better day,” Intagliata said.
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If you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to your family, friends and loved ones. There’s more information about Resilient Retreat, here.
