Everyday, police and firefighters are involved in events that can cause lifelong trauma in others. They see what a fire, a shooting, a robbery, and domestic violence can do to the immediate victims and those around them.
Experts are also beginning to understand the ways that traumatic experiences can be passed from generation to generation. In simple terms: a violent environment for a child can led to stress, inhibit healthy growth, and ultimately perpetuate the cycle of violence.
Until recently, police and firefighters had no tools to help the survivors of exposure to violence. But, under the auspices of a new county-city team, they have referred 700 families and individuals to mental health professionals for help with trauma.
Click here to read “How a City-County Partnership with Mental Health, Police, and Firefighters is Treating Trauma in Milwaukee” in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Click here to read “In High-Trauma Milwaukee Journey House Sees Mental Health Therapy as Missing Link,” another effort to address trauma in Milwaukee
