The Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and the Tourist Safety Institute at UNLV are bringing resilience training to emergency responders. Resilience training is frequently used by military personnel, athletes, medical doctors, business people, and other populations to improve job performance, including tasks which require high levels of attention and focus in dynamic environments, or other physical demands.
Resilience programs also increase adaptability to challenges, and reduce the impact of long-term stress. First responders are subjected to high levels of stress as a function of the unique demands of their occupation. Exposure to prolonged stress can produce negative effects that impact emergency responders' physical, mental, and interpersonal health.
Enrollment
Additional Information
For more information about the program, please contact Steven Pace at 725-253-1822 (steven.pace@unlv.edu).
In addition, Las Vegas, with 39 million tourists in 2022, presents unique stressors for emergency responders who are integral to ensuring tourist and resident safety. Stress may diminish responders’ ability to respond in an optimal manner to challenging situations they face, as they interact with community members, including both residents and tourists.
The Resilience Training for Emergency Responders program is designed to give participants tools to do their job better and increase their safety, with additional benefits of greater job and life satisfaction.
Program Description
The content of the program includes attention control practices and stress reduction techniques based on mindfulness, as well as interpersonal relationship strategies.
The resilience training is provided in an 8-week program, consisting of 90-minute sessions once a week. There are 2 additional sessions for orientation and program conclusion.
Resilience Training Benefits
The benefits of resilience training include greater situational awareness, as well as performance under pressure and problem solving to deescalate stressful situations. Additional benefits include, improved professional and personal relationships, lowered blood-pressure, and improved sleep, as well as reduction in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and occupational burnout symptoms, common in law enforcement, as well as other emergency responders, military, and related populations.
Cost
Participation in the program is free to emergency responders.
Eligibility
The program is open to all state and local law enforcement officers up to and including the Sergeant level, within the Las Vegas area and State of Nevada (Nevada Department of Public Safety Troopers), as well as federal law enforcement officers.