COP-2-COP Hotlines: Programs to Address the Needs of First Responders and Their Families

Abstract

This article delineates the factors that have long contributed to the high rate of stressrelated disorders in ''first responders,'' those frontline professionals responsible for the safety and security of the public (law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency service personnel). It covers the rationale for COP-2-COP, a unique program designed to address the mental health needs of a high-risk population, its history, its components, and outcomes. This state funded program is a crisis intervention ''helpline'' for first responders, and their families, providing peer support, clinical assessment, referrals to mental health practitioners with relevant experience, and Critical Incident Stress Management. We begin with two newspaper reports of actual cases and end with four fictional case studies that reflect a composite of typical symptoms experienced by clients contacting one of the COP-2-COP hotlines. These cases are presented along with the special programs that were designed to address the consequences of the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. Fortunately, COP-2-COP was already in place and prepared to act in response to the impact of a trauma of unprecedented magnitude.

Police stress: history, contributing factors, symptoms, and interventions

“…In 2000, in New Jersey, COP-2-COP, the first confidential hotline for police officers and their families was established. It utilizes retired police officers trained in assessment and in crisis intervention techniques to answer the phones (Ussery and Waters, 2006). These volunteer counselors conduct interviews that can lead to referrals to licensed mental health professionals who have police experience.…”

First Responder Resiliency ECHO: Innovative Telementoring during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The HEROES Project promoted first responder self-efficacy and resiliency and demonstrated improvement in first responder mental health [ 7 , 8 ]. The COP-2-COP Hotline, originally established in 1999 to assist police officers and their families in New Jersey, was one of the earliest peer support hotlines and became very useful during the 9/11 tragedy [ 9 ]. The Road to Mental Health Readiness (R2MR), a four-hour Canadian training program with traditional first responders of all types (correction officers, emergency medical services, fire, and police), demonstrated a significant increase in resiliency skills and a reduction in the stigma of mental illness [ 10 ].…”

Peer‐based interventions targeting suicide prevention: A scoping review

“…On‐demand crisis support services have also been developed in several institutional settings to address the mental health needs of workers at increased risk for suicide and emotional crisis given high levels of exposure to traumatic workplace events such as police (Castellano, 2012; Dowling et al., 2005; Dowling et al., 2006; Levenson, 2007; Levenson & Dwyer, 2003; Levenson et al., 2010; Mishara & Martin, 2012; Ramchand et al., 2019; Ussery & Waters, 2006), firefighters (Finney et al., 2015), and military officers (Rozanov et al., 2002). Crisis support services are delivered by peers due to a tendency for workers in these settings to avoid formal mental health services because of concerns that they would be viewed as unable to perform their job duties.…”