Understanding Paramedic & Crown Attorney Culture & the Impact of Trauma

This workshop is a collaboration between Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMC), the NS Public Prosecution Service (PPS) and APNS, in response to the need for psychologists across Nova Scotia, who are trained and skilled in evidence-based treatments for PTSD, as well as having an awareness of the culture of paramedics and Crown Attorneys. The goal is to develop a roster of registered psychologists for referral by EMC and PPS.

Facilitators:
Dr. Dion Goodland completed his BScH at Acadia University in 1992 and his MA (1994) and PhD (2001) at the University of Windsor (ON). As part of his academic training, he worked for two years at the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University’s Department of Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. During that time, he completed assessments and treatment at Detroit Receiving Hospital, at that time the largest trauma-specific hospital in the US. After completing his training, Dr. Goodland moved back to eastern Canada and has worked in several clinical positions in Halifax and Truro. From 2002 to 2014, he worked at the Operational Trauma and Stress Support Centre (OTSSC) at CFB Halifax, where the focus was operationally-related psychological injuries, such as PTSD. He served as the Psychology Practice Leader and participated in recruiting and training new staff as well as supervised the clinical training of several psychology graduate students. Since April 2014, Dr. Goodland has been in full time private practice, and continues his focus on assessing and treating individuals with a diagnosis of PTSD. His clientele almost exclusively consists of currently serving and retired members of the military and the RCMP. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Goodland has done several presentations and workshops related to assessing, diagnosing, and treating PTSD as well as vicarious traumatization.

Workshop Overview:
The program will be divided into four sections:

1. A review of the culture facilitated by paramedics and Crown Attorneys. Participants will include experiential experience in the paramedic and legal environment.
2. Assessing and Diagnosing PTSD
3. Treatment of PTSD
4. Vicarious Traumatization

The facilitator will incorporate clinical examples to provide a context to help participants better understand the nuances of this illness on the lives of people being treated.

Learning Objectives:

• To better understand the culture of paramedics and Crown Attorneys in NS
• To gain a clearer understanding of diagnostic criteria for PTSD to facilitate an accurate diagnosis
• To facilitate a broader understanding of empirically based treatments for PTSD
• To provide direction on how to apply the “gold standards” in the treatment of paramedics and Crown Attorneys.
• To better understand the potential impact on the provider when working with people suffering from the impacts of trauma.

Audience:
Open to registered or candidate registered psychologists who have some experience with treatment for PTSD.  Once participants complete this workshop and meet the established criteria, they may be placed on a list of registered psychologists for referral by EMC and PPS.