Phase Three – Support
While working with our co-design participants, we discovered that family members and friends would like to connect with other people who are having similar experiences to themselves. Peer support is essential to critical incident stress management within first responder organizations. In conjunction with our partners MHI (Mental Health Ireland), we aim to facilitate Connect Cafes for participants to stay connected after the training, either online or in person. We are training our co-design participants to co-facilitate these groups and help provide peer support for our family members and friend participants.
We will signpost our participants to further support and resources, specific to their needs and preferences, as necessary.