The Role of Second Responders in Long Term Recovery

Second Responder is an emerging term which often refers to trained professionals or trained volunteers who provide various forms of mental, emotional, or spiritual care. Examples of second responder care may include, and is not limited to: 
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• Psychological First Aid
• Critical Incident debriefing, individually or among a group
• Peer counseling
• Talk therapy provided by a Psychologist, Marriage & Family Therapist, or Clinical Social Worker
• Bereavement counseling provided by a Psychologist, Marriage & Family Therapist, Clinical Social Worker, or Clergy person
• Art, music, or drama therapist
• Support group
• Pastoral counseling
• Chaplaincy
• Spiritual Direction
• Volunteers providing nourishing meals, hydration, safe places to sleep, childcare, or other forms of hospitality

This list, of course, does not exhaust the possibilities of care administered by second responders in response to critical incidents or disasters.

Following the critical role of first responders – including, law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency room personnel – second responders provide a second and equally critical role in processes of healing after trauma. Second responders help survivors and those who experience vicarious traumatization of:
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• Who they are
• To whom they belong
• Their sense of place, or groundedness, in the world
• Their sense of safety, internally and externally
• Their ability to self-regulate
• Their ability to care for themselves
• Their ability to care for others
• Their sense of grief and mourning
• Their sense of hope
• Their sense of purpose or motivation

Second responders are keenly aware that this process of (re)membering after trauma comes slowly and not necessarily in a linear pattern, and they commit to companioning alongside survivors as they regain their healthy senses. 

Beginning with basic forms of hospitality and trustworthy companionship, and often through a Village of Care, second responders help survivors heal.

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If you would like to learn more about how you or your organization can provide healthy forms of second responder outreach, contact us. 
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Rev. Dr. Kate Wiebe serves as the Executive Director of ICTG. She is an organizational health consultant and pastoral psychotherapist. She lives with her family in Santa Barbara, CA. ​