By Jim Sullivan
The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — Making good on his promise to strengthen the Police Department’s ties with residents, City Marshal Matthew Simons is putting out the call for local volunteers to help survivors of tragedies, trauma or crisis.
With that in mind, Simons will host an open house on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. at the Green Street police station with officials from the decades-old Trauma Intervention Program. With any luck, prospective volunteers interested in providing emotional and practical support for people who have recently suffered a life-changing event will stop by.
“We would use them for domestic violence, an overdose, an unexpected or unattended death type of call, things of that nature,” he said. “They help to ease the immediate suffering of victims of a tragedy. Then they help facilitate healing and long-term recovery.”
The Trauma Intervention Program has been serving the Merrimack Valley since 1993. It is staffed by specially trained volunteers who assist first responders, bridging the gap between trauma victims as well as law enforcement.
Trauma Intervention Program Executive Director Karen Held said her volunteers offer a helping hand for people at some of their lowest points.
“We are people helping people in crisis and that can be a really a dark moment,” she said. “But my volunteers tell me it really is life-changing.”
The open house comes less than a month after Simons was sworn in as the city’s highest ranking law enforcement officer during a ceremony in City Hall. Soon after his badge was pinned to his uniform by his longtime wife, Simons gave a well-received speech detailing his hopes and aspirations for the department.
Among those aspirations were promoting active listening, improving lines of communication and building/fostering relationships within the community. He also said he would be partnering with Held’s Andover -based nonprofit organization to help make some of that happen.
During a Thursday phone call, Simons said volunteers would come in during a crisis and help the victim or their family make arrangements for a deceased loved one, or assist with other arraignments like finding a place to stay.
“This allows us to do any investigative police responsibilities, knowing that this person is being cared for,” he said. “That takes the burden off the officer on the scene to try and do their job, while caring for this person at the same time. That often becomes a difficult task.”
Held said she was able to use the training she got from the Trauma Intervention Program to help her own family when they experienced a traumatic event. Having a dedicated person on hand to guide her siblings through those frightening first moments, she added, was extremely important.
“We’re invited guests on the scene. We know what our lane is and are not social workers,” she said. “But we are experts in the immediate aftermath of trauma. We help these survivors navigate, not only the immediate aftermath of a tragedy. But we position them so that they start to regain a sense of control.”
The Trauma Intervention Program volunteer training takes roughly 60 hours to complete, according to Simons, who added it’s not for everybody.
“You have to have a real passion for helping and caring for people going through a difficult situation. Some people start the training and don’t complete it, others find it a really fulfilling program,” he said. “We want people to know what’s involved and what being a volunteer means. That way, they can make a better decision about whether or not this is something they want to pursue.”
Giving, according to Held, is receiving.
“My volunteers feel honored and privileged to be inserted into the darkest moments and to be that caring presence,” she said.
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