HEALTH

T

rauma has a tremendous physical 
and/or emotional impact on vic-
tims, but it’s important to remem-
ber the effect it has on first responders 
like police and EMS as well.
Ayelet Shmuel of The Resiliency Zone, 
an Israel-based mental health practice 
that specializes in healing trauma, works 
with organizations around the world on 
trauma training, including Jewish organi-
zations in Metro Detroit.
The reason being: society often “miss-
es out” on mental health care for first 
responders, Shmuel, 50 of Ashkelon, 
Israel, explains. Living in a war zone that 
often sees rockets, Shmuel has learned 
firsthand the impact that support for first 
responders can have.
Still, the need for mental health care 
for first responders goes beyond Israeli 
tensions. 
As the world grapples with a spike 
in mass shootings, with 202 in the U.S. 
alone in 2023, including the Michigan 
State University shooting that left three 
students dead, first responders — who are 
directly on the front lines — shoulder a 
massive emotional impact.

It’s why Michigan Hatzalah, a Jewish 
volunteer service that provides rapid 
response to medical emergencies, enlisted 
Shmuel’s help last fall for training on how 
to identify and prevent PTSD amongst 
first responders, a very real and often 
invisible side effect of the job.

A GROWING CRISIS
Recent studies show that about 10% of 
first responders report PTSD, or post-
traumatic stress disorder, a mental health 
condition triggered by witnessing a trau-
matic event. Other data puts that number 
much higher — up to 35%, depending on 
the job.
While PTSD and symptoms can look 
different from person to person, first t 

 Recent studies show that about 10% of 
first responders report PTSD, or posttrau-
matic stress disorder, a mental health con-
dition triggered by witnessing a traumatic 
event. Other data puts that number much 
higher — up to 35%, depending on the job. 
 
 
 
 
 While PTSD and symptoms can look 
different from person to person, first 
responders can experience emotion-
al numbing and avoidance, which can 
impact personal relationships. It can also 
include depression, anxiety and substance 
use or abuse.
Not everyone will go on to develop 
PTSD, but Shmuel says being aware of 
the signs, and knowing how to prevent it 
from occurring, can be an effective way to 
bring down rising numbers of PTSD in an 
increasingly violent world.
In the recent program for Michigan 
Hatzalah, for example, Shmuel worked with 
first responders to teach practical tools to 
protect and care for their mental health, 
while simultaneously caring for victims.
“People in these jobs usually have a good 
ability to go from zero to 100 and go into 
action mode and crisis mode,” Shmuel 
says. “These are usually people that you 

How the community 
can help prevent 
PTSD amongst police, 
firefighters and EMS.

Prioritizing Mental 
Health Care for 
First Responders

continued on page 37

36 | JULY 6 • 2023 

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Ayelet Shmuel

Hatzalah Michigan 
volunteers in action.

