Text service launched to support Alberta first responders with trauma
Two new text services have been developed in an effort to better support the mental health of Alberta’s first responders.
According to Vincent Agyapong, a clinical professor of psychiatry and mental health at the University of Alberta, Text4PTSI and Text4Well-being are specifically designed to help emergency personnel cope with stress, anxiety, depression, disturbed sleep and suicidal thoughts.
“During the pandemic and beyond, they deal with many traumatic situations,” Agyapong explained. “And a lot of them end up experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress injury.”
The free services are said to offer a private and immediate way of accessing help if a first responder is on a waitlist or if they feel uncomfortable using in-person supports.
The daily inspirational messages are meant to benefit users in a similar way to cognitive behavioural therapy.
“Sometimes there’s stigma preventing them from reaching out for the help and support they need in a face-to-face way,” Agyapong added.
In a release, Agyapong said the TEXT4Well-being was created to help build resilience to ensure first responders don’t develop PTSI, while TEXT4PTSI is supposed to help reduce the symptoms for individuals who have already developed the condition.
“There are natural emotions people feel after experiencing a traumatic event, so the messages validate and normalize those feelings,” Agyapong said.
According to the U of A, about a third of the texts include online links to mental health information and support services.
“The lack of requirement for people to do anything other than subscribe makes it successful,” Agyapong said.
“It’s just a click to subscribe, and you can be anywhere and get the support.”
The new services coincide with the program that launched Text4Hope in March of 2020 to help boost mental health during the pandemic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.