Erin Craw’s father was a police officer. When she was a young girl, she remembers her father being very different when he came home from a shift. The loving man she knew when he left the house was in stark contrast with the quiet and moody man who came home. She didn’t understand the horrors he witnessed every day. Over the years she learned that what he dealt with on a daily basis at work had a profound effect on all facets of his life.
But no one said a word. The mental health of first responders was not ever discussed at this time.
Fast forward to today, where Erin shares her frustration that “mental health” has become the buzzword offering empty promises and programs that are not being used. She is on a mission to change all of that. Here is her story.
About:
Erin Craw is a third-year doctoral student at Chapman University studying communication with an emphasis on health and interpersonal communication. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and journalism from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in health communication from Fairfield University. Erin received her First Responder Support Certification in January 2021 and is currently working toward a certificate in Police Mental Wellness and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing through the College of Certified Psychophysiologists. Her research interests are at the intersection of health and interpersonal communication. More specifically, communication as it relates to social support, stigma, and resilience. Her master’s thesis focused on the barriers and facilitators of mental health-related disclosures in police departments. As the daughter of a police officer (37 years on the job in CT) and granddaughter of a firefighter (40 years on the job in CT), she has a true passion for research that informs mental health-related interventions for first responders, enhances communication surrounding mental health, and improves access to support.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-s-craw
https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-survival-law-enforcement-officers/dp/0971725403
