David Kinchin was medically retired from Thames Valley Police in 1992 suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. He has since worked as a writer, researcher and broadcaster to improve knowledge and understanding of this condition, and has published widely on the subject. He facilitates workshops and seminars on PTSD and Emotional Decompression for a variety of medical and educational organisations, and writes and presents training courses for the emergency services and other groups.
PTSD occurs when traumatic events strike unexpectedly and turn everyday experiences upside down. The need to try and make sense of what has happened especially when survival has been threatened is very important for a good recovery. The book examines in well defined chapters the basis of PTSD and looks beyond - at the treatment processes particulary Psychological Debriefing, what Emotional Decompression actually is, and the process of Defusing. The last two chapters cover recovery from PTSD and Training for Debriefers. -- Accord (Assoc. of Christian Counselleors) I found this book informative and insightful. The author speaks with with authority, understanding and clarity. I recommend this book for any who counsel people who have suffered trauma. -- Accord (Association of Christian Counsellors) Unencumbered by over-theorising and based on personal experience, this practical manual will be a useful and easily accessible resource for professionals involved in providing psychological debriefing to trauma victims. -- Educational Psychology in Practice If I were to receive an urgent email from my line manager, What psychological support should we be providing in the aftermath of a critical incident? I need an answer for meeting on Tuesday , this is the first book to which I would turn. Not a word, not a bullet point is wasted in this brief guide. -- Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal What is most interesting about this work is an engagement with the recent debates and controversy about debriefing effectiveness, and whether it harms more than it helps those who participate in it... He clearly is talking from a knowledge base of personal and professional experience, and there is much to learn from this perspective. -- Therapy Today, Vee Howard-Jones, University of Salford