ProSPeR GUESTS

The Public Safety Professionals Retreat (ProSPeR, PSPR) is a peer-driven, clinician-guided program designed especially for First Responders and the distinctive stressors they encounter while on the job.  The six-day program will provide you with the opportunity to learn and practice new coping skills, address issues such as substance abuse, anxiety, depression, stress- and trauma-related symptoms, and sleep problems to name a few.  You will be working long hours with every minute being of value.  The program will also introduce you to utilizing peers, mental health clinicians, and chaplains to expand your support network.  

The Public Safety Professionals Retreat  is designed specifically for for first responders.  A "First Responder" is anyone who is a front-line, public safety responder to a crisis or trauma, either natural or man made, for the purpose of providing emergency care to those affected.  This line of work includes, but is not limited to, law enforcement officers, firefighters, dispatchers, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and detentions/correctional officers.  

Becoming a Guest of Public Safety Professionals Retreat is a simple process.  First, please download, complete, and submit the application.  Once we have received your documents, you will be contacted by one of our Clinicians to set up an appointment for a confidential assessment.  After the appointment has been set, you will be sent a packet of self-assessments to complete and bring with you to your formal assessment appointment.

At your assessment, which usually takes about two hours, your Clinician will talk with you about the issues you have been facing and why you are seeking to be a Guest at ProSPeR.  The assessment is very thorough and your Clinician will talk with you about many things including your trauma history (personal and professional), family history, substance use history, family history, and any suicidal history.  You will also talk about your strengths and positive attributes.  It is very important to be open and honest during your assessment so your Clinician can provide you with the best assistance.

If your Clinician has reservations about your attendance at a retreat, she will speak with you about the concerns.  Your Clinician will consult privately with the other staff Clinician to determine your appropriateness as a Guest at that time.  You will be contacted shortly thereafter.   

At the end of the assessment appointment, and if your Clinician has determined that you are a healthy candidate for ProSPeR, you will be provided with a Welcome Packet that explains the next steps.

The Public Safety Professionals Retreat prides itself on maintaining the privacy of the Guests and adhering to professional confidentiality laws and regulations.  To increase the level of comfort and openness for Guests, there must be assurances that personal information will be protected. 

There are three levels of non-disclosure of private information to differentiate in this context:

• Privacy is the expectation of an individual that disclosure of personal information is confined to or intended for the ProSPeR Staff-to-Guest relationship only.
• It is the professional and ethical duty for ProSPeR Staff to maintain confidentiality and refrain from disclosing information from or about a recipient of staff support services.  Exceptions include information from Guests indicating one of the following:  immediate threat of danger to self, danger to others, or abuse/harm involving a child, dependent adult, or elderly person at which point disclosure will be made directly to a ProSPeR clinician on site.
• All ProSPeR and site facility staff read and sign the Public Safety Professionals Retreat Confidentiality Agreement and understand the boundaries of privacy.
• Violation of confidentiality by ProSPeR Staff with malicious intent will result in immediate termination from Public Safety Professionals Retreat.

In addition, all records are strictly confidential and cannot be accessed by anyone without the Guest’s expressed written permission indicating the specific party that is to receive the information.

Please be aware that ProSPeR is not therapy and the extent of record keeping is at the discretion of the staff.  ProSPeR Clinical Staff does maintain files with basic information which will remain in ProSPeR Clinical Staff’s possession for billing, follow up, and confidentiality purposes.  If a Guest plans to use any of the documentation of their ProSPeR stay for a specific purpose other than self-care, the Guest must inform the ProSPeR Clinical Staff at the time of admission.  ProSPeR does not respond to requests for “fitness for duty” letters from any department or agency.

When Guests first come to Public Safety Professionals Retreat, they are usually wondering about what the program will be like and if it will “work” for them.  The concept of taking care of your emotional and psychological self may be foreign to you and you may feel anxious and uncomfortable.  The program is demanding work, but the peers, chaplains, and professional clinicians at the retreat will help you understand that your reactions to the critical incident(s) event(s) you have been exposed to are normal.

The program at ProSPeR focuses on aiding Guests in developing sets of coping tools and promoting self-directed approaches to prevent further suffering and alleviate post-trauma symptoms.  We strongly advise your time at the retreat be committed to privacy and personal healing—without intrusions from your everyday life.  You may choose to look at your stay here as stress detoxification, and hopefully, insulation against further negative exposure to work-related stress and its impact on career, family, and health.

The Guest responses after having completed a retreat have been 100% positive.  Comments include:

• “Outstanding program.”
• “This was one of the most important, meaningful weeks of my life.”
• “Words cannot express my gratitude!!!”
• “I have so much hope, and so many plans, and so many new friends, and I am not alone.”
• “I am now excited to go home and focus on my new attitude towards life by utilizing my new skills!!!”

We know that if you are struggling, you may believe no one understands and that you have no place to turn.  We understand and we are here for you.

There is HELP.  There is HOPE. 

There is ProSPeR.

The total cost of attending Public Safety Professionals Retreat is $3100.00.  This includes a $100.00 non-refundable assessment fee due to your Clinician at the time of your formal assessment.  The remaining $3000.00 covers all of your meals, lodging, and materials/activities for the six-day retreat.

If you believe you would have difficulty paying for ProSPeR, please contact Juanita or Sunny with this concern.