This book examines how fifty police officers in South Australia keep well and bounce back from duty-related traumatic experience in the absence of practical, accessible and timely organisational support. It investigates mechanisms police officers presently use to normalise their duty-related traumatic experiences to preserve the delicate professional balance between coping and psychic numbing and avoid the much publicised perils of a PTSD diagnosis, while being appropriately responsive to colleagues, victims and survivors in their daily work environment.

By revealing how police officers manage trauma-outside of the expectations of mental health professionals, union representatives and police leadership-innovative approaches and recommendations are offered to support first responders in moving from assumptions of post-traumatic stress and through post-traumatic growth. The book considers recent advances in post-traumatic growth and resilience theory and reinterprets exposure in a positive context, as well as preventative experiences in Australia and internationally.