Briefs: TPD Officers Receive Trauma Training, Strongwater Grows Its Herd

Plus, TCC schedules special service for anyone experiencing sadness this season

TCC Adds Service: While this is a time of joy and celebration for many, others experience sadness and grief for various reasons. On Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m., the Tewksbury Congregational Church will hold a special service of comfort and hope for anyone who is coping with difficulties, whether the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, health issues, job changes, or other life circumstances. This will be an in-person-only service with no Facebook or cable access broadcast.

The TCC will also hold its monthly Galilee Cafe on Tuesday, Dec. 19. This month will feature a ham dinner. Everyone is welcome. Find details of other scheduled services and events on the church’s website here.

TPD Training: Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus announced that the department participated in innovative new training aimed at helping officers deal with the trauma they face on the job, and to improve interactions with community members as a result. Rewire4 Training, offered by Roca, in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, is a flexible, trauma-informed approach to cognitive behavioral skill building that helps officers deal with the trauma they face on the job and to improve interactions with community members by helping officers stay focused, read themselves, and examine their thinking and behavior.

Unlike traditional training which focuses on tactics, this training addresses the way officers react in the moment and teaches officers to understand the relationship between their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The training will help officers understand the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that result from experiencing trauma, that in turn create unhelpful cycles, and it helps officers identify their cycles and utilize skills to disrupt the unhelpful ones, making them safer and more in control on and off the job.

“Our police officers experience a large amount of trauma on the job. This training will help our officers better understand their own emotional regulation, teaching them skills to remain mindful, thoughtful, and in control at all times,” said Chief Columbus.

The training will help officers who are often exposed to trauma to understand their emotions, and to be aware that what they think, feel and do are intrinsically connected.

Hope Comes to Tewksbury: Therapeutic riding center Strongwater Farm recently announce a new addition to its herd. Hope, a 17-hand paint draft cross mare, will participate in Strongwater’s veterans program. Hope’s journey began in California; in the veterans program, Hope will provide support, comfort, and healing to those who have served our country. Her larger stature makes her particularly well-suited for working with adults.

“We are beyond thrilled to welcome Hope to our herd,” says Jo Bryan, Executive Director of Strongwater Farm. “Her impressive background in competitive riding coupled with her gentle nature makes her a perfect fit for our veterans program. We believe that the therapeutic bond between humans and horses can be a powerful catalyst for healing, and Hope will undoubtedly contribute significantly to this transformative process.”

For individuals ages 4 to 90 with special needs, disabilities and other conditions who are interested in equine therapeutics, Strongwater’s winter session begins on Jan. 2. Classes begin at $73, and an assessment is required. Learn more.