In 2018, the GSP (groupe du support psychologique) intervened a total of 230 times and gave around 800 hours of therapy. This corresponds to around five working months.
In terms of how the GSP was called to emergency situations, 139 incidents were through the emergency phone line 112, 69 through the police, and 33 through a Samu (first responders) doctor making the decision to call for psychological support.
On average, two members of the psychological support unit would be on call for between three to four hours. In one incident, 12 members of the GSP were called to the scene of an emergency.
There were 28 separate incidents involving the GSP in January 2018, which was the busiest month for the unit.
CGDIS's Isabelle Faber explained that members of the unit know that each and every incident is different and that they must adapt to the situation at hand. CGDIS has supervision sessions several times a year which are mandatory for members, as they cannot be on call without participating in these sessions.
30 of the GSP's interventions in the last year were due to fatal traffic accidents alongside 12 interventions in schools. Compared to other weekdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays seem to have more crises, especially between 10am and 11am.
As for the GSP's specific roles, members of the unit treat injured victims or witnesses to accidents psychologically, but also provide support following fatal accidents, suicides, or violent crimes.
Upon request, the GSP will also go to businesses to provide support to employees following the sudden death of a coworker. Following especially difficult incidents, the GSP is on hand to provide therapy or stress management tactics to emergency services personnel.
The unit is made up of 50 volunteers. A requirement for volunteering for the unit is to undergo training of more than 120 hours. CGDIS seeks volunteers every two years.
European 112 Day: Emergency number receives 800 calls per day in Luxembourg
