Victims of trauma can turn to David

AN experienced police officer’s career was ended when he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after an attack by a 30-strong gang.

But now David Kinchin is a counsellor and trainer of people dealing with trauma, and is due to be a keynote speaker at a conference on Thursday.

Janice Barker spoke to the former traffic cop, from Springhead, who is also a church pastor and an Oldham magistrate.

THE saying “if you want something done, ask a busy man” seems to fit David Kinchin down to a T.

Not only is he an expert in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — and will be one of the speakers at a conference in Derbyshire later this week — he is also a writer, researcher, counsellor and broadcaster.

David, who was medically retired from Thames Valley Police in 1992 suffering from PTSD, aims to improve understanding of the condition, and has carried out workshops for medical and educational organisations, and writes and presents training courses for the emergency services and other groups.

As well as writing three paperbacks and a distance learning course, he still offers counselling, and his clients include one of the victims of the Tavistock Square terrorist bus bombing in London in July, 2005.

He and his wife Elaine are also church ministers — both are pastors in the congregational church, he at Padfield in Derbyshire, while she is at the Hope Church in Oldham.

And he also finds time to be a JP at Oldham Magistrates’ Court.

David said: “I can’t believe how lucky I am. I do so many different things and I love all of them.”

But in July, 1990, his life was turned upside down when he was on duty as a traffic officer during a carnival in Oxford and he and a colleague were attacked by a gang of 30.

He suffered a broken cheek bone and damaged kidneys and spleen. But although those healed, and he went back to work for two months, he could not cope with the mental injury.

He said: “I began seeing shadows and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I had been involved in the Hungerford shootings (when gunman Michael Ryan shot dead 14 people in the Berksshire village in 1987) on the periphery and seen serious traffic accidents, but they had caused no damage before.

“I think it was a build up of all things.”

Sitting at home led him to the Writers’ Bureau in Manchester and articles about his experience which were published in Nursing Times and Take a Break.

In turn, people started writing to him, because their experiences were very similar, and he took on speaking engagements, then decided to become a trained counsellor.

Now he trains others to be trauma counsellors and de-briefers.

And seven years ago his life took another turn when his wife Elaine became a mature theology student — “the oldest on the course” he said with a smile— and took the position of Pastor at Hope Congregational Church.

David followed in her footsteps in 2002 and became the part-time minister at Padfield Congregational Church in Derbyshire.

“It is more of a pastoral role, although I do lead services occasionally,” he said.

This month he is a keynote speaker at the Association of Christian Counsellors’ eighth national conference and training event for 400 delegates, at Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire, from January 29 to February 1.

It will cover a wide variety of topics and issues, including how to protect vulnerable church members from offenders, protecting children and making churches safer places; sexual abuse, and supporting survivors; pastoral care; supporting people through bereavement; women’s choices in partnerships; anxiety disorders; and couple counselling.
David says he does not impose the fact that he is a Christian on his counselling: “If you started preaching people would switch off, and people who are Christians may feel patronised.

“The key to a good counsellor is listening and empathy.

“It has been described as having a positive regard for people and respecting what people tell you.

“It does help a bit if people know you have experienced something similar.

“PTSD usually happens when people perceive they are going to die or think that someone else is at risk of serious injury. It is their perception, although it might not have been so serious.

“It may be in the past but something happens to the person and that triggers memories.

“There are two specific forms of counselling for trauma. Cognitive behaviour therapy gives people tasks to get their thoughts under control, like writing a diary, and re-exposing them to the scene of where something happened in a very controlled way.”

Another method involves mimicking rapid eye movement (REM) sleep pattern, which happens during dreams, by following a therapist’s moving finger in a slow, measured way.

David said: “Counselling brings everything out and usually people find the more they can analyse the event and normalise it the less terrifying it becomes.

“You are controlling the memory instead of the memory controlling you.

“To this day I can describe the man in the hooped jumper who attacked me, but now it doesn’t affect me.”

David’s counselling is free but he takes donations towards a school in Malawi which he and Elaine support, the Gowa Mission.