COUNSELING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS

Protecting The Hearts of Those Who Protect

About Counseling For First Responders

First responders and their families have unique strengths when it comes to mental and relational health. They also face unique challenges. The mental toughness, emotional control, and warrior mindset that enables these uncommon individuals to perform their herculean duties also contributes to such issues as burnout, depression, PTSD, and relationship problems. The stigma against mental health care that is so prevalent in society-at-large seems magnified in these groups who often rely on one another for fear that outsiders (including mental health professionals) won’t understand, or worse, that they will be unable to handle the reality of what responders experience daily.

I am privileged to provide a safe space where responders of all kinds can find the support they need to live full, connected lives while also doing their jobs. I provide individual counseling for responders needing their own space to care for themselves. I also work with couples whose relationship might be impacted by the demands of these roles. I routinely work with:

  • Police officers

  • Firefighters

  • Paramedics and EMTs

  • Dispatch workers

  • Doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel

  • Corrections workers

  • Active military and veterans

  • Crisis counselors and mental health technicians

“No person left behind” is a value deeply held in many of these circles. I believe it’s time that we, as a culture, stop letting first responders fall through the cracks when it comes to mental health. If you or a first responder you love is struggling, please reach out today.

Benefits of Counseling for First Responders

  • Promote self-care that is essential to combatting burnout

  • Gain practical strategies for dealing with chronic stress

  • Process occupational trauma

  • Provide a safe space to “debrief” the week’s events

  • Promote supportive relationships and healthy intimacy with partners

  • Address underlying mental health concerns that may be exacerbated by occupational stress

Common Reasons for Seeking Counseling for First Responders

  • A mentor of mine once described a mid-life crisis as “the day a man wakes up and realizes he is scared of everything.” While I believe everyone’s experiences are unique, these words have certainly rang true in my own life!

    Several cultural and social shifts, particularly around work and relationships, are thrusting men into crises earlier in life. I frequently work with men in their 20s and 30s who are experiencing a self-described “crisis.”

    Crises can take many forms. They can follow big events like a job loss or divorce. Or they can creep in slowly only to culminate with the sudden exclamation “I can’t do this anymore!” In reality, my best guess is that most of us will experience 3-5 major life transitions.

    I believe crises, while painful, can also be transformative with the right support. If you find yourself in the midst of a crisis or major life transition, I am here to see you through to the other side.

Recommended Resources

  • Mindfulness For Warriors: Empowering First Responders to Reduce Stress and Build Resilience, Kim Colegrove and Becca Anderson

  • RELENTLESS COURAGE: Winning the Battle Against Frontline Trauma, Shauna 'Doc' Springer Ph.D. and Michael Sugrue

  • Increasing Resilience in Police and Emergency Personnel: Strengthening Your Mental Armor, Stephanie Conn

  • Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families, Dr. Kevin Gilmartin

Ready to meet?

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