First Responder Psychological Support

A quick message to remind you: you are a human. Your goal is to sleep well at night, eat healthy, hydrate, and choose joy. If you don’t love you, who will?

We all should support first responders who are prescribed psych meds by a psychiatrist without judgment. First responder careers are doozies & sometimes the occupational hazards are psychological (not just physical).

A suggestion about coping: address your physical need to state change first. Other coping skills: intellectual, cognitive, emotional, physical, social, behavioral, and spiritual.

Interview with Nate Carroll, Push Through Challenge, Tunnel2Towers Foundation Link: http://Tunnel2Towers.org Video Link to watch: https://fb.watch5c68uT82jb/

First responder careers are stressful; don’t be a dick. Be awesome: appropriate, available, and fun!

Just a few thoughts about my experience as a shrink for mostly men, and how a counseling set of sessions go down.

Let’s talk about feeling bad, and then how to recognize the patterns that cause it. Also, I visit ideas about coping and self-care when you’re feeling like shit.

The 16 Life Safety Initiatives said we must give access to psychological support services. Many of your departments had me teach about first responder behavioral health. I have taught HSO, CFO, and academy classes. You have had me at your events to keynote. Now, let’s put our efforts in to make this right. Provide a psychological injury policy to preserve the integrity of Life Safety Initiative #13 (or, I am outie)! #smiling

Did you recently experience a bad call at your department or while on duty? Listen to this podcast to learn about the first 24-72 hours. You’ll learn about acute stress disorder, what’s normal, and what trauma therapists may start off with for suggestions (self care).

Scott and I have presented and consulted with each other about first responder behavioral health in the past. We’re both happy to provide another discussion for “food for thought” regarding this near and dear topic.