🎙️ Episode 116 – Trauma, Service, and Healing: Dr. Richard Stride’s Journey In this powerful and deeply personal episode, we sit down with Dr. Richard Stride, CEO of Cascade Community Healthcare, military psychologist, and former youth pastor, to explore the intersection of mental health, military service, law enforcement stress, and school shootings.
Dr. Stride shares his inspiring journey from wanting to be a cop as a teenager, to serving as a combat stress psychologist in the U.S. Army, to now leading mental health services in Washington State. He opens up about:
The emotional toll of police and military work Why officers and soldiers often avoid therapy—and how that’s changing
The raw truth behind his time responding to Columbine
The mental health patterns behind mass shootings
Coping with personal tragedy, including the loss of his infant son
His frontline experience with PTSD, stress debriefings, and fitness-for-duty evaluations
Dr. Stride also offers advice for law enforcement professionals, veterans, and parents on how to build emotional resilience and foster mental health, both at work and at home.
During this interview, no client names or details were shared to protect patient confidentiality.
Dr. Stride is also the author of Getting Over What's Over: The Seven Secrets to Living God's Unconditional Grace. https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Over-Whats-Secrets-Unconditional/dp/1490368361
👤 Guest: Dr. Richard Stride, Licensed in Washington State, Licensed Mental Health Counselor
🏥 CEO, Cascade Community Healthcare
🪖 Former U.S. Army Combat Stress Psychologist