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The hardest part of first responder mental health is not admitting trauma exists, it is admitting it counts when it happens to you. In part 2 of the interview, Steve Bisson sits down with Dana DeLorenzo to talk about the pressure points that quietly push police officers, dispatchers, and other first responders toward PTSD, burnout, and early retirement, especially when the culture still rewards silence. 

We get specific about what women in law enforcement deal with that often gets minimized: microaggressions, sexualized comments, assumptions about competence or sexuality, and the exhausting expectation to “prove yourself” while staying unbothered. Dana shares how those daily stressors combine with operational trauma and how the “good old boys club” can turn support into scrutiny, making it harder to report problems or ask for help early. 

From there, we zoom out to systems that shape wellness, including dispatch and the tradeoffs of regionalization. We talk about why local knowledge matters, why “How are you?” has to be a real question, and how leaders can prevent crisis by normalizing confidential care, vetted clinicians, and routine wellness visits. We also confront a fear many don’t say out loud: if getting help means losing your gun, your overtime, or your livelihood, people will wait until they’re in real danger. 

To Reach Dana, go to her LinkedIn account at this address: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-delorenzo-84916a379?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_android

You can email her at: mailto:[email protected]

If you care about police mental health, first responder wellness, suicide prevention, and building a healthier culture from the inside, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who leads a shift, and leave a review so more first responders can find the support they deserve.

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A police officer who becomes a therapist sounds like a plot twist, but it’s also a rare window into what first responder mental health really needs. We’re joined by Dana DeLorenzo, a retired transit police officer and now licensed mental health counselor, and we get honest about how the work changes you. Not the dramatic moments the public sees, but the daily accumulation: the stress, the cynicism that creeps in, and the reflex to say “I’m fine” even when you’re not.

We talk about Dana’s path through dispatch, university policing, and years in transit, and why dispatchers are often the most overlooked part of the public safety system. The calls are frantic, the information has to be translated instantly, and the lack of closure can stick for years. We also dig into why so many first responders reject recognition, feel uncomfortable with the word “hero,” and minimize service even when the job clearly asks for sacrifice.

From there, we zoom out to the deeper drivers: ACEs (adverse childhood experiences), unresolved trauma, PTSD versus “post-traumatic stress” language, and why naming symptoms can be the first step toward healing. We explore the idea that people rarely break from the first hard call, but from the 27th one they never processed, plus how concepts like complex PTSD and EMDR’s “little T” and “big T” framework can help make sense of it. 

To Reach Dana, go to her LinkedIn account at this address: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-delorenzo-84916a379?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_android

You can email her at: mailto:[email protected]

If this conversation hits home, subscribe, share it with someone on your shift, and leave a review so more first responders can find support sooner rather than later.

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The calls that keep coming back aren’t always “police problems” they’re often people problems that never got solved. I’m joined by Amanda Rizzoli, clinical program coordinator with Milford Police Department in Massachusetts’ Family Services Unit and Community Impact, plus Detective Cody Carneiro, to pull back the curtain on what a Family Services Unit actually does day to day and why it can change outcomes for families and first responders alike.

We talk about the “merry-go-round” every officer knows: the same address, the same conflict, the same crisis, and the same short-term fix. Amanda and Cody explain how the unit focuses on root-cause work across mental health, substance use, domestic violence, runaway youth, and family instability. That means connecting people to the right behavioral health care, outpatient therapy, case management, housing applications, shelter options, and ongoing follow-up so a single incident doesn’t turn into a pattern.

We also get into the bigger picture of community-based policing and co-response models: how school-based relationships help kids feel safe reaching out, how clinicians and officers support each other on tough scenes, and how partnerships like Community Impact and Chris’s Corner create real options when a town is trying to help someone who is homeless or stuck in a revolving door of crisis calls.

Then we go where it matters most: first responder mental health stigma. We talk candidly about the fear of being seen as weak, the worry about fit-for-duty judgments, and why leadership support can make or break whether people get help. If you’ve ever wondered what actually works to move a “ten years on” veteran toward support, we share the simplest answer: start with a real conversation and make mental health a normal checkup, not a career risk.

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The hardest part of getting help in public safety is not finding resources, it’s knowing who you can trust when the stakes are your career, your reputation, and your sanity. We pick up part two with employment attorney Bridget Truxillo to talk candidly about where union support shines, where conflicts of interest can quietly derail you, and why an outside employment law perspective can be the difference between getting steamrolled and getting a fair process. 

We dig into the nuts and bolts that too many first responders never get taught: reading your policies, protecting your rights in internal affairs investigations, and understanding how body worn camera policy can shape what you’re allowed to review before an interview. Bridget also shares how real change can happen long before a lawsuit, including putting agencies on notice and forcing policy updates that protect an entire department, not just one person. If you work for a government employer, we also talk about why suing the government is different and why strategy matters. 

From there, we connect the legal side directly to first responder mental health. We unpack why confidentiality is the lifeblood of therapy and employee assistance programs, what questions to ask a therapist about privacy, and how stigma still shows up in hiring decisions and leadership culture. The thread running through everything is simple: asking for help is not weakness, it’s how you stay in the fight without losing yourself. 

You can find Bridget at https://ladylawshield.com/about-us

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A career can end without a single bad call. Sometimes it’s the station politics, the paper trail, and the quiet retaliation that do the damage and it can hit your mental health just as hard as anything on the street. I sit down with Bridget Truxillo, an attorney, former deputy sheriff, and former SWAT team member, to talk about what happens when the workplace becomes the stressor you can’t escape. Her story runs from patrol to undercover narcotics to SWAT, and then straight into the kind of employment problems most first responders hope they’ll never face.

We get specific about what it’s like being the only woman in a specialty unit, how “equal standards” can turn into unequal scrutiny, and how a culture of write-ups and rumors can push someone out of a job they once saw as a lifelong calling. Bridget shares why she built Lady Law Shield, and why she treats career protection as part of a larger first responder wellness plan. We also talk about trust and confidentiality, and why privileged communication matters when you’re afraid that speaking up will come back to you.

Then we dig into the practical side: unions versus employment lawyers, what unions usually handle well, and where they typically cannot help with discrimination, harassment, or retaliation claims. Bridget breaks down why reporting in writing matters, how strict EEOC and state deadlines can be, and why waiting too long can permanently limit your options. If you’re in law enforcement, fire, EMS, corrections, or dispatch and work is starting to feel consuming, this conversation gives you a clear next step and a way to breathe again.

Find Bridget at LadyLawShield.com, and if this helps, subscribe, share the episode with a teammate, and leave a review so more first responders can find it.

You can find Bridget at https://ladylawshield.com/about-us

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The fastest way to miss someone in pain is to only believe the “approved” version of distress. We sit down with Liana Lucine, a former UK London Met police officer and trainer, to unpack how stereotypes shape everything from mental health calls to workplace culture and even how we label victims. When anxiety, depression, grief, or trauma don’t match the mental picture we expect, the response can turn into dismissal, jokes, or silence and that’s where risk grows for first responders and the people we serve. 

We talk about how depression can look different across genders, why anger and outbursts can be a red flag, and why trauma sometimes shows up as numbness or a blank face rather than tears. Liana shares insight from seeing victims navigate high-pressure environments, and we connect that to common coping tools like dissociation and memory gaps. We also get into the hard truth about recovery: timing matters. Mandatory debriefs or forced “early therapy” may feel supportive on paper, but they can remove choice and backfire when someone isn’t ready. 

From EMDR to peer support to flexible options that respect autonomy, we make the case for systems that protect organizations without sacrificing the individual. We also spotlight Liana’s work on male victims of sexual assault and harassment, the stigma that keeps men quiet, and how gendered language in training can harm everyone by boxing people into roles they never chose. If you care about first responder mental health, PTSD prevention, and better leadership, this conversation offers a clear next step: slow down, challenge the assumption, and ask one more honest question. 

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Buy her book at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZDWFTG8?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

You can find her on her website at https://lucinetraining.co.uk or 

YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@LucineTraining 

and on Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/lucinetraining/

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If you’ve ever wondered why some calls escalate fast while others calm down in minutes, the answer usually isn’t “more force” or “better scripts.” It’s the human skill that gets trained the least and judged the most: how we talk to people when they’re at their worst.

I’m joined by Liana Lucine, a former Metropolitan Police officer in London with 18 years on the job and deep experience as a police trainer. We get honest about what frontline policing looks like beyond the clichés, including her time working vice and dealing with street prostitution tied to crack and heroin addiction. That opens a bigger conversation about harm reduction, diversion, and why rehab can’t be a standalone fix if someone goes back to the same environment without housing, support, or safe relationships.

From there, we dig into the internal pressures that wear officers down: constant criticism, endless paperwork, lack of resources, and the quiet damage of feeling unsupported by leadership. Liana shares why she sees this in the training rooms and why many officers are so guarded they expect to be told off before they’re taught anything. We also break down de-escalation and why listening often works better than dominating, especially when someone is in crisis and you need compliance without a fight.

We close with a reset on resilience. It isn’t a badge you earn once. It’s situational, learnable, and easier to build when we don’t turn our job or our diagnosis into our entire identity. If you want practical ideas for first responder mental health, police communication skills, and resilience training that actually fits real life, hit play, subscribe, share this with a teammate, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Buy her book at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZDWFTG8?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

You can find her on her website at https://lucinetraining.co.uk or 

YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@LucineTraining 

and on Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/lucinetraining/

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Your body can hit full panic speeds while your brain has to make courtroom-clean decisions. That tension sits at the center of my conversation with Eric Robinson, a former pastor turned FBI agent who spent 24 years in the Bureau and served on SWAT. We get real about what it means to approach a door knowing you might meet violence, and why true calm is not bravado, it is competence built through training, repetition, and trust in your teammates.

Eric walks us through a deadly force encounter that includes the grim reality of suicide by cop, the adrenaline surge that can slam your heart rate into the 170s, and the strange way time can feel stretched while everything happens fast. We talk about the “fog” that can follow, the mental replay that steals sleep, and why the what if loop feels so sticky even when the shoot is justified. If you work in policing, fire, EMS, dispatch, corrections, or any high-risk role, you’ll recognize the mix of duty, humanity, and aftermath.

We also dig into what actually supports first responder mental health after critical incidents: solid leadership, a smart after-action review, optional support that people can choose, and a team culture that stays close instead of ostracizing shooters out of legal fear. Along the way we hit the odd corners of FBI work, interagency cooperation, and the dark humor that helps people survive what the public never sees. Eric also shares his “why” and previews his memoir, Irreverend: From Saving Souls to Chasing Sinners in the FBI.

If this conversation helps you, share it with someone on your shift, then subscribe and leave a review so more first responders can find it. What part of the job do you wish more people understood?

Please reach Eric through his website at http://www.preachertobreacher.com

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He walked away from the pulpit because the stress would not let his body rest, then spent the next two decades staring straight at humanity’s darkest corners. I’m joined by Eric Robinson, newly retired after 24 years in the FBI, to talk about resilience that’s earned, not posted. Eric shares how carrying other people’s pain as a solo pastor led to daily headaches, and why choosing a new path was a mental health decision as much as a career move.

From there, we trace his unusual transition into federal law enforcement, including how the post 9-11 environment and his background shaped the Bureau’s interest. We also get real about maturity and judgment in high-stakes work: what experience gives you, why authenticity matters with first responders, and how a “mask” culture can quietly grind people down.

Then we go deeper into the cases that leave a mark: sex trafficking, exploitation, gangs, and the challenge of staying compassionate without being naive. Eric explains why justice can’t depend on a “perfect victim,” and he tells a moment from Chicago that re-centered him fast when a kid he judged as a nuisance asked for help getting home. We close with a look at how he approaches interviews and interrogations by building connection and psychological safety to get the truth, not to perform anger.

If you care about first responder mental health, trauma-informed leadership, and real-world resilience skills, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a teammate, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Please reach Eric through his website at http://www.preachertobreacher.com

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If peer support is supposed to be a safe place, why do so many first responders avoid it because they’re afraid their story will end up in the station, the briefing room, or the chief’s office? Stephanie Conn get blunt about the real problem behind “peer support doesn’t work” and it’s usually not the idea, it’s trust, confidentiality, and what happens when one person treats private conversations like gossip.

We walk through what strong peer support programs do differently: clear boundaries, transparent language about the narrow exceptions to confidentiality, and the courage to name the elephant in the room when a team’s reputation has been damaged. We also dig into something that doesn’t get said enough in police, fire, EMS, and dispatch culture: sometimes the healthiest move for a peer supporter is to hit pause. Stepping back because your capacity is shot isn’t weakness, it’s integrity, and pretending you’re fine while telling others to “take care of yourself” is the fastest way to lose credibility.

From there, we shift into resilience that actually fits first responder life. We talk about writing and teaching in plain language, translating research into tools people will use on shift, and why understanding the “why” behind strategies matters. Nutrition, stress hormones, sleep, and the messy reality of progress all come up, including the reminder that growth looks more like a squiggly line than a straight climb. We also preview a new peer support book and where to find it, plus a simple question we think every guest should answer: What is your why?

If this helped you think differently about peer support and first responder mental health, subscribe, share the episode with a coworker, and leave a review so more people can find it.

You can find everything about Stephanie, including her books at her website at https://firstresponderpsychology.com

Her LinkedIn account is https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-stephanie-conn/

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