Don’t guess your way through a crisis conversation. Learn how to use the 6-step SAFER-R model to support a peer through stress, shock, or trauma.

Have you ever walked into a conversation with someone in crisis and thought, “I hope I don’t mess this up”?

You’re not alone. When emotions are high and someone is overwhelmed, even experienced peer supporters can feel stuck. The good news? You don’t have to guess your way through it. There’s a simple model you can follow that keeps the conversation safe, supportive, and focused.

In this episode, I walk you through the SAFER-R model, a 6-step crisis intervention framework that peer support teams across the country use to help coworkers stabilize, process, and move forward after a tough event.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• The six essential steps of the SAFER-R model
• What each step looks and sounds like in a real conversation
• How to guide someone through a crisis moment without freezing or fixing

This episode gives you a structured, data-driven approach to one-on-one peer support that actually works, especially when emotions are raw and time is short.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

CISM Quick Reference Cards - https://www.cismbookstore.com/content/critical-incident-stress-management-cism-quick-reference-cards

Schedule a call with Bart: https://stresscaredoc.com/consultation

If you're receiving value from this podcast, consider becoming a monthly supporter—your gift helps me keep producing these practical episodes. Become a supporter today.

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Houston Area CISM GRIN Training

This 3-day course, hosted by the Atascocita Fire Department, will teach you how to support your peers through effective communication, emotional resilience, and understanding the psychological impact of crises.

Knowing what to say in a crisis can be hard. In this episode, we cover what to say and what not to say when someone’s been through a critical incident or is overwhelmed.

Ever been in a conversation where someone opens up about something painful, and you’re not sure what to say next?

That moment can feel like walking a tightrope. Say the wrong thing, and they might shut down. Say nothing, and you risk missing a chance to help.

If you’re on a peer support team or just someone others lean on, this episode will help you show up better when someone is hurting. You’ll learn practical ways to communicate care and empathy, without overstepping your role or fumbling for the right words.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL KNOW:

• What to avoid saying in a crisis conversation (even if it sounds helpful)
• How to stay present when someone’s angry, overwhelmed, or in tears
• Simple, supportive phrases that help people feel heard—not judged

This episode is full of real-world tools you can use the next time someone says, “I’m not OK.”

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Email Bart: [email protected]

Schedule a Discovery Call: https://stresscaredoc.com/consultation

If you're receiving value from this podcast, consider becoming a monthly supporter—your gift helps me keep producing these practical episodes. Become a supporter today.

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Houston Area CISM GRIN Training

This 3-day course, hosted by the Atascocita Fire Department, will teach you how to support your peers through effective communication, emotional resilience, and understanding the psychological impact of crises.

Helping others doesn’t mean sacrificing yourself. Learn how peer supporters can set boundaries without guilt, burnout, or blowing up relationships.

Do you ever feel like you’re always “on call” for your team, even when you’re off?

That might be a sign your peer support boundaries are too fuzzy. And here’s the thing: blurry boundaries don’t help anyone, not you, and not the people you’re trying to support.

In peer support, it’s easy to slip into a mindset where you feel like you can’t say no. Like if someone needs you, you have to drop everything and respond. But that’s not sustainable. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for taking care of your own mental and emotional health.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to set boundaries in a way that protects your energy and still communicates care. We’ll talk about how to avoid burnout, how to recognize when you’re giving too much, and how to create healthy limits that still allow you to be present and helpful.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• How to recognize when your boundaries are being pushed
• What healthy peer support boundaries look like in real life
• How to say “no” without guilt—and why it’s one of the most caring things you can do

This episode will help you stay effective, avoid resentment, and model the kind of balance that actually helps your team thrive.

Schedule a Call with Bart

https://www.survivingyourshift.com/consultation

If you're receiving value from this podcast, consider becoming a monthly supporter—your gift helps me keep producing these practical episodes. Become a supporter today.

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Houston Area CISM GRIN Training

This 3-day course, hosted by the Atascocita Fire Department, will teach you how to support your peers through effective communication, emotional resilience, and understanding the psychological impact of crises.

Ever freeze up when someone says, “I’m not OK”? Learn how to respond with simple crisis communication skills that support, not shut down, your peer.

Ever feel stuck when someone opens up about something hard, and you have no idea what to say?

It’s not just you. Most people aren’t taught how to handle emotionally charged conversations. So when a coworker or team member says, “I’m struggling,” we either over-talk, underreact, or panic inside.

And if you’re on a peer support team? That silence can be costly.

Avoiding the conversation, brushing it off, or saying something well-meaning but clumsy can actually shut the person down. The truth is, most of us don’t need fancy therapy skills; we need a simple structure to guide hard conversations in a helpful, human way.

In this episode, you’ll learn a conversation framework that helps you support others without making things worse.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• How to respond when someone says, “I’m not OK”
• What helps people feel psychologically safe in hard conversations
• A simple structure you can use in almost any peer support situation

This episode is practical, encouraging, and designed to help you stay calm, stay present, and stay helpful when things get hard.

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

StressCareDoc.com

Schedule a Consultation

If you're receiving value from this podcast, consider becoming a monthly supporter—your gift helps me keep producing these practical episodes. Become a supporter today.

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Houston Area CISM GRIN Training

This 3-day course, hosted by the Atascocita Fire Department, will teach you how to support your peers through effective communication, emotional resilience, and understanding the psychological impact of crises.

Most peer support programs start strong… then fade out. In this episode, we’ll talk about how to sustain your team, keep engagement high, and ensure your peer support program remains trusted and effective for the long haul.

Most peer support teams start with good intentions, a few trained peers, a launch meeting, maybe even some early wins. But what happens after six months? Or a year?

If your team is starting to fade, or you want to prevent that from happening, this episode is for you.

We’ll talk about what causes peer support teams to lose momentum, and I’ll walk you through practical steps to keep your team active, engaged, and trusted. From avoiding burnout to evaluating effectiveness, you’ll walk away with tools to make your program last.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why most peer support programs lose steam
• How to maintain engagement without exhausting your team
• What kinds of ongoing training actually make a difference
• How to evaluate what’s working (without breaking confidentiality)
• What to do if your team has fizzled out

If you found today’s episode helpful…

Share it with your team. Follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. And if you’re building or revitalizing a peer support program, I’d love to help. Visit StressCareDoc.com to schedule a strategy call.

https://www.survivingyourshift.com/41

If you're receiving value from this podcast, consider becoming a monthly supporter—your gift helps me keep producing these practical episodes. Become a supporter today.

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Houston Area CISM GRIN Training

This 3-day course, hosted by the Atascocita Fire Department, will teach you how to support your peers through effective communication, emotional resilience, and understanding the psychological impact of crises.

Skeptical culture? Stigma? Silence? Learn how to promote peer support in a way your department will actually hear. Retired Sgt. Gabe Lira shares real solutions that work.

How do you promote peer support without sounding like HR or a TED Talk?

It’s one thing to build a peer support team. It’s another thing to get your department to trust it. If you’ve ever hit resistance, heard the line “We don’t need that,” or wondered how to shift the culture without sounding out of touch, this episode is for you.

Gabe Lira joins me today with over 30 years of military and law enforcement experience, including building one of the first peer support teams in Southern California and co-founding the Public Safety Peer Support Association. Gabe understands firsthand what it takes to earn buy-in from the ground up, and he shares practical tools, common mistakes, and what works when you’re introducing peer support to a skeptical audience.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• What to expect when your department pushes back
• Smart ways to introduce peer support that don’t sound like a lecture
• How to get buy-in from leadership and frontline staff alike

If you’re building or growing a team and facing resistance, this conversation is exactly what you need.

CONNECT WITH GABE 

EMAIL: [email protected]

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabe-lira-62b243247/

WEBSITE: https://www.firstresponderpsych.com

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

Public Safety Peer Support Association: https://pspsa.org/

If you're receiving value from this podcast, consider becoming a monthly supporter—your gift helps me keep producing these practical episodes. Become a supporter today.

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Houston Area CISM GRIN Training

This 3-day course, hosted by the Atascocita Fire Department, will teach you how to support your peers through effective communication, emotional resilience, and understanding the psychological impact of crises.

If your people don’t trust your peer support team, it won’t work. In this episode, you’ll learn how to protect confidentiality, build psychological safety, and create a culture where people know it’s safe to reach out.

What good is a peer support team if no one feels safe enough to use it?

Confidentiality isn’t just a policy, it’s the foundation of trust. And if your people don’t believe their conversations will be kept private, they’ll stay silent. That silence keeps people stuck in pain, stress, and burnout.

In this episode, we’ll talk about what real confidentiality looks like, how to create psychological safety, and why one slip can damage your whole program.

You’ll also learn what peer supporters should say, how leadership can either support or sabotage the process, and how to build a culture where trust isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a lived experience.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• The non-negotiable rules of confidentiality for peer supporters
• How to create psychological safety in every interaction
• Practical ways to build department-wide trust in your peer support program

If you want your peer support program to survive, confidentiality and trust aren’t optional; they’re everything.

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Schedule a free discovery call

https://stresscaredoc.com/consultation

Peer Support & Crisis Training Info

https://stresscaredoc.com/training-courses

Download Confidentiality Playbook

https://survivingyourshift.com/playbook

If you're receiving value from this podcast, consider becoming a monthly supporter—your gift helps me keep producing these practical episodes. Become a supporter today.

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Houston Area CISM GRIN Training

This 3-day course, hosted by the Atascocita Fire Department, will teach you how to support your peers through effective communication, emotional resilience, and understanding the psychological impact of crises.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Just train it right. In this episode, I’ll show you exactly what kind of training your peer support team needs to be equipped and ready when it matters most.

Does your peer support team actually have the training they need, or are they just winging it?

Caring isn’t enough. Without the right training, peer supporters may overstep, or God forbid, do harm. And that can be disastrous for your team’s effectiveness.

In this episode, I’ll walk you through the essential types of training every peer support team needs, especially in emergency services and high-stress professions.

Whether you’re just getting started or realizing your current team needs more support, this episode gives you a clear and practical training roadmap to build confidence, competence, and care into every conversation.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• The three core areas every team must be trained in
• Why suicide intervention training is non-negotiable
• How to keep your team sharp with ongoing education and support

Don’t guess. Train your team well, and build a culture where people know where to turn when life gets heavy.

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

Schedule a Discovery Call

https://calendly.com/stresscaredoc/consultation

Share this Episode:

https://survivingyourshift.com/38

QPR Suicide Training:

https://stresscaredoc.com/suicide-intervention-training

ASIST Suicide Training

https://livingworks.net/training/livingworks-asist/

If you're receiving value from this podcast, consider becoming a monthly supporter—your gift helps me keep producing these practical episodes. Become a supporter today.

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Houston Area CISM GRIN Training

This 3-day course, hosted by the Atascocita Fire Department, will teach you how to support your peers through effective communication, emotional resilience, and understanding the psychological impact of crises.

Confused about what a peer supporter is actually supposed to do? This episode breaks down the real role of peer support and what not to do, to keep the team trusted, safe, and effective.

What’s the real role of a peer supporter, and where’s the line between helping and overreaching?

Too many programs launch without clearly defining the role of a peer supporter. That leaves team members unsure of what to say, when to refer, or how much to carry. Some burn out trying to do too much. Others do too little, afraid of crossing a line. The result? Confusion and programs that quietly fall apart.

In this episode, I walk you through what peer supporters actually do, and just as importantly, what they don’t do.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• The core responsibilities of a peer supporter
• Clear boundaries to protect the role (and yourself)
• Why therapy and peer support are not the same—and how to explain the difference

Whether you’re serving on a team or building one from the ground up, this episode will help you define the role so your program stays trusted, effective, and safe.

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation

Schedule a free discovery call with Bart

Share This Episode

https://survivingyourshift.com/37

If you're receiving value from this podcast, consider becoming a monthly supporter—your gift helps me keep producing these practical episodes. Become a supporter today.

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Houston Area CISM GRIN Training

This 3-day course, hosted by the Atascocita Fire Department, will teach you how to support your peers through effective communication, emotional resilience, and understanding the psychological impact of crises.

Not everyone is wired for peer support—and choosing the wrong people can do more harm than good. In this episode, I’ll show you how to choose the right team members your people can actually trust.

How do you know if someone’s the right fit for your peer support team?

Let’s be honest—just because someone wants to be on the team doesn’t mean they should be. In fact, putting the wrong people in peer support roles can do real damage. Trust gets broken. Teams disengage. And the program quietly falls apart.

In this episode, I walk you through the traits of a strong peer supporter—and the red flags to watch out for.

Whether you’re building your first team or cleaning up one that’s not working, this episode gives you the clarity you need to choose team members who are grounded, trustworthy, and emotionally ready for the job.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• The six traits every peer supporter must have
• How to spot red flags before they create problems
• Why trust matters more than rank, credentials, or popularity

Peer support only works when your people trust the team. This episode shows you how to build that trust from the start.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

https://survivingyourshift.com/36

https://survivingyourshift.com/questions

If you're receiving value from this podcast, consider becoming a monthly supporter—your gift helps me keep producing these practical episodes. Become a supporter today.

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Houston Area CISM GRIN Training

This 3-day course, hosted by the Atascocita Fire Department, will teach you how to support your peers through effective communication, emotional resilience, and understanding the psychological impact of crises.