First Responder Psychological Support

Josh from the Illinois Fire Service and Shaun from Canada's I've Got Your Back discuss first responder psychological support programs with host Sarah Gura.

Sarah hosts Ken from Public Safety Talk Radio (POCUA) and Shaun from I've Got Your Back as we discuss first responder psychological support topics. www.selfcarepath.comYou can watch this episode on YouTube @sarah-guraSCP

Sarah hosts Jeff from Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance and Shaun from I've Got Your Back, who discuss mental health in the first responder world.You can watch this on YouTube @sarah-guraSCP www.selfcarepath.com

Shaun from IVE GOT YOUR BACK in Canada, and Sherif from a local Florida police department talk with me about their peer support programs and the importance of having the training/service for first responders. You can watch this episode on YouTube @sarah-guraSCP www.selfcarepath.com

This video expands on the topic "Peer Support v. Trauma Bonding." Trauma bonding is an unhealthy attachment to trauma memories, objects, and people. Since peer support can be a great antidote to trauma bonding, this presentation mentions some ideas of what can be offered and taught in a peer support program. You can watch this on YouTube @sarah-guraSCP. www.selfcarepath.com

This is a continuation of the previous video: First Responder Psychological Support. In a previous video, I mentioned the 13 ways your department can implement a culture of psychological support. This presentation outlines those 13 ideas in more detail. Watch on YouTube @sarah-guraSCP. www.selfcarepath.com

This discussion reviews first responders as trauma workers, and some of the foundational psychological information needed to understand a first responder career descriptions from a counseling perspective. We will cover ACEs, attachment styles, the mind-body connection, potentially traumatic events, spontaneous intrusive cognitions, empath/compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, complex PTSD, and burn out.

Welcome back! It's been a minute. You can watch this episode on YouTube @sarah-guraSCP. We'll be doing a review, new content, and interviews!

I go thru the criteria for this diagnosis, suggest treatment, and welcome you to my new podcast: MINDSET at https://anchor.fm/sarah-gura3

10 Ideas for making it thru difficulty

Allostasis: state changing. This is a guide to chillax.

Hello! It's been since September 2021. This is a brief podcast to say hello and welcome back. Cheers!

Ego: id, ego, and super-ego will use “defense mechanisms” to protect you. Becoming more aware of your ego's patterned defenses is a helpful pre-requisite for choosing to change.

I explain why feeling your f$&@ing feelings is wise.

As we start Season 4 in crazy times, I encourage you to meditate. Here is a starting point. Whatever you get out of it, you get out of it. Whatever stirs, can be insightful. Enjoy. Note: Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Intervention strategy up for debate. Shadow contributed as usual, lol

I'm reading you what I have written in the past, lol, don't fall asleep. Shadow pug hacks in the background on this one too. Enjoy!

Bullet point topics for your first responder psychological support policy is here!

This is for all the first responder activists who ask me for psychological policy information. It's just a start, but maybe someday we can make a positive, relevant, and significant difference for first responders.

It doesn't get better or easier, but you can get wiser. Life will always be challenging. You have a choice to face difficulty or not. My hope is that you learn to cope. Dog snores in the background, enjoy!

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.

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.

In this episode, I interview Dr. Carrie Steiner, who was a Chicago Police Officer. She is now a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who treats first responders.

I explain some ideas about anxiety (where it comes from and how to navigate it). Seeing your own patterns and lovingly approaching your Boogieman is the main focus.

I define addiction and the scale: use, misuse, abuse, tolerance, addiction, dependence, withdrawal. I emphasize how addiction is a self-love deficit and that you have to treat addiction like it's a wound you have to heal (not ignore, deny, minimize, or numb).

As I plan to outline Season 3 (with more interviews and specific information about different mental health symptoms and diagnoses), I have been noticing what I keep repeating in therapy sessions. This episode covers 11 ideas that I revisit with first responders OFTEN.

Voodoo: I tell you about my funky bracelets I wear everyday. Anger: I talk about anger as a way you communicate to yourself & others -and how to think about anger so you can cope with it better.

When you're worried, and you can't sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep (and listen to the Little Drummer Boy). You'll fall asleep. Haha! Many people ask me for “tips and tricks” for how to cope. My favorite answer is explained in the Little Drummer Boy lyrics. https://youtu.be/0w3dhTejMI0

Jessica McCormack, LMFT, couples counselor and I talk about first responder relationships. www.insightandconnection.com

I spend the whole podcast blaming your childhood! However, my hope is you understand how precious you are; and that you treat yourself with loving kindness (always).

I talk about the reasons first responders don't think self-love is a good idea. I discuss what thinking errors they have about self-love & self-care. I also give some ideas about how to address this.

This is my most yogi, Buddhist Psychology podcast yet. But! We spent Season 1 talking about trauma and introductory information about the psychology of first responder careers. Somewhere, in the midst of this insanity -I wanted to introduce knowing and loving yourself through it all.

I explain psychology professional degrees, licenses, release of information, subpoena, and court order.

Patty and I have our first public conversation about our careers with First Responders. We discuss our wish for policy and our hopes for the future of first psychological support. https://insightandconnection.com/

Season 1 is over! 12 of 12 episodes are complete; and I recap the highlights for you. I also have some ending thoughts about first responder psychological support for your consideration. I invite you to listen in for Season 2!

In this episode, I use $100 words that explain your brain structures and functions. I explain the brain's process of taking in stressful, overwhelming, and/or traumatic experiences -and how human it is (aka how normal it is) to have a reaction to upsetting information/exposures. My dogs hijack us at the end.

I discuss how I initially started treating first responder traumas. I introduce my use of Francine Shapiro's EMDR/AIP Model, as well as other therapy processes. Resource: emdria.org for more information and a national registry of EMDR therapists.

In this episode, I describe how I assess you & your trauma. I define 3 categories of trauma, including: complex trauma (under 21yo), PTSD (critical incident or potentially traumatic event) and trauma (repetition compulsion/reliving or recreating trauma).

This podcast discusses the sensitive and controversial topic of how you cause your own suffering by not being conscious of repetition compulsion. Humans make several seemingly unimportant decisions that amount to us reliving our traumas.

In previous podcasts, I provided a vocabulary for identifying how first responders are in pain, and how I have noticed they react to pain. This episode provides an introduction for how to respond to pain.

I remind you that you have everything you need to succeed. I explain you have two sources of knowledge (head and heart) that must be aligned; and I discuss how time & mental health are relevant to each other. This podcast starts the explanation for how to cope with everything (yes, everything) in life.

After the intro podcast and sharing signs & symptoms, I wanted to plant the seed for how we “Make it Safe” in your department to have a psychological support culture. I also review what should be in your resource folder on a shared drive for everyone to have access to at your department.

Some of the repeat-experiences/observations in the therapy office and on ride-alongs are discussed. Categories include: cognitive, emotional, physical, behavioral, social, and spiritual.

This podcast reviews behavioral health as an occupational issue. Vocabulary covered: PTE, SIC, suicide ideation levels, types of trauma, vicarious trauma, trauma bonding, empath/co-dependent and compassion fatigue, and relationship concerns.