Being a First Responder is a mixed bag. Your job can be fun, fulfilling, challenging, frustrating, and sometimes devastating. Changing shifts, interdepartmental politics, sleep issues, and other stressors are inherent in the work that you do. In addition, there is secondary (vicarious) trauma that comes with the territory, whether from dealing with accident victims (and their families), victims of violence, or high-risk situations where your own safety may be threatened.
The time has come for First Responders and Mental Health Care Providers to form a community alliance. For too long, a stigma has been attached to seeking psychological services. More and more we are recognizing the detrimental affects that chronic stress, sleep deprivation, hyper-vigilance, and social isolation has on the body and the mind. The good news is we have various and effective evidenced-based treatment strategies that work with depression, anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress injury, and suicide ideation. Your job can be hard on you and your family. The stress that you carry inevitably comes home with you, and isolating or avoiding it provides only a short-term fix with long-term consequences.
At Creekside Counseling, many of our Mental Health Providers have worked diligently to become culturally competent in treating First Responders. We participate in ride-alongs, read books and research articles about First Responder treatment, attend specialized training, conduct Critical Incident Debriefs, and present on topics relevant to your profession, such as professional burnout, PTSD, mindfulness, stress management, and more. We take you and your work very seriously, and we are committed to being here for you. Our primary goal is to help you meet the increasing demands of your job. The safety and well-being of our community depend on the safety and well-being of our First Responders.
We provide counseling services to promote the mental health and emotional resilience for Law Enforcement and Fire/ EMS.
This is what you need to know if/when the need arises:
- Call our office. Share with the front desk staff that you are a First Responder and the department you work for. They will do their best to schedule you as soon as possible. We make First Responders a priority. If you prefer to work with a certain provider, please just say so. Read about our staff.
- Counseling is confidential. There are only a few exceptions to confidentiality (such as your safety or the safety of someone else). We will not report back to your administration that you are seeking services- no one will know from us. Our professional license is on the line. We value your privacy and understand that privacy is imperative for trust to build.
- We will diagnose you when appropriate. A diagnosis is necessary if you want us to access your health insurance or submit to Workman’s Compensation. However, if you do not want to access your health insurance, you will have to pay out of pocket. Your department may already have an agreement with us regarding payment for your counseling services. You should ask your administration about any arrangements that may already be in place, or you can ask us.
- Again, we do not inform your department that you are seeking or receiving counseling services.
Counseling is both supportive and challenging. It requires hard work, focusing on lifestyle changes, learning new thinking strategies, developing emotion regulation skills, and more. It is a trust-based process that allows you to unpack the burdens you carry and begin to address them. While it can be demanding, it is ultimately a liberating and gratifying experience.
We want your body to be strong, your mind to be clear, your relationships to be fulfilling, and your heart to be whole.