Message Jim for a Free Consultation at (760) 212‑0444
Bridging The Gap Between Mental Wellness Counseling and Emergency Responders:
There are very few “street experienced” mental wellness therapists available for our law enforcement, fire service, paramedic, 9-1-1 communications, and emergency responder professionals.
As a former Police Officer POST Senior Master Advanced FTO, Ocean Lifeguard Supervisor, and EMT, I specialize in providing counseling for our emergency responder community.
The Top 2 Reasons Why Emergency Responders Won’t Seek Therapy:
1: “Therapists are outsiders looking in.”
2: “Talking to a therapist will end my career.”
With unique insights not typically found in other therapy offices, having actual “street credibility” gives me a deeper understanding into the emergency responder world—and allows me to build a trusting and therapeutic relationship very quickly.
Chronic Exposure to Risk Factors and You:
Do you remember the hiring process you went through to become employed for your agency?
It was front-loaded with mental health evaluations to make sure you were fit for duty. But what happened in-between your first day on the job and where you are now?
Encountering unexpected physical exertion, acute and chronic psychological stressors, and exposure to trauma can outmatch and outmaneuver our coping skills, erode our relationships, deteriorate our work standards, and weaken our impulse controls. The negative demands of the emergency responder work climate can lead to “vital exhaustion”—a state of excessive fatigue, increased irritability, and demoralization.1
Furthermore, brain scan imagery reveals that continual exposure to another person’s physical, mental, and emotional pain causes “mirror neurons” to release—and this “empathy overload” leaves us feeling fatigued, anxious, depressed, restless, and exhausted.2
Here’s the thing:
Mental health care is vital—not just during the hiring process—but throughout our careers.
POP QUIZ:
- Do you feel your job is eroding your personal relationships or professional standards?
- Are you concerned about impulse control?
- Is consumption of alcoholic beverages increasing?
- Are you using pain management medications to make it through your career?
- Are you fabricating prescriptions to obtain pain medication?
- Have you become addicted to illegal substances?
- Are you isolating from family and friends?
- Are you excessively hyper-vigilant or paranoid?
- Do you have empathy for the feelings and needs of others?
- Do you have an exaggerated sense of self-importance or superiority?
- Do you require admiration?
- Do you exaggerate achievements and talents?
- Are you preoccupied with desires of success?
- Do you dominate conversations?
- Do you come across as conceited?
- Are you critical of others?
- Do you expect special favors?
- Do you demand unquestioning compliance with your expectations?
- Do you take advantage of others to get what you want?
- Are you envious of others and believe others envy you?
- Do you insist on having the best of everything?
- Do you become impatient or angry when you don’t get your way?
- Do you have a history of interpersonal / relational / employment problems?
- Are you easily offended?
- Do you tend to react with rage?
- Do you have difficulty regulating emotions and behavior?
- Is change difficult for you?
- Are you moody when you fall short of perfection?
- Do you have feelings of insecurity, shame, guilt or fear?
- Is it difficult for you to open-up and talk with others?
Don’t let your emergency responder career outplay your coping skills:
I am honored to have clients who are local to me—and those far away in the rural areas of California. It would be a privilege to hear from you!
Notes:
1. Vicini Jr., James M. “Officer Stress Linked to CVD: What We Know.” Federal Probation, June 2013, Vol.77 Issue 1, p1-4, 4p.
2. Orloff MD, Judy. “Empathy Overload?” Emotional Freedom, February 2011
Message Jim for a Free Consultation at
(760) 212-0444