First Responder Support
Working with first responders is a passion for Emily. She started with a career in Emergency Medical Services in Boston before becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor. For Emily, it has been really easy to focus on anything that combines public safety and mental health. Her experience and skills include conducting first responder debriefings for the Bangor/Downeast Maine region for the past 6 years, training law enforcement on developing crisis intervention skills to use in the community and working alongside public safety in settings of emergency management, emergency medicine, corrections, and law enforcement. Additionally, Emily has been providing individual outpatient therapy to the first responder community for the past three years. She has experience in working with first responders and public safety departments in finding the best ways to both prevent and treat the development of posttraumatic stress injuries. Below you will find the various options available to the first responder community. Providing services to:
Firefighters
Law Enforcement
Emergency Medical Service Providers
Dispatchers
Correctional Officers
Lifeflight providers
Please read on for more information on services offered. Please note that Emily does NOT provide fit-for-duty assessments.
Counseling
Counseling looks different for the first responder community. The individuals that identify as a first responder belong to a unique type of culture. It is accepted and respected that first responders not only take their jobs seriously, but tend to incorporate their occupation into their identity and regular daily life. It is important for counselors to have a special understanding and skill to provide effective treatment to first responders that allow for individuals to feel comfortable and able to speak freely about the struggles they face. Being a first responder has allowed for Emily to use experience and knowledge from both the first responder world and the mental health world to create a unique and effective approach to working with first responders.
Counseling sessions usually last about 45 minutes and occur on a weekly basis. However, due to the known rotating and hectic schedules of first responders, Emily has a lot of flexibility in making scheduling sessions work.
The counseling office is located in a large and busy building in downtown that is surprisingly private and secluded being on the top floor. If you have concerns about privacy, please reach out. There are other options including TeleMental Health which involves HIPAA-compliant counseling through a computer. As long as you have a webcam or a smartphone and an internet connection, you are all set.
Trainings
Trainings are an important part of the preventative efforts for the first responder community. Trainings can provide first responders with some information and "tools" they can use to prevent the development of a psychological injury as well as identify when there is a problem in need of some additional help. Some of the training options include:
First Responder Wellness
Resiliency
Coping with the Loss of a Patient
Suicide Prevention
Neuroscience for First Responders
Family Guide to supporting First Responders
Surviving Critical Incidents
These are just a few of the many topics that can be used. We are also open to any ideas or requests!
Contact us for pricing!
First Responder Resources
Telephone Hotlines:
Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 24/7 hotline, 365 days a year
SafeCallNow.org: 1-206-459-3020 (24/7 hotline operated for and by first responders)
Maine Statewide Crisis Hotline 1-888-568-1112 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year)
Other 24-hour resources:
State Police 1-800-432-7381 or 911 (TTY compatible) Stress and Suicide Prevention Resources
Other Resources:
Firefighters Behavioral Health Alliance http://www.ffbha.org/ (website) and on Facebook Stress and Suicide Prevention
Code Green: www.CodeGreenCampaign.org Mission: Bring awareness to the high rates of mental health issues in first responders and reduce them. Eliminate the stigma that prevents people from admitting these issues and asking for help. Educate first responders on self and peer care and to advocate for systemic change in how mental health issues are addressed by first responder agencies
Maine’s Suicide Prevention Program (Resources, reports, training opportunities) https://www.maine.gov/suicide/ National Alliance on Mental Health – NAMI – Maine Chapter (information, volunteers, resources, training) https://www.namimaine.org/
Blue H.E.L.P. https://bluehelp.org It is the mission of Blue H.E.L.P. to reduce mental health stigma through education, advocate for benefits for those suffering from post-traumatic stress, acknowledge the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers we lost to suicide, assist officers in their search for healing, and to bring awareness to suicide and mental health issues. Blue H.E.L.P. provides family support, statistics, resources and trainings. Contact: contact@bluehelp.org , P.O. Box 539, Auburn, MA 01501
Suicide Prevention Resource Center Provides resources, research, materials, information on trainings, educational tools, and guidance for developing suicide prevention programs. https://www.sprc.org
Man Therapy https://www.mantherapy.org/ Has 24/7 Lifeline Crisis Chat that “is a place to talk about problems and stress that may be difficult to talk about anywhere else. It's a place to find nonjudgmental support and help through a difficult time.
Triple F – Fabulous Female Firefighters http://triplefrescue.com/triplef/ Site provides posts and information for female firefighters, EMS and others – includes posts that touch upon stress and suicide in first responder communities. “Triple F is where the world’s fire service sisters come together to motivate, share their experience, and inspire one another. Triple F's intention is to empower first responders in mind, body, and spirit. Our belief is that by creating a fierce sisterhood of resilience and support we can become the strongest and most united women --and men-- in the fire universe! In other words, Fabulous.”