Counselling for First Responders

People likely mean well when they thank you for your service, but so often their capacity for empathy ends there. Whatever understanding you may be searching for may be met with silence as others are unable to relate with what you have experienced on the frontline, particularly if these experiences have changed the way that you exist in the world.

Severe anger, mood dysregulation, burnout, lack of interest, inability to sleep, and excessive substance use are a few indicators of post-traumatic stress, which is common among first responders. And they are also completely normal responses given what you may have witnessed on the frontline. The event in itself may leave a deep impression, but research suggests that even the conditions that first responders work in can contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder.

This part is key: Seeking help does not make you weak. We often hear stories of first responders who suffer in silence due to a cultural expectation that you must be “strong,” in every waking moment. Where it’s normal to suppress uncomfortable emotions or selflessly try to spare your loved ones from the burdens that you bear. Sometimes it may come from a place of pride. The pattern here is that first responders will often try to do these things alone. Research has indicated that social isolation can deepen the effects of post-traumatic stress. Everyone can benefit from someone to lean on, no matter how “strong,” they believe themselves to be.

In counselling for first responders we use trauma-informed approaches to work with you in processing past experiences that may disrupt your daily life, while affording you the dignity, privacy, and understanding that may be absent in areas of your life outside of therapy.