“I won’t get a promotion.”
“There are people who actually need help. I need to stop being selfish.”
“I’ll deal with it later.”
“I’m good.”
“My boss will treat me differently.”
“What if my team finds out?”
“I’ll lose my job.”
“Everyone will think I’m weak.”
“Just push it down and keep it together".”
“I just need to
tough it out.”
“Things will just get better on their own.”
First to respond,
last to ask for help.
IT’S TIME TO END THE STIGMA
The very nature of a first responder’s job causes them to be a witness to human suffering and to make life-and-death decisions for themselves and others. Our Firefighters, emergency medical professionals, police officers, and search and rescue teams sacrifice a lot for our community, especially their mental health.
Many organizations discourage vulnerability and place a strong emphasis on resilience and toughness, making it much harder for an individual to seek mental health support. Many first responders fear that discussing any mental health struggles they have could jeopardize their careers or lead to a loss of confidence among peers.
First responders are usually the last to reach out to a professional for help with managing PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, but their distress isn’t silent. More police officers die by suicide than by gunfire and traffic crashes combined. 6.6% of Fire and EMS professionals reported a suicide attempt in comparison to 0.5% of the general population.
We are honored to serve your team by providing confidential counseling, recommending changes in the workplace, improving command staff awareness about mental health, suicide awareness and intervention, performing crisis ministry, and appropriate mitigation of the challenges that surround daily life.
