First Responder Care

   The past few years, our country has experienced some of the worst cultural upheaval since the 1960’s. One of the underpinnings of a healthy community is the health of its Emergency/First Responders. The healthier they are in their day to day functioning, the healthier our community is, whether it’s their ability to be calm under pressure, be clear thinking and decisive, as well as being patient and compassionate to the people they serve. 

 

   As the child of a decorated special forces veteran, I “happened” to have my first graduate internship at the Concord Veteran’s Center in 1996-97 where I had the honor of working with WWII, Vietnam and Persian Gulf combat veterans. It was there that I learned about EMDR, which was being newly utilized by the team’s psychologist. It wasn’t until 2009 that I was trained after hearing a keynote address by Dr. Daniel Amen of the Amen Clinics. What he said that day was a pivotal moment in my growth as an effective therapist. 

 

   First Responders are a tight knit community and when they find someone they can trust, word gets around. Until recently, I’ve never advertised my services, because I didn’t have a way to replicate myself, and my wait list was upwards of 14 months long…but people waited. However during the wait, the negative symptoms of prospective clients don’t disappear, which is what prompted me to pursue training in EMDR Group therapy. EMDR Group therapy allows me to effectively treat multiple men and women at once, without any breach to their confidentiality, and allows me to get people in and OUT of my practice faster than ever. 

 

   At this point, I’m considered a subject matter expert in the delivery of this method of therapy, and in September 2023 I had the honor of presenting my work to Dr. Elan Shapiro (creator of the EMDR model I use) as well as to a group of international Group EMDR therapists from across the globe. Additionally, I was generously asked by Dr. Reg Morrow Robinson & Dr. Safa Kaptan, to join the writing team for EMDR Group Therapy: Emerging Principles and Protocols to Treat Trauma and Beyond, as one of the writers for Chapter 20: Using Group EMDR with Emergency Responders Including Law Enforcement Professionals, Firefighters, Emergency Medical Professionals, and Emergency Communications Dispatchers (Springer Publishing, November 2023).

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