First Responders: Don’t Wait Until You Can’t Cope

First Responders: Don’t Wait Until You Can’t Cope

Reviewed by the AREF Psychotherapy team You’re still showing up. You take the calls, you do the work, and nobody on shift has said a thing. So you tell yourself it’s not that bad, even though you’re sleeping badly and home has got harder. Is that...
First Therapy Session for First Responders: What to Expect

First Therapy Session for First Responders: What to Expect

Reviewed by the AREF Psychotherapy team You handle other people’s worst days for a living. Talking to a stranger about your own is a different job, and nobody briefs you on it. If you have never been to therapy, not knowing what happens can be enough to stop you...
First Responder Trauma: Do You Have to Retell the Call?

First Responder Trauma: Do You Have to Retell the Call?

Reviewed by the AREF Psychotherapy team You’ve already told that call. You wrote it up, you answered the questions, and maybe you went through it again at a debrief. Doing it once more, second by second, in front of someone who might flinch, can be reason enough...
First Responders: Getting Help Doesn’t Make You Weak

First Responders: Getting Help Doesn’t Make You Weak

Reviewed by the AREF Psychotherapy team You know how to walk into the worst day of someone’s life and do the job. What comes after gets far less attention. So maybe your sleep is going, or your fuse is shorter at home, or one call keeps coming back when...
First Responder Stigma: What Will the Crew Say?

First Responder Stigma: What Will the Crew Say?

Reviewed by the AREF Psychotherapy team You’ve thought about talking to someone. Then you picture the schedule change, the comments on the floor, and the look when you walk back in. You remember what got said about the last person who went off work. You...