top of page
Uni Heights 06_Even Here_Patterns.jpg

First Responder Therapy.

First responder therapy is individual therapy for first/emergency responders and veterans. This therapy is geared towards the critical stressors that come with service, helping you learn some tangible skills to improve your physical and mental health, and addressing the blocks that can get in the way. 

The very nature of being a first responder entails exposure to potentially dangerous or traumatic situations. Typically, some form of your training was geared at drilling in ways to respond in these situations so that you can respond appropriately and immediately. Unfortunately, a byproduct of this can be that you overlook your own bodies cues and there's often a lack of training on what to do for yourself as a result of these exposures.

There is only so much stress and mental/physical trauma that we can take before you start to get stuck in a state of hyper or hypo-arousal (or begin to experience signs of a post traumatic injury). Considering stressors can occur in our personal lives and in our prior histories as well, support with this stress is crucial.

In that way, you can think of therapy as training on brain health.

What can it help with?

​

Symptoms of a Post Traumatic Injury:

  • Intrusive memories or thoughts 

  • Flashbacks or nightmares

  • Physical tension or agitation

  • Emotional numbness or feeling disconnected

  • Avoiding reminders of the incidents or avoiding talking about it

​

Symptoms of Emergency Responder Exhaustion Syndrome: 

  • Low mood, feeling isolated, depressed, and a lack of interest in things you normally enjoy

  • Feeling physically and emotionally exhausted 

  • Difficulty sleeping or insomnia

  • Feelings of fear, worry, or sadness

  • Thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life

  • Using mood altering substances to change the way you feel

  • Feeling like you can't relax or that you get stuck in a 'state of readiness' â€‹

Therapy for first responders can help you:
  • Learn ways to combat physical and emotional exhaustion
  • Process traumatic events or repeated exposures
  • Decrease anger/anxiety/agitation so that you can be more present and actually enjoy downtime
  • Identify and work with the root of the symptoms
  • Learn how to support your nervous system
  • Work through resentments in relationships and patterns that you can't seem to break

Nervous System Regulation

We'll help you understand the role your nervous system plays, identify triggers for dysregulation, and strengthen your ability to cope with stressors.

We'll use brainspotting to get to the root of where trauma is stored in the limbic system and the body to reduce the intensity of symptoms.

Improve Functioning

Learn how to overcome patterns in relationships with others and with yourself, identify your emotional and physical cues, and prioritize your health.

bottom of page