First responder work changes the nervous system over time.
Even when you’re functioning, the accumulation of calls, shift work, sleep disruption, organizational stress, and high-stakes responsibility can show up in ways that are hard to shut off.
You might notice:
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Hypervigilance, irritability, or a short fuse
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Feeling numb, detached, or “checked out” at home
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Sleep problems, nightmares, or difficulty decompressing after shift
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Persistent stress activation, anxiety, or burnout
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Replaying calls, intrusive images, or avoiding reminders
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Moral injury themes (guilt, anger, self-criticism, loss of meaning)
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Relationship strain, communication breakdowns, or isolation
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Cumulative stress that starts impacting performance, safety, and health
This therapy is built for the reality of the job: direct, culturally informed, and paced so you stay in control.
How I Treat It
EMDR
Informed trauma treatment for critical incidents, cumulative exposure, and “stuck” stress responses
Acute Stress Adaptive Protocol (ASAP)
an EMDR-informed early intervention for acute stress reactions after critical incidents
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Compassion Focused Therapy
to work directly with moral injury themes, shame, guilt, and harsh self-judgment
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Nervous system regulation strategies
to reduce reactivity, improve sleep, and increase recovery capacity
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What sessions typically look like:
You won’t be judged. You won’t be asked to translate the culture. And you won’t be pushed past your window of tolerance.
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Stabilization Tools
Sleep, stress, triggers
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Identifying Pressure Points
Work, cumulative stress, home impact
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Trauma Processing
when appropriate (paced & tolerable)
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Integration
Building routines that hold under stress
Critical Incident Support Options
Some first responders don’t need “weekly therapy” to start - they need targeted support after something specific, or they need a structured reset when stress is stacking.
ASAP (Acute Stress Adaptive Protocol)
ASAP is an EMDR-informed early intervention used post-critical incident and for day-to-day stress management. It can be offered as early as three days after an incident and is designed to stabilize your system, build internal resources, and reduce the likelihood of long-term distress.
ASAP is built around being safe, effective, and confidential, with minimal unnecessary retelling.
Group Crisis Intervention Training
(ICISF Certificate of Completion)
I hold an ICISF Certificate of Completion for Group Crisis Intervention, including approaches such as demobilizations, defusings, and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). This background supports work with teams and groups when appropriate, and informs how I approach post-incident stress reactions in a structured way.