Resilience Development in Action: First Responder Mental Health

Send us Fan Mail When a fellow firefighter confessed suicidal thoughts to Adam Neff one night at the firehouse, it changed everything. Despite his decades of experience handling emergencies, Adam found himself unprepared for this particular crisis. That moment became the catalyst for his remarkable transition from assistant chief of operations to licensed professional counselor specializing in fir...

Send us Fan Mail The weight of caring for others can become unbearable when we forget to care for ourselves. This powerful conversation with Deidre Gestrin, a licensed clinical professional counselor and certified health coach, takes us deep into the reality of burnout among first responders and helping professionals. Deidre shares her profound personal journey through burnout - a harrowing experi...

Send us Fan Mail Steve Bisson welcomes Bill Dwinnells, a licensed mental health counselor with over 30 years of experience and a background as an EMT, to discuss their joint venture, Gambit Counseling, and its innovative approach to first responder mental health. The conversation explores why traditional mental health services often fall short for first responders. As Dwinnells eloquently explains...

Send us Fan Mail The IAFF Center of Excellence stands as a sanctuary for firefighters navigating the complex terrain of mental health challenges. In this revealing conversation with Hannah Elmore, Clinical Outreach Coordinator, we explore how this specialized treatment facility has become a lifeline for nearly 4,000 firefighters across North America. Hannah takes us behind the scenes of this uniqu...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful conversation, Hannah Elmore, Senior Clinical Outreach Coordinator for the IAFF Center of Excellence, reveals the critical role of culturally competent care in supporting firefighter mental health. Drawing from her extensive background in clinical social work and deep immersion in fire service culture, Hannah illuminates the often-overlooked nuances of how mental h...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a police officer and a counselor not only share their professional expertise but also their marriage journey? In this candid, powerful conversation, Ashley and Dustin Wright bring a unique dual perspective to the challenges facing first responder marriages. Marriage requires resilience for everyone, but for those in law enforcement, the stakes are particularly hi...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a police sergeant and a therapist build a life together? Dustin and Ashley Wright open up about their 13-year journey as a first responder couple in this vulnerable and insightful conversation that challenges conventional thinking about trauma, communication, and resilience. The conversation takes an unexpected turn when Dustin shares how a seemingly routine card...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when men are finally given permission to explore their full emotional range? In this eye-opening conversation that concludes episode 212 with Lee Povey, we delve into the hidden emotional landscapes that many men navigate alone, often without the tools or language to understand their experiences. The discussion challenges fundamental misconceptions about emotions, par...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a first responder walks into a therapist's office and shares a traumatic experience so dark that the therapist needs "a few minutes" before responding? For most first responders, this confirms their worst fear: no one can handle their reality. That's why cultural competency isn't just helpful—it's essential. In this powerful conversa...

Send us Fan Mail Turning fifty isn't just about crossing an age threshold—it's about recognizing the human connections that build resilience throughout a lifetime. In this deeply personal episode, therapist Steve Bisson reflects on the relationships that have shaped his capacity for strength, growth, and recovery across five decades. Steve begins by honoring his parents, whose contrastin...

Send us Fan Mail What does authentic masculinity look like in a world that teaches boys to hide their emotions from an early age? Leadership coach Lee Povey takes us on his transformative journey from needing to be the hero in every relationship to discovering the profound power of vulnerability. Growing up with a narcissistic father who saw Lee's achievements only as extensions of himself le...

Send us Fan Mail Gordon Brewer, a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 25 years of experience, joins Steve to unpack the complex relationship between trauma, grief, and emotional resilience in the first responder community. Their conversation touches on a critical but often overlooked barrier to mental health care—the fear that therapists can't handle the horrific realities first...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when your career ends but your life continues? The Mental Men, Andy Kang, Pat Rice, Chris Gordon, Dennis Sweeney, and Bob Cherney  return in this deeply personal exploration of retirement, identity, and finding purpose beyond the job that defined you. Bob Cherney, recently retired after decades as a therapist, shares his raw experience of waking up each morning still...

Send us Fan Mail Strength isn't the absence of weakness—it's how we transform our challenges into growth. In this riveting conversation with leadership coach and author Becky Schmooke, we explore stoic philosophy as a misunderstood yet powerful tool for navigating life's inevitable obstacles. Becky shares her personal journey of using stoicism to overcome a twenty-year battle with b...

Send us Fan Mail Bruce Wasser shares his journey of losing his father at age 15 and how this profound loss shaped his decision to become a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War and ultimately led to his 33-year teaching career. • Growing up in Seattle with his father Joe, a WWII veteran who instilled values of teamwork, equality, and community • Devastating loss of his father to cancer jus...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the strongest among us need support? In this powerful conversation, Elizabeth Ecklund takes us on an extraordinary journey from fighting fires in Antarctica to fighting stigma in mental health. As someone with 15 years of experience spanning firefighting, emergency medical services, and nursing, Elizabeth brings a rare perspective to the critical conversation abo...

Send us Fan Mail Steve Bisson welcomes Cyndi Doyle, licensed professional counselor, retired police spouse, and founder of Code for Couples, to discuss the unique challenges faced by first responder relationships and strategies for building resilience. • Meeting Cyndi Doyle - licensed professional counselor specializing in first responder relationships for over 20 years • Understanding the "m...

Send us Fan Mail The walls we build to protect ourselves from trauma can become our prisons. This powerful truth emerges as Dr. Charlie Powell returns to share groundbreaking developments with his "Healing Heroes: No Mind Left Behind" documentary, now evolving from a television series into a theatrical release scheduled for November 11th. Charlie takes us deep into the intricate relation...

Send us Fan Mail The weight of witnessing trauma daily doesn't just disappear when the uniform comes off. For our first responders—those who run toward danger while others flee—the psychological impact accumulates silently, often with devastating consequences. Beth Salmo, licensed professional counselor and owner of Thin Line Counseling, joins us to unveil the realities of mental health in em...

Send us Fan Mail The journey from outward success to inner collapse—and the path back to authentic living—takes center stage in this compelling conversation with Nick Jonsson, international bestselling author and executive coach. Nick's story begins with transformation through adversity when a motorcycle accident in his twenties forced him from construction work to academia, eventually propel...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when those who run toward danger need help themselves? In this compelling conversation, host Steve Bisson sits down with Kevin Cornine, a former fire captain and battalion chief who's transitioning to a new role as a mental health counselor focused on supporting first responders. Kevin shares his powerful story of serving 15 years in fire rescue while watching co...

Send us Fan Mail Michael Sugrue shares his powerful journey from military service to law enforcement to his medical retirement due to post-traumatic stress injury, revealing how he almost became one of the alarming first responder suicide statistics and his mission to now "smash the stigma" around mental health. • From Air Force security forces officer to 14 years with Walnut Creek Polic...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a decorated Naval Lieutenant Commander, triple-boarded physician, and healthcare executive exhausts every conventional treatment for his debilitating PTSD? Dr. Charles Powell takes us on his extraordinary journey from the frontlines of military medicine to the cutting edge of psychedelic healing. After 16 years of military service and building a successful health...

Send us Fan Mail Caren Paskel's journey from struggling with mental health issues to becoming a beacon of resilience and self-belief captivates from the first moment of our conversation. Her story begins at age 16 when a yoga class provided her first genuine spiritual connection—a transformative experience that would become her lifeline through depression, unhealthy relationships, and physica...

Send us Fan Mail Therapy has long been shrouded in mystery, leaving many to wonder what actually happens once that office door closes. Steve Bisson pulls back the curtain on these therapeutic misconceptions with refreshing candor and humor. Gone are the days of viewing therapists as perfect, emotionless professionals who maintain rigid boundaries and never reveal their humanity. Swearing in therap...