Hear from People Who Understand: Mental Wellness Webinar Series for First Responders
Date:Saturday February 10, 2024
The 100 Club of Arizona has hosted dozens of nationwide experts on wellness topics for first responders. We’ve rounded up some of their top sessions that drill down into tough but important topics related to mental wellness. Get inspired and learn actionable tools to help overcome challenges and trauma.
Managing Fear, Anxiety, and Panic Responses for First Responders
In only a few seconds, a threat can change a First Responder’s life… because that threat can affect the responder’s reactions and abilities in many ways. This training course will teach the different physiological effects of being in a threatening situation, and will demonstrate how to calm anxiety, and prevent panic, for calm and stable handling of intense situations.
Post Traumatic Stress in First Responders
First responders are exposed to critical incidents, cumulative exposures, and trauma at higher rates than many other professionals. Understanding how these situations uniquely impact our first responders is critical to ensuring they have appropriate levels of support. This webinar, led by a First Responder clinician, will define post-traumatic stress, and discuss the role of traumatic exposures on first responders.
First Responder Depression and Loneliness
Dr. Kathy Thomas “Kat” and Brad Shepherd will have a very practical discussion on the enormous and complex topics of anxiety, depression, loss and loneliness. Kat & Brad will share about what these topics looks like along with the ever difficult and dangerous overwhelming feelings of loss and loneliness that can be tremendously difficult to navigate without assistance.
Finally, if you or someone close to you is struggling with issues like those described above, or for any reason you feel therapy might be beneficial, here is an excellent talk on therapy and mental health treatment for first responders.
The 411 on First Responder Mental Health: Things First Responders Should Know About Therapy
Seeking mental health treatment can seem strange, scary, and worrisome. It is normal to have concerns. Common questions include-
What is therapy?
How private is therapy, really?
Will someone judge me or think I am crazy?
Could seeking therapy threaten my job?
How do I find someone who will get what I do, see and hear on the job?
This 60-minute webinar will provide the low-down on all that you need to know about mental health treatment. A board-certified psychologist with 20-plus years’ experience working with public safety agencies and personnel will share information. Psychotherapy will be explained. You will learn how to find a culturally competent provider. Therapy myths will be debunked. You will learn benefits of mental health treatment. Confidentiality will be clarified. Therapy will be demystified. You will come away from this webinar seeing therapy as a way to cope with problems, and as a means to maintain wellness and resilience, ever so important in dealing with critical incidents and the cumulative stress present in first responder work.