You Don’t Have to Be in Crisis to Start Therapy

Most first responders don’t start therapy until they are in a crisis. They wait; often longer than they need to.

The reasons people wait to begin therapy vary. Sometimes they don’t think they have a problem. People say things like, “It’s not that bad,” or “Other people have it worse.” First responders add “I’ve handled worse before” to their repertoire of reasons not to seek help.

Delaying help comes with a cost, one that is often overlooked and unseen by you. Stress compounds each shift; every call can add to the load. With increased stress, the quantity and quality of sleep diminish. You feel tired all the time. To compensate for increased stress and reduced sleep, an emotional shutdown occurs. Unintentionally, you are avoiding emotions because you are not in the headspace to deal with them in a healthy way. You may notice calls begin to stay with you. Calls you once were able to let go of are now hanging around in your mind. Occupying you on days off. The signs of burnout show up before the crisis.

How do we quell the burnout before it starts?

Starting therapy before you’ve reached burnout or a crisis state is actually better. Just like fire prevention programs, early mental health therapy may prevent the onset of burnout. Talking with a therapist before is not intense. It is not overwhelming. It’s just a conversation.

The conversation will provide you with tools and strategies to handle the stressful calls. You will have mental flexibility and not become overwhelmed. I used to tell people that my job in the fire department was to work my way out of a job. Our crews all had businesses we had to inspect quarterly. Hydrants to test annually. Helping people install smoke detectors, or replacing batteries for our community members, were all a part of daily shift life.

As a therapist, I want to do the same. I want to help first responders handle stressors before they become a problem.

You don’t have to wait until things fall apart.

​👉 I put something together that explains what this actually looks like