Flexible Responder

Cultivating Psychologically Flexible First Responders

Category: Wellness

  • Flexible Responder Origin

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    A Flexible Responder is a first responder who strives for cognitive flexibility. Cognitive flexibility is the ability to pay attention, on purpose, to our thoughts, feelings, and urges regardless of the situation, in the present moment, and be able to deliberately respond, rather than react, in a manner consistent with our values or purpose. Cognitive… Read more

  • How to Find a Good First Responder Therapist

    Early and often throughout my journey to become a first responder therapist, my law enforcement co-workers have approached me about how to find a good therapist. Many first responders have told be they’ve been on the fence about seeing someone for a while. Part of why I started this blog is to de-stigmatize seeking therapy… Read more

  • Why Can’t You Be My Therapist When We’re Already Friends

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    Photo by Phillip Goldsberry on Unsplash I am an outspoken advocate that every first responder should see a therapist on a regular basis. Regular could be as little as monthly, quarterly, or even once or twice a year. It’s a lot easier to have a therapeutic relationship established than it is to try to search for one when… Read more

  • Burnout

    Those in the helping professions face burnout, impairment, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue. Burnout is distinct to vocational callings. It’s not merely the cumulative stress of working in any job. Freudenberger coined the term burnout in 1974 as, “a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by a devotion to a cause, a way of life, or a… Read more