 When scheduling their first counseling appointment, firefighters may want to consider the following things:
Don't ever hesitate to reach out to directly Hayne Steen at hayne@elbowtreecooperative.com.
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 In the spring of 2017, my daughter broke both of her arms while skating at the skatepark in downtown Chattanooga. When we learned that she had taken such a hard fall, we took her directly to the emergency room. She came home with shiny new new casts on each of her freshly broken arms. She wore casts on both of her arms until the end of that school year.
At the last visit to her bone doctor, he pulled out two x-rays. “Sadie, this image is from the day you came into our office with two broken arms.” I could see both breaks were clean and distinct. He went on to say, “Sadie, this next image is an x-ray we took today. Look at all that new bone. Your arms have never been stronger.” When I think of emotional or psychological injuries, I can not help but remember those parting words from the bone doctor. “Your arms have never been stronger.” The doctor defined for me that day the clearest definition of post-traumatic growth. When treated in a timely and intentional manner, both of my daughters arms were able to heal correctly. She went on to play four seasons of varsity basketball at her high school and even went to the state tournament finishing in the final four in the state of Florida. Her senior year she was the team captain and had an absolutely magical season. Her team had relied on both of her strong arms for four wonderful seasons. She recently graduated from high school and at her celebration dinner with all of her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins present. I took a few minutes to remind her again of those same words from her doctor. I wanted her to remember that brokenness is not the final answer. What can happen in and beyond brokenness is remarkable when we take the time to treat it with the care it deserves and needs. In the fire service, you will experience physical, emotional, and psychological injuries. This is not just a likely event but certain as the work have chosen to do brings an inherent risk and likelihood. Good news! You have choices. You can choose to avoid the injury and it will likely become post-traumatic stress or worse. I’d like to advocate for you to address the injury. Research reveals that when you take an active approach to treating emotional injuries, you will likely experience “post-traumatic growth.” So how do I begin to effectively treat emotional injuries? Counseling: Reach out to an Elbow Tree counselor to schedule your first appointment. Call 904-877-4750 or email catherine@elbowtreecooperative.com to initiate getting scheduled. Education: Read (1) “Daring Greatly” by Brene Brown or (2) “The Body Keeps the Score - Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma” by Bessell Van Der Kolk, MD Listen: Check out a handful of thoughtful podcasts that promote emotional and psychological resilience. (1) Hidden Brain podcast (2) Unlocking Us podcast (3) Terrible, Thanks for Asking podcast. Watch: (1) Good Will Hunting (2) Inside Out (3) In Treatment (television series on HBO) (4) Ted Lasso There are so many amazing resources for taking a look at creative ways to attend to your inner life. May each of these be a helpful tool for cultivating new growth in your life!  Firefighters, like anyone else, may have various reasons for resisting or being hesitant to go to counseling. Here are some common reasons. How true do these feel to you?
Interested in scheduling a counseling appointment with Elbow Tree? CALL 904.877.4750.. The first call will be focused on gathering some key info from you in order to link you with the most appropriate member of our counseling team. Once you've been linked with one of our counselors, they will personally reach out by phone and email to get the ball rolling to get you scheduled.  Firefighters can engage in various activities for self-care to promote their well-being. Here are ten examples:
Interested in scheduling a counseling appointment with Elbow Tree? CALL 904.877.4750.. The first call will be focused on gathering some key info from you in order to link you with the most appropriate member of our counseling team. Once you've been linked with one of our counselors, they will personally reach out by phone and email to get the ball rolling to get you scheduled. by Hayne Steen, LMHC  People typically come into therapy when a circumstance, relationship or mental health issue activates an uncomfortable amount of pain and distress. It tends to be more of a reactive relationship with counseling.
The best time to get a mental health resource in place is before tragedy strikes. A trusted friend of mine calls this “digging your well before you’re thirsty.” Getting established with a mental health counselor at Elbow Tree who you trust could be one critical way you prepare for trouble ahead. Let’s face it. Life throws us some menacing curve balls.
In a world full of so much trouble, we can become jaded believing that world is ONLY trouble. Sometimes we just need some help leaning into the trouble as we learn how to hunt for the good. (good, beautiful and true) in the midst of our devastation. Counseling is a space completely dedicated to promoting human resilience where we (1) can name the trouble we've known, (3) begin to hunt for the good and (3) grow in our ability to determine for ourselves what kinds of things are helpful to us and what things (practices, people, priorities) are actually quite harmful to us. Did you know that the severity of the impact of trauma is determined by two things? Frequency and duration. The greater the frequency and longer the duration of the trauma exposure, the more dynamic the emotional and psychological injury will be. Your job serving in fire rescue guarantees you will experience both frequent and enduring vicarious (nearby) and direct (head on) exposures to trauma. Your years of dedicated and faithful service to the fire rescue service will leave a harmful impression. Not everyone wants to go to counseling. You are not alone if you experience a noticeable inner resistance to meeting with a counselor. We get it! It’s a massively vulnerable step to take. Firefighters are not the only ones who experience resistance. Here are a handful of "Reasons why people refuse to see a counselor." Do any of these feel familiar?
Each of the reasons to refuse counseling listed above are honest and legitimate expressions of resistance to pursuing therapy. Here's what I'd like for you to consider.
If you think you'd like to explore having a regular space like this, don't hesitate to reach out and set up your first session, You can call our live operator 24/7 at (904) 877-4750 and we will be in touch within 24 hours and get you scheduled for your first appointment within 7-10 days.  Maintaining a strong and healthy marriage or partnership can be challenging for firefighters due to the unique demands and stresses of the profession. Here are some tips for firefighter couples.:
 Vacation and time off are crucial for firefighters, just like any other profession. Here are some reasons why vacation and time off are important for firefighters:
 Mindfulness can be a valuable skill for firefighters in the context of fire rescue. Here are some mindfulness skills that can be helpful in this line of work:
 Paying attention to suicidal ideation among firefighters is crucial for early intervention and support. Here are some important steps and considerations for firefighters to be aware of and address suicidal ideation within their fellow firefighters:
by Hayne Steen  "What makes a fire burn is space between the logs, a breathing space. Too much of a good thing, too many logs packed in too tight can douse the flames almost as surely as a pail of water would. So building fires requires attention to the spaces in between, as much as to the wood." –by Judy Brown If you observed my life over the last couple months, you would quickly discover that I've been living with too many logs on the fire for far too long. I've desperately needed, as the poet suggests, a breathing space.
During a typical week, if you looked at my iPhone around 5:00pm, you would notice that my phone has been on "Airplane Mode" for most of the day in order to be fully present with clients. The second I take my phone off of silent mode, a digital flurry begins. My phone screen lights up with an overwhelming number of of buzzes and dings which signify incoming texts, emails, and voicemails. My body simultaneously registers each and every digital message as extremely urgent. My automatic thoughts? Too many people are attempting to get my undivided attention, asking me for too many things, too fast, too soon. It can sometimes overwhelm my nervous system. When I can remember to take a breath, I can investigate my own pile of logs and begin to slowly dig my way out. Sometimes I am able to do that alone. More often it looks like having someone help me. Do you need space to breath? Our counseling team at Elbow Tree would love to help you carve out space for slowing down and paying attention to your inner and outer life. Psychotherapist, Phil Stutz, describes three distinct layers that need attending to. He calls these our "inner fire". 1. Take care of your body (sleep, eating, and exercise rhythms). 2. Take care of your relationships (with yourself, others and God). 3. Take time to allow the unconscious to become conscious (therapy, journaling, reading, listening to your life). If you think you'd like to explore having a regular space like this where you can pay attention to places where the logs are packed in too tight, don't hesitate to reach out and set up your first session, You can call our live operator 24/7 at (904) 877-4750 and we will be in touch within 24 hours and get you scheduled for your first appointment within 7-10 days. We look forward to helping you attend to your own inner fire! |
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