In addition to doing therapy, I am a specialist in leadership development and peer support training for military and first responders. I have written a peer support manual for first responders and conducts in person peer support training. I am currently in the process of developing an online curriculum for training first responders in peer support skills and developing continuing education for therapists wishing to conduct therapy for first responders.
Where it Started
I initially started the training part of my career with the 101st Airborne Division, the unit I myself served with, teaching performance and resilience psychology as a civilian contractor. Doing a combination of classroom training and “on the ground training”, I have trained teams to perform more effectively, cohesively, and strategically.
Where We Are Now
I am currently the clinical oversight for a first responder peer support program in TN. I quickly learned, thorough the resources my own team needed, that the practical “how to” part of peer support training was limited. After extensive interviewing of peer support teams across the state about their needs, I wrote a peer support manual that focuses on the how to for identifying peer problems, how to have conversations, user friendly tools to help have guided conversations, and resources about what to do in many difficult situations. The idea is to teach basic helping skills and identify the appropriate way forward in any given situation. My hope is that this manual will help build confidence in those who want to help, but worry about not know what to do or not getting it right.
I currently provide in person and synchronous online training that is customized to the requesting department. I also provide online consultation to peer support individuals and teams, along with therapists who work with, or would like to work with military or first responders.
The Way Forward
To further support the manual, this year I plan to create an online program that first responders and their peer support teams can complete at their own pace. I hope that this will increase the accessibility to teams who either do not have specialist available to assist, or budget limitations prevent additional training.