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Tag: cPTSD

Assistant Fire Chief Steve Serbic – Undercover Mental Health and His Own Story

The amazing Steve Serbic from the Undercover Mental Health Podcast sit down with me and tells us his story. Steve is a assistant fire chief, key note speaker, Tedx presenter, author and mental health advocate. Steve rose up through the fire service, and is currently working as an Assistant Chief of operations at Surrey Fire Service, Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Area in Canada. He prides himself on being a devoted husband and father of two amazing kids. He survived his battle with depression thanks to the support of his family and friends. That support allowed him to rebuild his life and now he helps others who have decided to fight their anxiety, depression and mental illness. Steve is very open and raw about his own battles with mental illness and travels across North America sharing his story.
You can find Steve at:
steveserbic.com
YouTube
Ted Talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVBiGeA2lx4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZVsSEWRBnQ
Undercover Mental Health Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/undercover-mental-health/id1490639378

Isolation, Separation and Loneliness…Oh My!

Today’s podcast tackles the topic of isolation (an issue we know all too well as of late) and how it can boar it’s way into our psyche. Prolonged loneliness and lack of connection can impact our thoughts and break down our beliefs. It can then morph into something we become habituated to. In this talk, we feature our favorite author, Tony Garcia, who shares two poignant writings as a springboard for our conversation. Tony has written three books, available on Amazon:
Wanna Know a Truth? A Simple Man’s Search for the Truths in His Life
Whispers From My Heart
Secrets, Truths & Whispers: Lessons from a Good, Hard Life
He can be found at:
https://bublish.com/author/tonygarcia, http://www.facebook.com/CoachGForce

ret Fire Captain Tim Grutzius – Super Anger to Peace and PTSD

Tim Grutzius is a 25+ year fire service veteran and a team member of the Illinois Firefighter Peer Support . He understands the detrimental effect stress can have on the overall wellbeing of our mind, body, and spirit. He is also a Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach, he has a diploma in Holistic Health Practice, a certificate in Wellness Consulting and is a certified Usui Reiki Master Practitioner. Tim was diagnosed with PTSD and had a tough struggle out of it, but he is out of it. Now he works to help all those first responders who are struggling.
Twitter: @holisticff
@centannilife
Illinois Firefighter Peer Support https://www.ilffps.org/
https://centannilife.com/what-is-reiki/
https://centannilife.com/chakras-spinning-centers-that-express-our-vital-life-energy/
timgrutzius@gmail.com
https://youtu.be/E97l4Cjarpg
www.centannilife.com
timothygrutzius@centannilife.com

The Importance of Connection with Terri Keener

Terri Keener, Behavioral Health Coordinator from the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center joined me for an important conversation about the importance of connection for victims and survivors of mass violence. “Healing does not happen in isolation.”

Terri Keener, LCSW, LSCSW
Behavioral Health Coordinator, Division of Child and Family Services
Vegas Strong Resiliency Center

I graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Master of Science in Social Work and I am professionally licensed as a clinical social worker in Kansas and Nevada.

I am a member of the 2021 cohort of the Jameson Fellowship.

My professional experience includes:
•More than 30 years of experience working with trauma and special needs populations in various communities and settings including child welfare, education, and community based mental health.
•Direct services, supervision, management, consultation, team development, training, program development, grant writing and management, quality assurance, provider vetting, collaborative projects, outreach and media relations.
•Since June 2018, serve as the Behavioral Health Coordinator at the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, learning about the behavioral health needs of those impacted by mass violence and developing and establishing programming to meet those needs.

Relevant Training:
•EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
•EMDR – Recent Event Protocol
•Member EMDR Trauma Resource Network for Southern Nevada
•Critical Incident Stress Management (Group and Individual)
•NOVA Crisis Response Team Training (National Organization of Victim Assistance)
•Employee Trauma Intervention Program (E-TIP)
•Trauma Recovery Yoga
•Field Based Consultant, Inclusive Network of Kansas, KU Graduate School of Education
•Conference Presentations including:
oImpact of childhood trauma on parenting (National Association of Case Management)
oFacilitating Child and Family Teams (NV Statewide Differential Response Conference)
oSchool-Based Programs and Partnerships (KS Mental Health Services Conference)
oDisaster Behavioral Health (Minnesota Regional Conference)
oUNR Public Health Perspectives Webinar – Impact of Mass Violence
•Strategic Management and Planning Facilitator
•Clark County Leadership Academy
•Georgetown University Leadership Academy

Relevant Accomplishments:
•Establishment of a Peer Support program and Critical Incident Teams for Clark County Department of Family Services
•Vetting and matching of providers for survivors of mass violence in multiple states and Canada
•Implementation of Peer Support groups through NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
•Coordination of volunteer emotional support providers for mass violence anniversary and special events
•Establishment of a network of local and out of area mental health and supportive services providers for those impacted by mass violence and trauma
•Media appearances and development of press release and social media and educational material as Behavioral Health Coordinator at Vegas Strong Resiliency Center
•Organization of various training and information session opportunities for those impacted by mass violence, including responder peer support teams.

Lt. Tom Dunn (ret), Working in the Middle of Nowhere, Alaska

Tom and Tessa Dunn sit down with the firefighter deconstructed and talk about what it’s like to work as a resident police officer in the middle of nowhere in Alaska. Tom Dunn is the founder of RESET Training and Consulting. He is a recently retired Lieutenant for the Alaska State Troopers (May 2020) who served the citizens of Alaska for over 25 years and is an FBI National Academy graduate of session 253. During his career, he worked in many communities with rural and urban community diversity. He is a certified instructor in several law enforcement disciplines and is a current Mental Health First Aid instructor who has provided instruction at the Alaska State Trooper Training Academy and all over the State of Alaska. Tessa Dunn is the co-founder of RESET Training and Consulting. The mission is to teach first responders and their families, new ways to cope with trauma and exhaustion in the workplace. RESET also partners with staff and families of special needs children. Tessa’s role in RESET will be co-teaching the workshops for spouses of first responders and educators. She is the event organizer and the biggest smile in the room.
RESET Training and Consulting offers training in Resiliency, Engaging and Empowering Communities, Soul Care, Employee Retention and mental health Training.

www.resettrainingandconsulting.com
Tom & Tessa Dunn
907-299-6054
907-315-4077
resettrainandconsult@gmail.com

Double Sibling Loss – Tara Myers from Sells, Arizona

Tara Myers lost her brother and sister to separate homicides in Sells, Arizona. She and her loved ones have been marginalized in life and her siblings have been marginalized in death. Here she describes her uphill battle with turning away from alcohol and finding some relief from her grief. Much too little is published about the high and disproportionate victimization of Indigenous people in North America. It has given birth to the MMIW movement. Listen as Tara describes her all-too-familiar experiences with this shameful chapter in American history.

Understanding Suicide (Part II)

In part II of our suicide series, Jann discusses the two suicide attempts that left her and Shari reeling for answers. While emotionally difficult for both as they re-lived the emotions they experienced; they felt the need to share. Jann highlights the fact that while suicide is a choice, it doesn’t need to be the final choice if we can help others find a glimmer of hope through connection. Despair, pain and guilt are dissected in this vulnerable discussion as both mother and daughter speak from two very different perspectives.

Shari and Jann travel the country speaking on trauma and resiliency. More about them and their book, Which Way? can be found at www.traumaspeakers.com

Sgt Eric Weaver ret. Has Lived, Walked, and Talks Mental Health

Eric Weaver is a retired sergeant with the Rochester, NY Police Dept., where he served for twenty years from 1985-2005. He was a police sergeant for the RPD for the last 13 years of his highly decorated career. Prior to his employment with the RPD, he served as a Corrections Officer from 1983-1985 with the Ontario County, NY Sheriff’s Department. While with the RPD, he served in numerous positions within the Department, including numerous patrol assignments, the Tactical Unit, the SWAT team, and Internal Affairs. Eric’s last assignment for the Rochester Police Department was as Mental Health Coordinator, and was the creator, developer, and Commanding Officer of the first Crisis Intervention Team in NYS. The CIT is a specialized unit within the RPD that responds to calls within the Rochester community for individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis. He continues to serve as a consultant with numerous police departments and their respective communities in NYS in the creation, development, training, and implementation of similar Crisis Intervention Teams, and has served as a leading consultant for the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services and NYS Office of Mental Health in developing CIT training throughout New York State. Eric is a consultant with the National Council for Behavioral Health, and serves as a National Trainer for the internationally recognized Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid programs. Eric served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Suicide Intervention Skills Trainer Consortium of New York, was a Depression and Bi-Polar Support Alliance’s (DBSA) group facilitator and a member of the DBSA National Speaker’s Bureau, and is currently a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)-NYS Consumer Affairs Committee. He also serves as a Peer Review consultant for SpecPro Management Services, LLC regarding police mental health training on a state and federal level. Eric is also former pastor and served for several years as the Executive and Counseling Pastor of Crosswinds Wesleyan Church in Canandaigua, NY. Eric holds a certificate in Biblical Counseling from the American Association of Christian Counselors.

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/eric-weaver-overcomingthedarkness
Website: www.overcomingthedarkness.com
Email: eric@overcomingthedarkness.com

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