Still Running on Empty After Every Shift?
I'm Dr. Meredith Moran — a former Largo PD officer and licensed therapist. I help first responders and veterans Tampa Bay get back in control — body, mind, and job.
You've probably talked yourself out of this already. Here's what I hear most — and what I want you to know.
"What will my people think?"
I wore the uniform. I know the culture. Nobody at your department, your station, or your command will ever know you came here. Not ever. You can park down the street if you want. I don't care. Just come.
"If I feel things, I can't do my job."
That's backwards. Pushing it down doesn't make it go away — it just makes it louder at 2am. Learning to handle what's inside you makes you sharper on the job, not weaker. The best operators know their equipment. Your mind is your equipment.
"This is just part of the job."
Seeing hard things is part of the job. Being destroyed by them isn't. You were trained to handle everything out there. Let me help you handle what it left behind.
You called for back-up on the job. This is the same thing. Get Back Up
You Invest In Your Physical Health
Why not invest in your mental health? Why wouldn’t you do everything you can to be the best you can be for your family, partners and community?
As a patient being treated for PTSD and anxiety, I could not have asked for a therapist with a better variety of experience and targeted training than Dr. Moran’s.
~ MBH
You’ve been thinking about counseling but…...
What will my peers think?
As a first responder, you would call for back-up if you were in physical danger without thinking about it. Why wouldn’t you do the same for your mental health!
However, I completely understand that you may not want your co-workers, command staff or family to know you are getting counseling. I take your confidentiality very seriously.
I won’t be able to do my job if I feel things.
There is a time and a place for everything, and the middle of a call is not the time for an emotional outburst. The problem is that we are not robots and if we keep pushing the emotions away they will eventually come out in harmful ways. Being able to confront and control your emotions will make you better at your job.
This is part of the job.
As first responders you are expected to respond to and deal with some horrible things. That is the job, but it is not your job to be traumatized by what you see and hear. You are trained to remain objective and in control, but the bottom line is those feeling have to go somewhere. Leave it with me. Let me be your back up.