How my journey began
At the age of 15 I decided that I wanted to be a police officer. I joined the Police Explorer program in high school and later got a bachelor’s degree in Criminology. In 1993 I graduated the police academy and started work at Largo PD. While there I saw what every officer sees, both good and bad.
In 1999 two things happened that changed the course of my life. I developed severe test anxiety and could not pass my firearms qualification causing me to leave the department. That same year a friend and colleague died by suicide.
I started working at the police academy and while there I joined the Critical Incident Stress Management team and started my Doctorate in counseling. I decided I wanted to help other first responders deal with the things they experience at work.
Since 2010, I have been working the field of mental health and substance use. In August 2019 I became a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.
My background in law enforcement and mental health counseling makes me uniquely qualified to assist first responders with the traumatic events they experience at work.
Like all first responders, I am steadfast and can handle the traumatic events, but the reality is that there is a need to off load the things we see and hear and do it in a healthy manner.
Police Academy Graduation 1993
What People Are Saying
“
Thank you so much for doing ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy) with me. It is really helping me let go of traumas and move forward with positive energy
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— AM
Gilbert Oliver Moran, Therapy K9
Meet Gilbert Oliver Moran — Front Line Wellness's four-legged co-therapist and perhaps the most important member of our clinical team.
Gilbert is a certified therapy dog who brings something no degree or credential can fully replicate: unconditional presence. In a field where trust is everything and vulnerability doesn't come easily, Gilbert has a remarkable ability to create safety in the room. For first responders and military personnel who spend their days in high-alert, high-control environments, his calm and grounding energy offers a rare invitation to simply exhale.
Research consistently shows that the presence of a therapy animal can lower cortisol levels, reduce physiological arousal, and open doors to emotional processing that might otherwise remain closed — especially in populations conditioned to project strength. Gilbert understands none of this, of course. He just knows when someone needs to be met with warmth and no judgment, and he shows up for that every single time.
Whether he's offering a quiet presence during a difficult session, serving as an icebreaker for someone walking through the door for the first time, or simply reminding us that healing doesn't have to feel clinical, Gilbert is an integral part of the therapeutic experience at Front Line Wellness.
He takes his job seriously — and his nap schedule even more so..