If you are a first responder and you are suffering from PTSD, there are ways that you can get help.
We have compiled a list of resources and organizations that specialize in helping you.
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24-hour Response Request: (888) 522-7228
Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
This board was created in 1996 and is comprised of first responders and supporters. It holds trainings and special sessions after traumatic incidents throughout the state. The goal is to give first responders the chance to process their emotions and feelings in a safe environment, with people who understand and are trained to handle PTSD struggles. Services are free to any public agency in the state that needs them.
“There are so many testimonials about how wonderful and how effective peer support is,” said executive director Deborah Arnold. “[It] is just amazingly healing for them right there to realize ‘I’m not broken, and I’m not weak. There isn’t something wrong with me. I’m experiencing something that is normal.’”
Dr. Laura Johnson - Yoga and meditation
Out at Fort Knox, chief psychologist Dr. Laura Johnson adds a nontraditional mix of therapies to the methods she offers her patients. After finding yoga healing for her own mental health struggles during her time as an army police officer, the practice is now foundational to her approach.
“There is so much evidence now that supports yoga, [and] meditation,” Johnson said. “What I always say is, if I tell you to breathe deeply, meditate and do yoga, the negative side effects are nothing. Everyone who does it has marked improved, rapidly.”
National Suicide Prevention Hotline
Call 1-800-273-8255 (Available 24 hours every day)
Veterans Crisis Line
1-800-273-8255, press 1
Send a text to 838255
Safe Call Now
1-206-459-3020
A 24/7 helpline staffed by first responders for first responders and their family members. They can assist with treatment options for responders who are suffering from mental health, substance abuse, and other personal issues.
Fire/EMS Helpline
1-888-731-3474
Also known as Share the Load this is a program run by the National Volunteer Fire Council. They have a helpline, text-based help service, and have also collected a list of several resources for people looking for help and support.
First Responder Support Network
1-415-721-9789
The mission of First Responder Support Network (FRSN) is to provide educational treatment programs to promote recovery from stress and critical incidents experienced by first responders and their families.
Dogs Helping Heroes is a 502(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping our wounded heroes and the families of lost heroes within a 200-mile radius of Louisville, KY. We provide in specially trained and certified assistance dogs for injured military veterans and first responders to improve their lives, as well as Gold Star Families to help them cope with their loss.
Kentucky Bow Fishing for Heroes
1-270-312-0802
Mission: To get as many heroes on the water to experience the sport of Bow Fishing
(929) 244-9911
Our mission is to provide education, support and viable self-help tools to all Public Safety Personnel and their families for the purpose of managing and reducing the compressive stress effects, such as PTSD and suicide.
The Veteran's Club serves over 900 veterans, offering equine therapy for veterans with PTSD.
The Post-Critical Incident Seminar is a three-day seminar modeled after highly successful programs developed by the FBI and South Carolina. These seminars are led by mental-health professionals trained to work with peace officers, and driven by a team of law enforcement and dispatch peers who have experienced their own critical incident and received training in Critical Incident Stress Management. The mental-health professionals offer blocks of instruction about grief, relationships, medications and stress management. Additional one-on-one therapy is available for those with an identified need. Peer law enforcement and dispatch team members instill trust, aid in breaking down stigma and lead to officers and dispatchers who typically would not seek help getting the assistance they need and deserve.