First Responders Support

First Responders Support, LLC is designed to provide mental health services to those who serve in many roles caring for the health and safety of the community, in emergency and crisis situations. First responders who respond to critical incidents and traumatic events are exposed daily to acute stress and trauma. It is possible to experience direct or secondary trauma from the work of caring for the emotional and physical needs of others. It is the goal of First Responders Support, LLC to offer counseling, trauma therapy through Eye Movement Desensitizing and Reprocessing (EMDR), and education/support to the first responder community (Fire, Police, EMS, Dispatch, Healthcare workers). EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. When traumas occur, these experiences may become dysfunctionally stored in the brain in relation to the traumatic event. Sounds, smells, or similar experiences may trigger the individual to recall this event, which can be “stuck” in trauma time. EMDR therapy seeks to open the pathways in the brain to facilitate adaptive memory processing and allow the individual to heal from the trauma. EMDR therapy is an eight-phase treatment. Eye movements (or other bilateral stimulation) are used during one part of the session. After the clinician has determined which memory to target first, the therapist asks the client to hold different aspects of that event or thought in mind and to use his eyes to track the therapist’s hand as it moves back and forth across the client’s field of vision. As this happens, internal associations arise and the clients begin to process the memory and disturbing feelings. The hope is that clients conclude EMDR therapy feeling empowered by the very experiences that once hindered them. As a natural outcome of the EMDR therapeutic process, the clients’ thoughts, feelings and behavior are all indicators of emotional health and resolution. EMDR with First Responders uses this 8-phase approach while targeting professional trauma, which can be anything that negatively impacts the psyche and changes the course of healthy development. First responders experience daily exposure to critical incidents and trauma. The goal of First Responders Support is to encourage ongoing self-care, and to provide tools to the first responder in order to weather the difficulties of the career. First Responders Support, LLC provides confidential services to those serving in first responder roles. We do not accept any insurances; we charge an hourly private-pay rate which can be paid by cash or credit card. Reduced fees are an option; please talk with us if the fee is an issue for you. Helping the client find healing is most important. Kerrie Murphy, LMSW has been a social worker for over 20 years and has a wide variety of experience in working with emergency services and the first responder population. Kerrie worked for years in medical social work, providing support to those in an emergency room setting. Through her work as a therapist, she has served first responders and provided EMDR therapy as a means of healing from trauma. Kerrie is also trained as a Critical Incident Stress Management mental health clinician and currently serves on the Mid-West Michigan CISM team. Kerrie understands the culture of first responders from her upbringing as a daughter of a firefighter, and growing up with first responders. Kerrie’s brother was also a firefighter for 11 years before his death in 2012. Kerrie’s personal and professional experience allows her to offer understanding and compassion in her therapist role. For a deeper understanding of why Kerrie is so passionate about helping first responders listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-firefighter-deconstructed/id1500483348?i=1000633119162 https://www.afterthetonesdrop.com/the-firefighters-daughter/ First Responder Resources in Michigan: Frontline Strong Together - 1.833.34.STRONG - 24/7 - www.fst5.org Northwest Michigan Peer Network - 231.922.4550 - www.nmipeernetwork.com nmipeernetwork@gmail.com Suicide Hotline - 24 hours/day - 988 Michigan Crisis Line - (800) 273-8255