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First responders and their loved ones face unique occupational stressors and mental health challenges that can be isolating and overwhelming. FHE Health’s First Responder Families Podcast is a free wellness resource designed specifically for this audience. It offers a welcoming space for first responder families to gain healthy coping tools and supports and be reminded that they are not alone.
The First Responder Families Podcast features FHE Director of Family Services and trauma and relationships therapist Ivona Bhadha, as host and guide. Also contributing is Patrick Fitzgibbons, Lead Liaison for Shatterproof FHE Health, our specialized treatment program for first responders. Fitzgibbons is a retired police commander and former Army paratrooper with the elite 82nd Airborne Division.
First Responder Families Podcast airs the first Friday of every month. You can catch the first and future episodes of First Responder here.
Why a Podcast for First Responder Families?
The simplest answer is because there’s a need for one, according to Bhadha. She said she “jumped on the idea” in response to first responder families’ “interest, curiosity, and hunger for more knowledge and mentorship.”
There was also strong support from the FHE leadership team, Bhadha said. They understood “the importance of family support for patients” and how “support of the family also supports the patient.”
Fitzgibbons’ podcasting expertise—Fitzgibbons is the host and creator of the award-winning podcast, Criminal Justice Evolution—was another plug.
Goals of the Podcast
What does Bhadha hope to accomplish with the podcast? To provide support and education to first responder families, Bhadha said:
We want to share our experience and expertise with the larger first responder community. We also want both the first responder and their family member, whether a spouse or other loved one, to be able to get something out of it that they can discuss and explore, so we’re choosing topics that are equally valuable for first responders and their loved ones.
Another goal is to provide a virtual community through which alumni of Shatterproof FHE Health can stay in touch and find help and support for their mental health and recovery journey.
Most Pressing Mental Health Needs of First Responder Families
One emphasis of the podcast will be the most pressing mental health needs facing first responder families. What are they?
“I would say PTSD and complex PTSD,” Bhadha said. Both stress disorders are a response to trauma that hijacks the nervous system, so that you’re “living in a constant fight-flight-freeze state” where you “shut down.” Symptoms can include “irritability, frustration, angry outbursts, anxiety, worries about the future, isolation, and nightmares.”
Inevitably, these challenges “affect relationships with spouses and children greatly, because of a limited capacity to be present and engaged with love and joy,” Bhadha added.
A Message of Support and Encouragement for First Responder Families
What message does Bhadha wish to leave first responder families, through this podcast?
“We hear your (often unspoken) longings for more connection and sense of contentment in your own mind and in your own home,” Bhadha said. “Your mental health and wellness matter to us. You are there for others in the worst moments of their lives, and we want to be a predictable and transparent source of encouragement, support, and compassion for you and your family.”
Other Things to Know About This Podcast
This podcast will be interactive. “Our patients are our ‘teachers,’” Bhadha explained. “They teach us what they need by either asking directly or indirectly, with their reactive behaviors. We listen.”
This podcast will address the real-life issues that matter to first responder families, by covering “great topics and explorations that are relevant to their experience.”
This podcast will empower its listeners through connection and community.
“Knowledge is power, and power within leads to choosing closeness over isolation and connection over loneliness,” Bhadha said.
Where to Tune in to the First Responder Families Podcast
You can tune in to the First Responder Families Podcast via:
For more information about our Family Support program and how it might help you or a loved one, call us anytime.
