SWK X018 - Supporting First Responders

First responders—police officers, firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical personnel—face unique challenges in their line of duty. The nature of their work regularly places them in high-stress situations, exposing them to traumatic events that can impact their mental and emotional well-being. As helping professionals, understanding the distinct needs of this population is crucial for providing effective support and treatment. This training is designed to equip mental health practitioners, counselors, social workers and other allied professionals with the knowledge and tools to work effectively with first responder clients. This session delves into the unique characteristics, cultural norms and occupational hazards that define the first responder community and are needed to create stronger therapeutic alliance. One of the highlights of this training is the introduction to the PEACE Resilience Model specifically designed for clients that will encounter ongoing trauma exposure. Above all, the training explores how to be a more effective support for those who dedicate their lives to serving others.

What You'll Learn

After completing this training, participants will be able to...

• Identify cultural norms, occupational hazards, and the high-stress nature of first responder roles that influence their mental health needs. 
• Discover how repeated exposure to traumatic events affects the mental, emotional, and relational well-being of first responder clients. 
• Describe the PEACE Resilience Model and identify strategies to implement it to support clients facing ongoing trauma exposure.
• Develop strategies to build trust and foster strong therapeutic relationships tailored to the unique needs of the first responder population, as well as protection for compassion fatigue.  

What You'll Earn

This training is approved for 3 CE clock hours for counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists, as well as substance use counselors in domain TR1 - treatment field related (renewals only) in the state of Ohio. 

Additional Information

Development Date: January 2025 

Target Audience: 988 crisis call line staff and other human services professionals

Content Level: Beginner

Training Outline

• First responder culture
• Ongoing trauma exposure
• PEACE Resilience Model
• Therapeutic strategies

Presenter

Sarah Stewart-Spencer, PhD, LPC, LMHC, NCC, CCTP, CH

Owner, Integrated Wellness Institute and Stewart-Spencer Consulting

Sarah Stewart-Spencer, PhD, LPC, LMHC, NCC, CCTP, CH, is a clinical provider specializing in trauma and an accomplished leader in higher education and counseling. A licensed professional counselor in Virginia, a licensed mental health counselor in Florida and a nationally certified counselor, she is also certified as a hypnotherapist and a clinical trauma professional. Stewart-Spencer is the owner of the Integrated Wellness Institute and Stewart-Spencer Consulting. She is currently an associate professor (adjunct faculty) at The Chicago School for Professional Psychology and a course developer and trainer at the International Trauma Training Institute. She maintains a private practice for high-risk trauma exposed populations, such as law enforcement. She is the former Dean of Behavioural Sciences at Yorkville University, Canada’s largest and leading online counselor education graduate program. Professional contributions include numerous publications and presentations at the local, regional, state, national and international level. She is a creator of the national First Responder Treatment Provider certification training program and the editor and founder of Therapeutic Speakeasy Quarterly, a peer-reviewed electronic journal for the helping profession. She also served as the editor of The Humanistic Counselor, a publication of the Association for Humanistic Counseling. Her published books include Metaphors and Therapy: Enhancing Clinical Supervision and Education and a Routledge publication, Metaphors in Counselor Education and Supervision. Stewart-Spencer has also practiced in a variety of roles and settings, such crisis/emergency, community mental health, outpatient counseling, psychiatric inpatient, court-appointed assessments, consultation and as a clinical director of a private agency. She served in multiple leadership roles throughout the professional field, such as the board of the Virginia Clinical Counselors Alliance and University TeleMental Health Training Advisory Forum. She has also served as a committee member at the Association for Creative Counseling and Association for Humanistic Counseling. 

Continuing Education Approvals 

The Ohio State University College of Social Work provides approvals for continuing education for counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists that are accepted by the state of Ohio Counselor, Social Work, and Marriage and Family Therapist (CSWMFT) Board.

The Ohio State University College of Social Work has been approved by the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals (CDP) Board as a provider of Continuing Education, approval number: 50-24068.

Certificates & CE Reporting 

CE certificates will be available for download in your learner portal within 1 business day after submitting the evaluation survey.

Hours for those with Ohio licenses that are submitted with the evaluation survey will be reported to CE Broker every 14 days (twice per month). 

⚠️ Note: You may only complete this training once for CE credit. You may revisit the content, but only one certificate will be issued and credit will only be reported to CE Broker one time.

Cancellations, Refunds, Grievances, Accessibility Requests & Learning 

Please visit the Policies section of our website for more information on our processes for cancellations, refunds, grievances, training completions & certificates, participant conduct, and accessibility requests and learning accommodations. 

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you require an accommodation to participate in this training, please contact CSW Accessibility as early as possible and in advance of the training start date by email at csw-accessibility@osu.edu or call 614-688-1657. Requests received at least 14-days prior to the date you plan to begin a training will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the College will make every effort to meet requests that we receive regardless of lead time. 

Contact Us

For questions about the enrollment process, payment options, technology, or training records, please submit an inquiry and our Enrollment Support team will assist you within 24 hours during business days.

Submit an enrollment inquiry

If you have any questions, concerns or feedback about the training content or delivery format, please contact the CSW Office of Continuing Education at cswce@osu.edu. For questions related to the training content, our office will facilitate communication with the training instructor on your behalf and connect you, if applicable. Presenter contact information will be provided within the training for questions, feedback, or comments. 

The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education, 302 Stillman Hall, 1947 College Road, Columbus, OH, 43210.

Phone: (614) 292-3032

Email: cswce@osu.edu 

Website: csw.osu.edu/continuing-education/