Welcome Employee and Family Resource Partnership with First Responder Coaching Homepage
Employee & Family Resource Employee Assistance Program
We are excited to offer to you 30-minute confidential coaching sessions. Your department is investing in you: personally and professionally. Take a moment to review our resources and information to better understand exactly what is available and how to take advantage of the program.
Our Partnership
First Responder Coaching and Atlantic Police Department are partnering to provide you with coaching services. Review the resources below to understand more about the program.
Embarking on a first responder career (or any of life’s challenges) can often feel like you’re navigating without a clear path. Whether it’s climbing the ladder in rank, starting a family, or striving for financial stability, you succeed better with a roadmap. But life doesn’t provide those, does it?
At First Responder Coaching (FRC), we believe in the coach approach. We know the importance of guidance and support and, most importantly, we understand first responder life. We’re looking at the road with you, acting as your GPS to guide you towards your most significant aspirations. We help you uncover the right tools, strategies, and insights to get to where you want to be.
Coaching is about active listening and reflecting back your words and actions. Coaches observe what you’re
doing, let you know what they see, and ask you what you’ll do next. It’s about powerful questions and honest observations.
Coaching draws you into a conversation where you’re the driver, navigator, and ultimate field guide. We ask you what you’re looking for, what you see, and what you want to do about it. We remind you of the goals you set and hold you accountable. We encourage progress and forward movement. We look to the future by seeing the present clearly.
You can explore your past and feelings with a therapist, or get advice from a mentor, but you uncover your
direction from a coach.
Coaching is NOT therapy. We don’t dive into your past to uncover your trauma. We are not licensed clinicians and do not diagnose or treat mental health illnesses. If you have a concern in that area, please see a medical professional or licensed therapist.
Also, coaching is not mentoring. We’re not here to tell you about our personal experiences and tell you what to do. To hear about other people’s experiences, a peer support group is a great place to start.
Your department has purchased coaching sessions to be used by department members at their discretion.
Session content is entirely confidential and no content is shared with the department. First Responder Coaching only shares the amount of session units used to inform the purchase of additional sessions as the package runs low.
Coaching sessions can be used for personal or professional purposes to help you establish a higher level of mental wellbeing. Individuals who choose to schedule sessions will have access to select wellbeing assessments to help them identify and monitor their progress. Assessments are only shared within the coaching partnership and not provided to any outside agency (including your department).
First responders are the last to try “stuff like this” because they don’t want to talk about their struggles. People outside first responder life don’t get it. We are first responders and first responder families. We do get it. We’re not sheltered from the scary scenes. We’re not unaware of the crazy shifts. We get the lingo and the job. When you’re not explaining the details and trying to water the story down, you can cut right to brass tacks and start making progress.
With your coach, you can talk shop, set goals, create actionable tasks, and be held accountable to complete those tasks. You’ll have a plan and a partner who works with you to review progress, make adjustments, and keep you moving forward. Coaching doesn’t just help you navigate out of your rut or to the path to success. It’s a teaching tool that helps you find the drive and resiliency to solve your own problems and overcome your own obstacles. In short, after going through coaching, you’ll have the tools to tackle future challenges like never before.
Who are we?
We are GPSing Life.
Our Mission
To bring coaching services to first responder communities led by members of the community we serve. We recognize that firstresponders’ needs differ and that coaching is THE proactive approach to mental health and wellness.
Our Values
Accessibility
We are passionate about the importance of making coaching accessible to all first responders and their family members.
Community
We are passionate about supporting our first responder community, including the individual, the organization, their families, and the community they serve.
Service
We are passionate about the people we serve, not only because we appreciate them but also because we are all a part of the first responder community.
Communication
We are passionate about creating environments that foster open communication where those we serve can be their true selves. Through this passion, everyone can support communication within their personal and professional lives.
Education
We are passionate about educating the first responder community that they are not alone in dealing with their mental health challenges and that there are MANY modalities that they can access which will help them to become more resilient people and first responders.
Meet our Coaches
Take a moment to review each of our coach profiles. When you find one you feel you can connect with, click their link to schedule your first session.
Jim L.
Public Servant; Fire Chief (Ret); Leadership Development Director; Certified First Responder Coach
Krystol B.
First Responder Therapy Dog Handler; Certified First Responder Coach
Ready to Get Started
Follow the steps below for links to enroll and get started!
Complete the Required Onboarding Survey
We partner with Practice, a 3rd party scheduling system that provides a confidential space to communicate between you and your coach. Follow the link to provide us brief information needed for starting the process. Any delay in completing this survey will delay having access to sessions.
Create Your Username and Password
Navigate to Practice to create your username and password. Check to make sure you use an email you are comfortable with AND can monitor your scheduled appointments.
Check out our Blog
Review our blog for current topics that relate to you as a first responder.
Emergency Department: The Trauma Catch-All
Most ED patients are walk-ins, making the ED staff first responders for those cases and the trauma catch-all.
Resilience: The Rubber Band of Your Brain
Some people are still unclear on the difference between resilience and coping. We’re going to try an analogy to illustrate the difference.
Changing Perspectives: 3 Methods that Work
Changing perspectives means forging new roads ahead to more ideas, better understanding, and greater possibilities.