Services
We have core services we provide and then some. We are here to be allies through these difficult times.
We’re here to provide Assistance for you!
Public safety employees make many personal sacrifices to serve the community and our country.
Our staff is dedicated to provide the support they deserve to cope with the psychological trauma & stress that they sustain from their service
Core Services Offered
Pre-Employment Psychological Screenings
Pre-employment psychological screenings are evaluations that determine psychological suitability for a specific public safety position.
Pre-Offer
- Written Civil Service Exam
- Physical Agility Test
- Oral Board
- Pre-Offer Background
- Pre-Offer Polygraph
Post-Offer
- Psychological
- Medical
Pre-employment psychological screenings are evaluations that determine psychological suitability for a specific public safety position.
The screening involves a battery of psychological assessments, a clinical interview, and a review of background history. Questions in a clinical interview will include areas such as drug and alcohol use, relationship history, education, and employment. It is important to answer all questions honestly, as integrity is one of the most important characteristics required in public safety.
The psychological assessments are used to determine personality characteristics, and to help diagnose mental health disorders. It is possible for individuals with no mental health problems to be found psychologically unsuitable for a position in public safety. The pre-employment psychological screening will determine if a person has the skill set needed for the particular position he or she is applying for in public safety.
The best way to prepare for the screening is to arrive on time, and well rested. It is important to bring money for parking, and food if your interview is scheduled around a meal time. There is a café on the ground level of our building, and ATM machines in front of the Bank of America and Wells Fargo banks located on either side of our office building.
Parking options include: Valet parking in the building, parking on the streets behind/south of the building, parking in Westwood Village Square Parking (one block north from our office on Lindbrook Drive and Gayley), Parking lot behind LA Fitness on Gayley, the Glendon Parking Lot (behind CVS pharmacy on Westwood and Wellworth Ave), and the UCLA parking lot (building next door). Below is a link to the IACP Pre-employment Screening Guidelines: https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/all/p-r/Psych-PreemploymentPsychEval.pdf
Individual Psychotherapy
First responders deal with traumatic incidents on a regular basis. Individual therapy is a safe, confidential environment to help process trauma, treat psychological injuries, improve relationships, and build resilience.
Group Psychotherapy
Group therapy is a powerful vehicle for growth and change, and it has been an effective treatment option for over 50 years.
Group Psychothereapy
Many people benefit from the support of others. There can be much relief in learning that you are not the only one struggling. In group, people receive understanding, encouragement, and support from others facing similar issues. Group therapy is a powerful vehicle for growth and change, and it has been an effective treatment option for over 50 years. It is a form of counseling in which up to eight people come together under the guidance of a professionally trained therapist to help themselves and one another. For some people, groups can be more effective and produce quicker results than individual therapy.Other benefits of Group Psychotherapy include:
- The opportunity to be real with others in an environment of safety and respect.
- Counteracting feelings of isolation and a sense of being alone.
- Learning about one's usual patterns of relating to people, and allowing for an opportunity to challenge these patterns.
Our groups are 50 or 80 minutes in duration, and we meet weekly. Topics include: Trauma Support Group for Combat Veterans, Support Group for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Support Group for the Spouses/Significant Others of Police Officers with PTSD, and Alcohol and Substance Abuse Group for First Responders.
Annual Routine Debrief
It is simply an office visit to debrief critical incidents, cumulative stressors, marital or relationship problems, or any issues that can affect your emotional health.
Standard Lectures & Training
Check out the Trainings/Seminars tab to view a comprehensive list of our lectures and training topics.
Consultation Services
We are experienced in providing guidance and interventions for many problems that departments face including: problem employees, low morale, line of duty deaths, and suicide.
Emergency Call-Out
Our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week to serve your emergency needs. Our team is comprised of highly skilled licensed professionals who are able to meet the demands of large scale emergency situations.
Fitness for Duty Evaluation
A Fitness for Duty Evaluation is performed when an employee demonstrates objective problematic behavior that calls into question his or her ability to perform their duties safely and effectively, and there is a reasonable basis for believing that their behavior is the result of an underlying psychological/psychiatric issue.
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
Our team is available to provide care for your employees at any time of the day or night. We provide immediate response to psychological trauma resulting from exposure to suicides, pediatric deaths, homicides, traffic collision scenes, personal injuries, and other on-duty events.
Family Counseling
The support and foundation of family is the most important resource for people experiencing psychological pain. Unfortunately, during times of stress family members suffer silently while anger and resentments build. We provide support services to all members of fire families.
Peer Support Team Training
Peer Support members are co-workers who are trained by a licensed psychologist to help provide private and confidential (AB-1116) emotional support, psychoeducation, and appropriate referrals. Peer Support is an intervention that relies on shared experiences and trust to provide support and identify a potential high-risk situation before a crisis event occurs.
More Information
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Why See Firefighter Psychologist Vs. EAP or other general Mental Health Clinician?
Psychological services to firefighter employees are unique. Firefighter psychologists are informed about the laws and guidelines that are pertinent to making decisions and providing appropriate intervention services for City personnel.
Firefighter psychologists are familiar with organizational dynamics and firefighter culture, which allows them to be more effective in providing trainings and psychotherapy, as well as understanding the working conditions and stressors unique to their ranks and various assignments.
Firefighter psychologists are trained to handle ethical problems such as issues around confidentiality, dual relationships, and conflicts between the ethical standards of the psychologists and the needs to the agency.
Firefighter Families
When a firefighter suffers from trauma, his or her family also suffers. Shift work, public scrutiny, long hours, and the danger of firefighter work can have disruptive consequences for firefighter families.
Researchers have found that family members can experience vicarious or secondary trauma that mimics Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Artwohl & Christensen, 1997; Batten et al., 2009; Kirschman 2007; Reehr, 2005). To address these issues, we offer trainings for fire families that can be done with family orientations, workshops, and even on a crisis intervention basis as needed.
Our office provides therapy for fire couples and families. Therapists who understand organizational stressors, fire culture, and the unique manifestations of trauma in fire officers are especially helpful to fire families.
Debriefings
Early intervention is essential for preventing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Psychological first aid, critical incident stress debriefings, and cognitive behavioral therapy have been found to be effective methods for early interventions. There has been some controversy in the critical incident stress debriefing studies, but there is wide agreement that psychological assistance that is provided during the acute phase after a critical incident can be valuable.
The critical incident stress debriefing has been called into question, when some individuals stated that they felt “forced” to discuss their feelings when they were not ready yet, and/or felt uncomfortable discussing personal reactions in a group setting. These findings inspired a move towards psychological first aid, where the focus now is on taking care of the firefighter, with careful consideration of their personal needs at that particular time. There is also follow up contact as needed, since delayed emotional reactions are not uncommon after critical incidents.
Our staff carefully follows recent trends and research to ensure the best quality of psychological services to our clients.
Alcohol & Substance Abuse
“Mental Health information and intervention services can help prevent or reduce post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, behavioral problems in employees, stress claims and other issues.”
The unfortunate consequence of alcohol and prescription medication use to self-medicate pain is that the underlying trauma is not treated, and another, new separate problem emerges.
We provide individual and group therapy for first responders who are dealing with substance abuse issues. Alcohol abuse, in particular is a very common coping strategy that officers use to quell the anxiety and depressive symptoms that come as a result of exposure to cumulative as well as critical incident stress. Research has revealed that there is a significant correlation between the development of substance abuse disorders and trauma (Follette, et. al., 1998).
Our office currently can provide referrals to 12 step programs specifically designed for first responders. Please contact our office for more information.
Peer Support, or Trauma Support Teams are of great value to fire agencies. Many firefighters feel more comfortable talking to their peers.
Thereapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
“The American Psychological Association and the Veteran’s administration agree that cognitive behavioral therapy is recommended as the first line of treatment for PTSD.”
Our office provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. Both are powerful treatment tools for PTSD.
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Pre-employment psychological screenings are evaluations that determine psychological suitability for a specific public safety position.
The screening involves a battery of psychological assessments, a clinical interview, and a review of background history. Questions in a clinical interview will include areas such as drug and alcohol use, relationship history, education, and employment. It is important to answer all questions honestly, as integrity is one of the most important characteristics required in public safety.
The psychological assessments are used to determine personality characteristics, and to help diagnose mental health disorders. It is possible for individuals with no mental health problems to be found psychologically unsuitable for a position in public safety. The pre-employment psychological screening will determine if a person has the skill set needed for the particular position he or she is applying for in public safety.
The best way to prepare for the screening is to arrive on time, and well rested. It is important to bring money for parking, and food if your interview is scheduled around a meal time. There is a café on the ground level of our building, and ATM machines in front of the Bank of America and Wells Fargo banks located on either side of our office building.
Parking options include: Valet parking in the building, parking on the streets behind/south of the building, parking in Westwood Village Square Parking (one block north from our office on Lindbrook Drive and Gayley), Parking lot behind LA Fitness on Gayley, the Glendon Parking Lot (behind CVS pharmacy on Westwood and Wellworth Ave), and the UCLA parking lot (building next door). Below is a link to the IACP Pre-employment Screening Guidelines: https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/all/p-r/Psych-PreemploymentPsychEval.pdf
The screening involves a battery of psychological assessments, a clinical interview, and a review of background history. Questions in a clinical interview will include areas such as drug and alcohol use, relationship history, education, and employment. It is important to answer all questions honestly, as integrity is one of the most important characteristics required in public safety.
The psychological assessments are used to determine personality characteristics, and to help diagnose mental health disorders. It is possible for individuals with no mental health problems to be found psychologically unsuitable for a position in public safety. The pre-employment psychological screening will determine if a person has the skill set needed for the particular position he or she is applying for in public safety.
The best way to prepare for the screening is to arrive on time, and well rested. It is important to bring money for parking, and food if your interview is scheduled around a meal time. There is a café on the ground level of our building, and ATM machines in front of the Bank of America and Wells Fargo banks located on either side of our office building.
Parking options include: Valet parking in the building, parking on the streets behind/south of the building, parking in Westwood Village Square Parking (one block north from our office on Lindbrook Drive and Gayley), Parking lot behind LA Fitness on Gayley, the Glendon Parking Lot (behind CVS pharmacy on Westwood and Wellworth Ave), and the UCLA parking lot (building next door). Below is a link to the IACP Pre-employment Screening Guidelines: https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/all/p-r/Psych-PreemploymentPsychEval.pdf
First responders deal with traumatic incidents on a regular basis. Unfortunately, there is no training on how to cope with the trauma, or preventative measures to learn resiliency skills. The end result is “stuffing down” emotions and taking the edge off with alcohol. The cumulative effect of this common process can lead to problems like anger, depression, anxiety, alcoholism, divorce, and suicide.
Many police officers do not know that they can receive treatment when they are suicidal, and even be voluntarily hospitalized for suicide and not lose their jobs. The exception to this is when hospitalization is NOT voluntary. Involuntary hospitalization results in losing fire arms privileges.
Our team is comprised of competent, compassionate professionals trained in treating mental health problems specific to first responders and their families. We provide cognitive behavioral therapy, as this modality in treatment has been found to be the most effective for issues like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Individual sessions are 50 minutes. We accept Worker’s Compensation, credit cards, and some forms of insurance. Please call our office for more details.
Many police officers do not know that they can receive treatment when they are suicidal, and even be voluntarily hospitalized for suicide and not lose their jobs. The exception to this is when hospitalization is NOT voluntary. Involuntary hospitalization results in losing fire arms privileges.
Our team is comprised of competent, compassionate professionals trained in treating mental health problems specific to first responders and their families. We provide cognitive behavioral therapy, as this modality in treatment has been found to be the most effective for issues like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Individual sessions are 50 minutes. We accept Worker’s Compensation, credit cards, and some forms of insurance. Please call our office for more details.