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On-Demand

Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes: Why Veterans and First Responders Drop Out of Care with Otherwise-Skilled Providers

Doc Springer
Robyn Sonnier
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Information

Recorded

  • -

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Recognize at least two often invisible cultural norms, values, and/or communication styles that set veterans and first responders apart.

  • Describe how well-intended clinical approaches can inadvertently trigger resistance or withdrawal from care.

  • Identify at least one practical tool providers can implement to reduce client dropout and increase engagement.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this training is for participants to increase cultural competency with veterans and first responders and learn practical tools to increase engagement and reduce client dropout with this client population.

Description

Many mental health providers are deeply motivated to work with veterans and first responders – and with good reason. It is truly wonderful to work with those who protect and defend others. These individuals are often service oriented and altruistic by nature. In addition, they possess extraordinary resilience, a strong sense of duty, and a deep desire to be better everyday for the people who count on them. Working with this population can be meaningful and incredibly rewarding.

Presenters Doc Springer and Robyn Sonnier continually heard from their clients that they have dropped out of care with other providers because of how they experienced treatment with other licensed providers. As they listened closely to their stories, it became clear that there is a hidden cultural - and trust deficit - between veterans and first responders and well-intentioned, otherwise-skilled providers who likely get great outcomes with other clients. Veterans and first responders frequently report feeling misunderstood, judged, or emotionally unsafe in sessions. These deficits are not always about clinical expertise but rather context, communication, and culture.

This training will begin to pull back the veil on this often hidden barrier to care. Participants will learn what veterans and first responders wish their past therapists had known, the unspoken codes and cultural norms that can make or break trust, common missteps that lead to dropout, and how to adapt their approach to create psychological safety and cultural alignment.

Participants will:

  • Learn to identify often invisible cultural norms, values, and communication styles that set veterans and first responders apart.

  • Achieve clarity on how well-intended clinical approaches can inadvertently trigger resistance or withdrawal from care.

  • Gain insight into how trust is the primary currency in effective care for the military and first responder population.

  • Obtain practical tools they can implement to reduce client dropout and increase engagement.

*This session will also introduce and preview a 10-hour training series designed to help equip mental health professionals to work with veterans & first responders in a culturally competent, trauma-informed, and relationally attuned way.*

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Doc Springer
Shauna ‘Doc’ Springer is a licensed psychologist, award-winning Military Times podcast host, and one of the world's leading experts on psychological trauma, suicide prevention, and close relationships. A Harvard graduate who has become a trusted advisor to our nation’s military warfighters and first responders, she is the author of three best-selling books, including RELENTLESS COURAGE which has been described by Lt. Col. David Grossman, best-selling author of On Killing as “one of the most important books of our time.” Dr. Springer is frequently sourced by the media for her uniquely perceptive insights, developed from two decades of work at the extremes. She currently provides specialized consultation and confidential advising to public safety leaders and their departments through THIN LINE ADVISORY. In addition, she serves in a separate role as the Chief Psychologist for Stella, which has more than 20 clinics across the United States, Israel and Australia.
Robyn Sonnier
Robyn Sonnier is a highly respected Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S) in Louisiana, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Arizona, and Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina. As a two time graduate from Louisiana State University and current Doctorate of Professional Counseling candidate at Mississippi College, Robyn is deeply committed to providing culturally competent and trauma-informed care to military personnel and first responders. She brings over a decade of clinical expertise to her work and has extensive training in treating trauma, IFS, and the unique mental health needs of the military and first responder population. She is a Level 2 Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP-II), a Certified Military Clinical Counselor (CMCC), Certified First Responder Counselor (CFRC), and CORDICO/NERPSC Emergency Responder & Public Safety Certified Clinician. She has spoken on both a local and national level sharing her clinical expertise with hundreds of other clinicians. Her expertise has also been highlighted on various podcasts and media outlets, and she has worked as a consultant with various organizations including Thin Line Advisory, Stella, The Overwatch Collective, and various law enforcement agencies. She is the owner of Clarté Counseling, LLC in Lafayette, LA and is dedicated to giving back to her profession. She is known for volunteering at the Louisiana Counseling Association conference for ten years, a volunteer for the American Red Cross Services to the Armed Forces and provides several continued education presentations to help serve the need. As a military/first responder partner, she also has a passion for working with the United States military and our nation's first responders, offering free sessions to veterans, active duty, and reservists, and financial assistance to first responders as a contracted therapist with The Overwatch Collective. She has mostly recently been awarded the 2024 Humane and Caring Person award at the Louisiana Counseling Association conference highlighting her work of providing over $50,000 of free therapy sessions to veterans and military members.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Thin Line Advisory
  • Robyn Sonnier, LPC, LLC