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Live Webinar

Providing Mental Health Care to First Responders

Doug Brennan
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Information

Date & Time

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Explain the occupational and stigma-based barriers that delay or prevent first responders from accessing mental health/substance use care.  

  • Describe the shared occupational stressors and unique occupational stressors among first responder populations.

  • Summarize evidence-based strategies for treatment engagement and good clinical outcomes. 

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this workshop is for clinicians to understand the occupational, cultural, and stigma-related barriers that keep first responders from seeking mental health and substance use care, and the stressors common to each first responder group. They will be able to apply a phased, evidence-based approach that adapts standard treatments to first responders’ work roles to improve engagement and clinical outcomes.

Description

First responders, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, correctional officers, and military service members, face occupational stressors and trauma exposures that put them at high risk for mental health and substance use disorders. Yet shift work, concerns about job security and role readiness, and a culture of stigma often delay or prevent them from seeking care. This workshop reviews the shared and role-specific stressors, health risks, and clinical considerations for each first responder population. Participants will learn a phased, evidence-based approach to care, from low-barrier engagement and safety planning through trauma-focused therapy and maintenance treatment.

Target Audience

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

Presenters

Doug Brennan
Douglas Brennan, MD, MPA, is a board-certified adult and forensic psychiatrist. He completed his psychiatry residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital, followed by a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. He holds an appointment as Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and previously served on the faculty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Brennan has practiced across academic, inpatient, forensic, and Veterans Affairs settings, including Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Bridgewater State Hospital, the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, where he received the VA’s iCare Award in 2023. His scholarly work focuses on law enforcement, targeted violence, and legal issues in psychiatry, with publications in Behavioral Sciences & the Law, Pocket Psychiatry, and Oxford University Press’s Lone-Actor Terrorism. He earned his MD from the University of Colorado, an MPA from California State University, and a BS in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Family Care Center