As someone who has worked as a firefighter/paramedic for the last 12 years, I feel that I have always been called to help people. It brings me great joy to see my efforts have a lasting impact on someone. Through my personal mental health struggles, including a line-of-duty death in my department, I realized that though we are the ones who are called upon for help, we are also the ones in need of some help. I am forever grateful for the support I received through counseling, and I have seen firsthand how it has helped my coworkers through times of grief, addiction, and battling PTSD/other mental illnesses. I chose to make this career change in hopes of being that lifeline and support system for others who find themselves in the same shoes I was in. Working in public safety comes with a lot of personal side effects like addiction, divorce, and mental illnesses like PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Unfortunately, mental health has quite a stigma in my current career. We label ourselves as "alphas" who never show weakness and certainly don't ask for help. I have felt this strong pull to help others my entire life, and while I love the fire department, my desire to help doesn't always seem completely fulfilled, like I was missing part of the puzzle. That's where this career change comes into play, even though I am halfway to retirement. My hopes for becoming a counselor involve becoming a specialist for public safety employees, and the traumas that they endure on and off the job. The biggest comment I heard regarding my peers seeking mental health help was they didn't feel understood by the counselor, leaving them frustrated and defeated, subsequently giving up on counseling. Others won't even go seek treatment, as the stigma is sadly still alive and well in their minds. I hope to be the change in that situation for as many people as I can reach. It is estimated that 30% of all first responders battle with mental illness of some type, and many often never seek treatment. I have seen many peers walk away from this job that they love altogether, lose this job due to addiction, or lose a spouse due to undealt with trauma. I cannot stand by and allow this to keep happening to people who choose to put their lives on the line for strangers every single day. It is certainly an unorthodox way that I came about this realization and desire to start down a new career path, but I am so thankful that I have been able to find something good out of all the hurt and pain I have seen and experienced. Becoming a licensed counselor is an amazing task in itself, but breaking the stigma and accessing groups of people who felt isolated and disconnected from the entirety of mental health care for one reason or another is going to be like winning a medal at the Olympics. I feel so blessed that I have realized my true calling and will go to the ends of the Earth to see this goal through.

I believe that one of the biggest and most positive impacts I can do is to share my story and educate people about mental health. Mental health as a whole, is just now breaking out of the realm of taboo. Even at the age of 30, many people I grew up with still do not believe in mental health and the need for self-care. It is one thing to gain all this knowledge, but is so incredibly important to share and educate, so more people are aware of what counselors do and how they can help. I will admit, for the longest time I had this vision of counselors and the couch the patients lay on and thought "Wow that is awkward, I would never". Now that I am more understanding and have a personal mental health journey, I realize how uneducated the masses are. Many people grew up in homes where emotions weren't allowed to be expressed or felt. Now that those people are adults and facing adversity in the world, they haven't learned how to feel or express the things they are experiencing, causing a lot of dysregulation. Dysregulation that can be easily repaired with some education on the resources available to them, to relearn those unhealthy behaviors. Another impact I am hoping to make is to make mental health care more accessible and affordable. I live in a fairly rural area, where mental health resources are few and far between. Since the supply is low and demand is quite a bit higher, the prices for care and treatment are not affordable for a lot of people. My dream is to start my own practice, and while working with insurance to get coverage for people, allow a low-cost option for people without insurance or mental health coverage on their plan. Along with providing counseling services at an accessible rate for all, I plan to allocate at least one day a week for educational purposes. Whether it be to go to a local school or business and provide education and free resources or to go to a company and provide a topic-based lecture on mental health for their employees, I am committed to not only providing the best mental health care I can but to also educate the masses with every opportunity. Between being a genuine and compassionate counselor, educating as many people as I can, and making mental health care accessible and affordable, I hope to make an extremely positive impact on my community for years to come.

Just three years ago, I believed that mental health care was a resource I would never have to utilize. Then, life happened, I was assaulted at work, and my life began to spiral. I was desperate for help, and a few wonderful mental health workers came to my aid and helped me get back on my feet. Since then, my entire viewpoint on the importance and need for mental health in everyone's life, regardless of struggles or not, completely changed. I currently work as a Fire Captain and have worked for the fire department for 11 years now. I have always loved this job, and the opportunity to help people in a time of crisis. Once I experienced my own mental health crisis after being assaulted by a coworker, I saw how my counselor helped me and brought me back from the darkest depths of my mind, I realized how much this career also helps people in a time of crisis. Working in the fire service for my entire adult life has not exposed me much to mental health care other than patients in full-blown crisis that we take to the hospital for evaluation. Mental health has been a taboo topic, firefighters "just make do". People who work in public safety are probably some of the people who need mental health support the most, but the lack of education on the topic, or mental health workers who are relatable are practically nonexistent. My goal when I obtain this degree, and then complete my Master's to be eligible for licensing, I plan to offer mental health counseling services to public safety and the military, with a primary focus on the fire department. I attended a group counseling program specifically for firefighters, and one of the most common things I heard was that they had tried and failed at counseling, as they felt like their counselor didn't understand the fire service and all it involved. There is nothing more frustrating and defeating than feeling like you aren't understood, especially at a low point in your life when you are struggling with something. I hope to be one of the counselors that helps bridge that gap, both by providing counseling and also by providing education to the employees of departments in the region around me. I have high hopes by offering counseling as a person who has been in their shoes, as well as educating people who might be averse to the concept, I can help reduce firefighter suicide, addiction rates, divorce rates, and attrition from employees who are too burnt out to continue this job. My career aspirations are a tall order, convincing people who refuse help that they should seek help. Most of my coworkers are Type A personalities, so accepting help in any form is a difficult task. I almost walked away from that career and wanted to give up on life, but I have my entire future ahead of me, thanks to the counselor that gave me a beacon of hope. I only hope now to pay it forward.

Working full-time as a female in the fire service for the last 11 years has shown me many examples of how we as women have to overcome many more obstacles compared to the male coworkers I have. The fire service is a male-dominated industry, but I work hard every single day to overcome challenges and prove to every person I encounter that women also deserve a seat at the table. Three years ago, I chose to switch fire departments for my employment, with the driving factors being a better retirement, better pay and hopes for a less misogynistic command staff. Five weeks into my new job, I was sexually assaulted on duty by one of my coworkers. I immediately became concerned that I had made the wrong choice by switching jobs, and that this place would only be the same. For the next year, I fought with my command staff, HR and EEO for justice to be served, for that man to be punished for what we did, as well as set an example that negative behavior toward females would not be tolerated in our department. It was a lonely road, causing many other coworkers to be fearful of me, and not wanting to associate with or befriend me, but I pushed on. During that time, I sent endless emails, had meetings with various department heads and anyone who would listen to me, to ensure this never happened again to a woman in our department. In the end, I was successful and my attacker was disciplined and removed from employment. There is no easy road to success, and this experience proved true. There were many moments along the way where I considered giving up, and just letting go of the situation so I wouldn't cause more ripples. Then I remembered my actions were to provide a better environment for the younger women we hire. I was hired in the fire service at 19, young and naive. Whenever I make a decision now, I often think about how I can protect and look out for the 19-year-old version of myself, and all the women out there just like me. Just one year after the end of the investigation, I applied for promotion to Captain. I figured it was a long shot, but at this point in my career, long shots were all I was ever given. I ended up ranking 2nd out of 27 applicants in the process and was promoted to Captain. I am currently the only female Captain in my department of 350 personnel. After promotion, some of the other females in my department reached out to me about how inspiring and motivating it is that a female broke the proverbial glass ceiling for all of us. I may not be able to change the past of what I had to endure the last 11 years in a career that consistently pushes back and snubs females, but I can sure be the driving change moving forward for all the females that come after me.