Samuel Buser

If you listened to our episodes on First Responders & Suicide, Part I and Part II , you heard us talk about the difficult behavioral health challenges facing firefighters, police, and EMS workers.  In this blog we will discuss mental health resources to assist First Responders in coping with those challenges.  Employee Assistance Programs Most First Responders are employees of local or state governments (e.g., counties, cities, states).  Typically, they have access to Employee Assistance …

Mental Health Resources for First Responders Read More »

You probably know that suicide is a major problem among combat veterans.  This theme has been repeatedly visited in movies and television depicting disillusioned former soldiers who eventually take their lives. But what do you know about First Responders (police, firefighters, and EMS workers) and suicide? We’ve dedicated episode 23: First Responders & Suicide, Part I to this very subject. Similarities to Veterans Like combat soldiers, First Responders are frequently exposed to traumatic situations.  Witnessing …

First Responders and Suicide: The Secret Killer Read More »

Every January 1st many Americans make resolutions about how we are going to be different in the coming year. We plan to exercise more, eat more carefully, stay in touch with our family better, etc. If you’ve listened to episode 22: “New Year…Now What?,” you’ve heard a lot of our advice on this subject.   One of the more common resolutions is to drink less alcohol. Maybe you don’t think you are an alcoholic, but perhaps …

Resolving to Drink Less Read More »

In Episode 21: Talking Teen Mental Health, Part III: Advice to Parents, our guest, Natalie Alyssa Sanchez, suggested that parents are sometimes too quick to focus on correcting their teen’s problems, rather than on understanding their feelings. Parents have experienced trouble understanding their adolescents since ancient times. A Babylonian tablet predicted that the world was going to hell because of the next generation. Those Babylonian parents, much like modern ones, complained about how hard it was to …

Better Communication with your Teen: When Grounding is Not Enough Read More »

In episode 20, “Talking Teen Mental Health, Part II- Facing the Suicide of Peers,” we touch on the subject of self-harm. There is a lot to cover on this specific topic, so it felt fitting to explore it in more depth here. Self-harm and suicide grow from similar roots: Disappointment in romantic relationships Substance abuse Depression History of trauma Few effective coping strategies Feeling isolated or alone Why do people self-harm? While self-harm and suicide …

Self-Harm and Suicide Read More »