Frontline Wellness grew out of something my husband and I learned through our own experience:

The impact of first responder work doesn't always show up right away, and it doesn't always stay at work.

My husband served as a police officer for several years, and over time, we began to see how the demands and experiences of the job could affect more than just the person wearing the uniform. There were experiences that stayed with him, changes we didn't always understand at the time, and ways the stress of the job began to affect our relationship and our family life.

Once we were able to name what was happening we were able to work through it, some things together and some individually. He was brave enough to acknowledge that he had been carrying the pressure of this job and the experiences it brought, and he needed help to unravel it and to eventually set it down. Slowly, things began to change. He started to feel more like himself, and we both gained a better understanding of how first responder work can shape the nervous system, relationships, and life outside of the job.

I had my own work to do as well. I began to recognize how my experiences, anxiety, and the unique challenges of being married to a first responder were affecting me and contributing to patterns between us. We both had things to work through, and that experience gave me a much deeper understanding of why supporting first responders also means understanding the people and relationships around them.

Our story isn't every first responder's story, and it may not look anything like yours. But it changed the way I understand first responder mental health and, just as importantly, first responder family wellness.

That experience became part of the reason we created Frontline Wellness: a practice built around the whole picture. The first responder. The spouse. The family. The demands of the job. And everything people may continue carrying long after the shift ends.