What does it mean, to live by the Army’s Warrior Ethos?
Meet the first Special Operations Forces officer, Nick Lavery, with an above the knee amputation to return to combat. Learn about the pillars that help build and sustain an unshakable spirit.
Join us for a conversation with Nick who will discuss the importance of sacrifice, determination, selflessness service and what the Warrior Mindset is all about. Using specific vignettes and applicable lessons learned through personal experience, years of trial and error, and analysis, Nick will share impactful messages.
92 minutes. The approximate length of an exchange between two people on the Golden Gate Bridge in 2005, one standing on one side of the railing, another – outside, ready to jump. Kevin Berthia and Kevin Briggs will come together again at this FST5 webinar. Join us for an exhilarating discussion about finding hope, the impact of listening, and learning the power of active human- to-human interaction.
Participants:
Kevin Berthia
Kevin Berthia is a suicide survivor and prevention advocate. Kevin was born with genetic major depression disorder. In 2005, at the age of 22, Kevin attempted to take his own life by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. Eight years after his attempt Kevin was reunited with the officer who talked him back to safety. Since then, Kevin’s story of HOPE has touched a diverse group of audiences all around the world. Kevin has had the opportunity to share his story with several magazine outlets along with local and national news stations. Kevin’s story was also featured on the Steve Harvey Show. The photo of him standing on the chord was front page of the San Francisco Chronicle and placed on the 75 most iconic photos of the 21st Century.
Kevin Briggs
An inspiring mental health and suicide prevention speaker with over 20 years of experience in crisis management and suicide prevention, trained negotiator, mental health advocate, author of the book “Guardian of the Golden Gate”. Kevin Briggs’s TED talk video has been viewed more than 5,2 million times. Briggs, a retired California Highway Patrol Sergeant, spent many years patrolling the Golden Gate Bridge, and encouraged several hundreds of individuals to not end their life. Today he is dedicating his life to promoting mental health awareness across the globe through his organization Pivotal Points.
Moderators:
Cobey Taylor
Cobey Taylor is a career firefighter with Peninsula Township Fire Department out of Grand Traverse County. He is the founding president of the Northwest Michigan Peer Network where he helps spread the awareness of the stigma with mental health within the first responder community. Cobey is a member of the Michigan Professional Fire Fighter’s Union where he is on the behavioral health committee and is a member of the Michigan Crisis Response Association. Cobey’s main goal is to help Michigan lead the way in the fight against the stigma of first responder mental health, and to reduce the number of first responder suicides.
Manisha Leary
LMSW, Frontline Strong Together (FST5) Program Manager, Clinical Therapist Wayne Health Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences Services
Life can be stressful—you may feel stressed about performance at school, traumatic events (such as a pandemic, a natural disaster, or an act of violence), or a life change. Everyone feels stress from time to time.
What is stress? Stress is the physical or mental response to an external cause, such as having a lot of homework or having an illness. A stressor may be a one-time or short-term occurrence, or it can happen repeatedly over a long time.
What is anxiety? Anxiety is your body’s reaction to stress and can occur even if there is no current threat.
If that anxiety doesn’t go away and begins to interfere with your life, it could affect your health. You could experience problems with sleeping, or with your immune, digestive, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. You also may be at higher risk for developing a mental illness such as an anxiety disorder or depression. Read more about anxiety disorders.
So, how do you know when to seek help?
Stress vs. Anxiety
Stress
Both Stress and Anxiety
Anxiety
Generally is a response to an external cause, such as taking a big test or arguing with a friend.Goes away once the situation is resolved.Can be positive or negative. For example, it may inspire you to meet a deadline, or it may cause you to lose sleep.
Both stress and anxiety can affect your mind and body. You may experience symptoms such as:Excessive worryUneasinessTensionHeadaches or body painHigh blood pressureLoss of sleep
Generally is internal, meaning it’s your reaction to stress.Usually involves a persistent feeling of apprehension or dread that doesn’t go away, and that interferes with how you live your life.Is constant, even if there is no immediate threat.
It’s important to manage your stress.
Everyone experiences stress, and sometimes that stress can feel overwhelming. You may be at risk for an anxiety disorder if it feels like you can’t manage the stress and if the symptoms of your stress:
Interfere with your everyday life.
Cause you to avoid doing things.
Seem to be always present.
Coping With Stress and Anxiety
Learning what causes or triggers your stress and what coping techniques work for you can help reduce your anxiety and improve your daily life. It may take trial and error to discover what works best for you. Here are some activities you can try when you start to feel overwhelmed:
Keep a journal.
Download an app that provides relaxation exercises (such as deep breathing or visualization) or tips for practicing mindfulness, which is a psychological process of actively paying attention to the present moment.
Exercise, and make sure you are eating healthy, regular meals.
Stick to a sleep routine, and make sure you are getting enough sleep.
Avoid drinking excess caffeine such as soft drinks or coffee.
Identify and challenge your negative and unhelpful thoughts.
Reach out to your friends or family members who help you cope in a positive way.
Recognize When You Need More Help
If you are struggling to cope, or the symptoms of your stress or anxiety won’t go away, it may be time to talk to a professional. Psychotherapy (also called talk therapy) and medication are the two main treatments for anxiety, and many people benefit from a combination of the two.
If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Read more about getting help.
With challenges specific to the work environments of First Responders; navigating the Holidays can be hard for both the Responder and their families. Join us, as we talk with First Responder families who continue to learn new ways to manage the challenges of the Holidays together.
Participants:
Steve and Stephanie Faith
Steve and Stephanie Faith have been married for 25 years with 3 wonderful men. Andy is 23 in the US Air Force, Ryan is 20 with Livonia PD starting the Academy in January and Eric is 17 and a high school senior. Steve retired in December 2021 with 25 years of service.
Mike and Anna Wierenga
Mike and Anna have been married for 22 years and have 3 amazing kids: Mahala 17 Robert 16 and Little Leah 12. In January Mike will be starting his 31st year as a police officer.
Moderator: Manisha Leary
LMSW, Frontline Strong Together (FST5) Program Manager, Clinical Therapist Wayne Health Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences Services
We are excited to announce the launch of a Free Webinar Series presented by Frontline Strong Together (FST5).
First responders and a mental health professional, discuss challenges of recurring difficult experiences and ways of coping.
Participants:
Steve Faith
Detroit and Dearborn Sergeant Police Officer (20 years), US Marshal Fugitive Task Force member (5 years), SWAT team member (9 years), Peer support team member since 2020, full time Dad, Husband, and Coach.
Mike Wierenga
Grand Rapids Police Department Police Officer. Two The Rescue Life Saving Training L.L.C. Co-Owner. 30 years of law enforcement. and 18 years as a firefighter experience, with nearly 6.500 hours of classroom and practical skill instruction on police, fire, and EMS departments as well as colleges, universities, hospitals, and security agencies.
Arash Javanbakht
MD. Director of Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic (STARC) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Moderator: Manisha Leary
LMSW, Frontline Strong Together (FST5) Program Manager, Clinical Therapist Wayne Health Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences Services
51-year-old Funk Roberts takes you through a total body home workout for men over 40 using your body weight only and little space. This total body workout is perfect for men who are getting back to working out or those who need a workout to help burn fat and get stronger.
Tibetan meditation music, Shamanic music and Zen meditation music assists with stress relief during quarantine, produces positive energy, promotes mindfulness and healing and helps to achieve ultimate Zen. Yellow Brick Cinema’s soothing music can also be used as sleep music as it is calm music that is perfect relaxation music and ambient music. This calm music can be used in a spa as spa music. You can even create your own home spa experience by using our peaceful music as relaxation music and stress relief music. Some people use our Tibetan meditation music to study as this music is perfect ambient music to help you study. Flute music makes ideal study music as it is calming music. Our flute music and Tibetan music can be used as healing music or for yoga, spa, stress relief, mindfulness, sleep or simply to relax and enjoy. Listening to this Tibetan flute music means enjoying the soothing sounds of calming music– the music allows you to relax in the same way as guided meditation. The relaxing music of the flute provides peaceful music with which to switch off, relax and de-stress.
Left nostril breathing is a technique that helps dial down your stress response (sympathetic nervous system) while activating your relaxation response (parasympathetic nervous system). Try this for 10 reps whenever you’re feeling a little stressed out.
Dr. Raj Brar is a Los Angeles based physical therapist specializing in sports injury therapy and correction. Dr. Brar spends most of his time working with runners and other athletes helping to correct a number of issues as well as working on mechanical form correction and strength training as a method for future injury prevention.
A body scan is a simple and essential mindfulness skill that can help you connect with the present moment, reduce anxiety and stress, and feel calmer. The essence of a body scan exercise is to bring your awareness to various parts of your body, to scan your body with your noticing, and to come into contact and acceptance with the sensations in each area of your body.
We will be joining my co-worker, Mary. A 32-year-old 9-1-1 dispatcher who is on the phone with her mother after being informed of mandatory overtime due to another co-worker calling off.
Mary has kids in daycare and her husband just started his police shift. So now she must find someone to pick up the children because she is unable to leave.
