Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Gura.
Hi Sarah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I opened my practice in 2007, in a Chicago suburb. I was licensed by 2009 and started working full-time with first responders in 2010. I wrote two curriculums for first responder peer support and for training counselors in first responder psychological support in 2014. I toured through Illinois for about 8 years, providing a 2-hour presentation called “An Introduction to First Responder Psychological Support.” Then, I started two programs: an employee counseling program for first responders in Illinois, and an Annual Behavioral Health Review service. It was an incredible and challenging ride! I have done everything from ride-alongs, to teaching chief fire officer courses, peer support classes, and providing individual therapy. I have presented at different first responder academies, hospitals, police departments, fire departments, and dispatch centers. I started a podcast in 2020 during Covid and continue that project today. In December 2021, I moved to Florida to be closer to my Mom. I continue to work in Illinois and now in Florida with first responders. I provide individual counseling, trauma-informed counseling, EMDR therapy, couples counseling, and other counseling services (including mental health presentations).
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
First responders were notorious for dodging psychological support services. In all fairness, we weren’t offering it either. I believe I am a pioneer in this field along with many dedicated peers. Learning from interviews, participating, and taking the ethnography approach was important. I have been trained to put on gear, fit tested, and I have provided counseling in “the maze/cans” and burn towers. I do what hasn’t been done so that it’s helpful. While I can honestly say I want the justice system to improve when it comes to first responder mental health, I have also navigated my way through being a witness for my patients in a harsh, cruel environment. I have learned that Psychology is still scary and unwelcomed, though more welcome than it’s ever been. There is nothing smooth about working with a crowd of mostly men who feel traumatized, who would rather not admit it, and who do drink about it, divorce about it, or isolate over it. There are many hoops to jump through, and you have to prove yourself oftem. While I think that part is mostly over for me now, connecting with colleagues is a funny-weird experience. We need a community of us to collectively work toward making first responder psychological support accessible and protected by the law. I hope to continue chipping away at this. The struggles are real.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a mental health counselor who specializes in treating first responders. When I think about my job, it doesn’t sound as pretty as that last sentence. I don’t know if people picture what I know about humanity and certain neighborhoods/towns: dead babies (pediatric deaths), brutal car accidents, murder investigations, arson and fire investigations, homes burning down, burn victims – and – burned firefighters, suicides, stabbings, tenable and not tenable lines, radio traffic that stabs you in the back, emergency department nightmares, pronouncing people dead, family member neglect, holiday upheavals, moral injuries, politics and good ol’boys clubs, leadership failures, ostracizing and bulling the “not cool guy” and sexism and racism issues. I list it like that to help us get the feeling: the list goes on! I’m who you talk to when it all hits the fan. It’s beyond anxiety and depression or PTSD. It’s an entire culture of insanity (or moral injury) that meets everyday heroes.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I can sleep well at night. I have a roof over my head. I enjoy my convertible (I sold my motorcycle). I feel love, and I feel joyful. My humor and my ability to have candid conversations light the way!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.selfcarepath.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-gura-8a8285238
- Youtube: @sarah-guraSCP
- Other: www.anchor.fm/sarahgura or First Responder Psychological Support on Spotify
