Publisher's Synopsis
"Wow! Mark offers a rich blend of personal insights and professional guidance to not only reduce mental health stigma in first responders but to fortify their resilience. He clearly explains the why of recommendations, backed by scientific research, while maintaining gripping readability. As I read this, I kept thinking "Ya, that's what I keep telling my clients" and "Ya, that's what my clients keep telling me." I believe this book provides proof to other first responders that they are not alone and they are not irreparably broken. It goes well beyond telling stories to be filled with a message of hope. This book is a call to action for first responders and their agencies to take better care of themselves with the tools to do just that."
-Stephanie M. Conn, PhDLicenced Psychologist, First Responder Psychology
Author of Increasing Resilience in Police & Emergency Personnel: Strengthening Your Mental Armor Sights on Stigma
Mark Bouchard shares his experience of suffering from a post-traumatic stress injury due to his work as a police officer on an Emergency Response Team operator, along with the lessons that he learned during his recovery. Mark shares the hardest moments in his journey, including high-risk calls, being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and failing a psychological exam. He takes the reader on an emotional journey, where he shares what it feels like to go through intense experiences as a police officer working on an elite SWAT / ERT team. This book will show you in vivid detail what it is like to face impossible situations as a front line police officer, and the long-term impacts of those experiences. It was written as a guide to help other police officers and first responders to navigate the psychological challenges of their career. Mark shares his own journalling that he wrote while off work on stress leave with a psychological injury. These journaling passages were written to one of Mark's closest friends at a time when he felt broken. He wasn't broken. He was injured, but it took him years to change his own mindset by learning from the top researchers and professionals. Now Mark shows a different type of courage by taking his deepest thoughts and feelings, the ones that he wanted to hide from everyone, and by showing them to the world to reduce mental health stigma. Real Lived Experience
"This book is the 'REAL - LIVED - EXPERIENCE!!' Mark has turned tragedy into triumph, not only for himself but to all those that are able to read this very inspiring and informative book. Mark has exemplified true bravery by sharing his story and shining a light on the most invisible injuries that so many first responders experience each day. It is a tale of sacrifice and an unveiling of a what a true 'hero' really is." -Dr. Jody Burnett, Registered Psychologist
