First Responders and Disaster Behavioral Health Response Teams witness many traumatic events.  In the days after the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, Counselors met with 1,300+ people including Sandy Hook Elementary School students, teachers, staff and First Responders.

Counselors saw the victims’ anguish and listened to their pain.  They comforted First Responders trying to process what they saw.

Counselors feel the impact but multiplied by many sessions.

Who takes care of them?  Self-care and peer support is an important aspect of staying well.  One aspect of self-care is spending time with a four-legged friend.

Below is a Wellmore Behavioral Health counselor de-stressing with K9 Spartacus after a day at the Crisis Center. Sometimes the comfort of a dog does more than anything else…