Counselling for First Responders

The work asks a lot. Calls that stay with you, shift schedules that wear on sleep and family, and a culture where asking for help can feel like a risk to your career.

For nearly ten years, a large part of my practice has been with first responders, including members of EPS and the RCMP. I also consult with crisis negotiation teams. I know the language, the pressures, and how the systems around the job work.

What we can work on

  • Critical incidents and cumulative stress

  • Sleep, irritability, and feeling on edge

  • The strain the job puts on relationships and home life

  • Substance use

  • Returning to work after an injury or time away

  • Career decisions and life after the job

How I work

We go at a pace that makes sense to you. Trauma work starts with stability, and we build from there. I use EMDR, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and somatic, body-based approaches, along with ordinary talk therapy. You decide what we focus on.

Confidentiality

What you share in counselling is confidential, within the limits set by law. Your employer does not receive information about your sessions without your written consent. If you're involved in a WCB claim or a fitness-for-duty process, I'll explain clearly what is shared, with whom, and why, before anything goes anywhere.

Assessment

I provide fitness-for-duty, return-to-work, and occupational injury assessments, as well as pre-employment suitability assessments.

Claims and coverage

I work regularly with WCB Alberta, Veterans Affairs Canada, and Canada Life. Many first responder benefit plans cover psychological services, and I can help you understand what's involved in using yours.

Veterans and RCMP members with a VAC claim: see VAC assessments and counselling for how the process works.

Getting started

In person in Leduc, or by video or phone anywhere in Alberta.

danielle@icanheal.ca · 780-739-0707 · Book a session