"I no longer look at pain and hardship as things I simply want to fix and move past or even ignore, but I look at them as a process – to sharpen and strengthen me. My struggle and pain are no longer things that weigh me down, they are no longer a burden, but are things that have forged me into who I am today, a better me – my struggle and my pain are now things I am grateful for – they actually elevate me. I still struggle to find the exact words to use to fully communicate this but words cannot express enough how thankful I am for the work you have done to help me through arguably one of if not the most difficult season of my life. The work we have done has truly changed the trajectory of my life, and thus that of my family. You have helped save my life. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so so much.”

Dr. Gavian has been working with our fire department by helping us with resiliency skills and dealing with the stress and struggles that come with our job. At first I treated it as "just training" but soon really started to discover signs and symptoms in myself of how much the job had actually taken it's toll. Not only have the resiliency skills she's taught me become invaluable in dealing with the things we see on the job, but it has really made a difference in managing my stress levels away from the job that I didn't realize had gotten as bad they did. We firefighters pride ourselves on being the "tough guys", and rightfully so, but you would be doing yourself, your career, and your family a disservice if you did not reach out to Dr. Gavian and at the very least schedule a session. I don't want to see any of my fellow brothers and sisters suffer in silence. Call the number, I can promise you firsthand that you wont regret it.

"I didn't want to call. I was in my basement and it took me a long time to do it. I could see myself going into this dark hole and I was in that place for at least 8 years. But now I'm back. I'm back to enjoying, back to that fun person I used to be, fun dad, not the crab-ass dad like before. Before I'd be pissed off. My marriage is going really good now. My body feels so much better. And if shit gets ugly, I know what to do. Now I think "Why the F did I wait that long? I'd tell anybody, do not wait. This is the best thing that ever happened to me. Being a firefighter is a badge of honor and F that. It's my life; I want to be happy. It's so crazy good that I'm happy."