First Things First
Connect with Your Community
First things first. As a First Responder, you always put the community first, now it’s time to put your family, faith, and wellbeing first.
We provide:
- Training and Group Presentations
- Wellness Coaching and Meetings
- Peer Groups
- Education and Prevention
We serve active or former First Responders, Law Enforcement, Firefighters, EMS/Hospital/Medical Personnel, Dispatch or Communications, Probation Officers, Corrections, and Military or Veterans, and their families in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor Counties.
Strengthen Relationships
Deepen your professional and personal relationships with the help of Wellness Coaches.
Build Resilience
Learn how to recognize stress and find ways to cope.
Find Resources
Discover tools and resources to connect with your community.
Connection
Connecting First Responders and families with others who understand because being seen, heard, and understood is essential to healing from trauma.
Confidential
Offering secure, private meeting by phone, virtually, or in-person, so you feel comfortable. Nothing is reported to your employer, coworkers, or family.
Communication
Sharing stories in a safe environment and hearing others’ experiences creates meaningful connections and reminds you that you’re never alone in your journey.
Strengthen Relationships: Wellness Coaches
Our team of Wellness Coaches are trained First Responders and family members that are here to listen, share experiences, and help connect you with the right resources. Coaching isn’t therapy, but it equips individuals with tools to process stress and trauma, helping prevent health and relationship issues.
Wellness Coaches support you in navigating job-related challenges, compassion fatigue, and personal life stressors. You can request to meet with a Wellness Coach that best fits your situation and what you’re dealing with. We offer in-person or virtual meetings during the day, evening, or weekends.
Male Wellness Coaches
Law Enforcement
Professional experience: 21 years
First Responder
Experience with crime scene trauma, deaths (including first responders), crisis negotiations, high-stress situations, grief
Firefighter and FR Spouse
Professional experience: 30 years
First Responder and First Responder Spouse
Experience with trauma and crisis, paramedic, firefighter, professional leadership, first responder family support
Female Wellness Coaches
Probation and Parole
Professional Experience: 7 years
Active Correctional Probation Specialist
Experience with work-related trauma, high-stress situations, leadership, grief support, problem-solving and communication
Law Enforcement and FR Spouse
Professional experience:
Active Law Enforcement Officer and first responder spouse
Experience with traumatic scenes, female first responder support, postpartum support, first responder family member support
Corrections Officer
Professional experience: 20 years
Former Corrections Officer: 11 years
First Responder and First Responder Spouse
Experiences with stress at work and with family, anxiety, depression, grief, divorce, single parent, and substance misuse
First Responder Spouse
Years Experience: 13
First Responder Spouse
Experience with being married to first responder, family scheduling stress, female first responder support, parental support, faith-based support
Faith-Based Wellness Coaches
Correctional Probation
Professional Experience: 7 years
Active Correctional Probation Specialist
Experience with work-related trauma, high-stress situations, leadership, grief support, problem-solving and communication
First Responder Spouse
Years Experience: 13
First Responder Spouse
Experience with being married to first responder, family scheduling stress, female first responder support, parental support, faith-based support
Meet in person at one of our private Lake City offices
Meet virtually through our secure client portal
Step 1
Contact us through phone or website.
Step 2
Receive a call or email within 24 hours for a consultation.
Step 3
Meet in person or virtually with your Wellness Coach
Build Resilience: Compassion Fatigue Training
Compassion Fatigue is the emotional and physical exhaustion from caring for others in distress. Our team delivers an engaging training session that includes personal stories, interactive activities, and practical tools.
Participants learn to:
- Recognize symptoms and warning signs
- Develop a personal plan for self-care
- Access resources
Our team can provide other workshops or training for trauma resilience at your business, agency, or church. We offer faith-based options as well. Please contact us to schedule if you would like to host this training for first responders or family members.
Teresa Tompkins
Lead Trainer
teresa@livinghope1.com
Barbara Etter
Lead Trainer
barbara@livinghope1.com
Stay Fit for Duty
First Responder Peer Support is made up of trained wellness specialists, who are current or former first responders. That means less explaining, better understanding and more useful help.
When you contact us, you’ll be paired with a wellness coach located near you who will listen, offer support, and can identify other resources that may be available to you.
It’s time to talk about it. Consider it preventative maintenance. It’s a way to let some pressure out of the gauge, to keep work from getting in the way of your personal life, and to stay fit for continued duty.
This initiative is funded by LSF Health Systems and the Florida Department of Children and Families.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing special accommodations to participate in any meeting/hearing should contact LSF Health Systems at 904-900-1075 for assistance.
All of our services are strictly confidential and will not be reported to your employer, coworkers, or your family members. Resilience Coaches are not therapists, but can provide resources for clinical services for individual, family, or group counseling. All video conferencing calls are HIPPA compliant.
This company does not maintain 24-hour access to phone or email. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room or contact:
Suicide Prevention Lifeline – (800) 273-TALK or (800) SUICIDE
Crisis Text Line – Text NAMI to 741-741. Connect with a trained crisis counselor to receive free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.
HIPAA Notification
Notes to Clients
There are inherent confidentiality risks in communicating by most forms of electronic communication or even in the presence of such devices. While safeguards are in place to help ensure your privacy, you should not use email communication if you are concerned about any breaches of privacy that might inadvertently occur. You should use the telephone or in person forms to communicate that information.