First Responders Support Team (FRST)

First Responders Support Team (FRST)

First Responders Support Team logoSupporting First Responders Programs are available for ALL First Responders (paid and non-paid) and their families. All services are confidential.

If you would like to speak to a member of the FRST Team email FRST@firstrespondersfoundation.org or call (402) 218-1234, option 1 #2.

This is a non-emergency line. Leave a message and someone will return your call.

While the First Responders Foundation’s physical location is Omaha, Nebraska, we serve first responders and their families from across the United States. All are encouraged to join our telehealth, telefitness, and behavior health sessions via Zoom and other virtual technology.

FRST Interest Form



Behavioral Health Services (Mental Health)


FRST Clinicians provide behavioral health services to first responders and veterans:

  • In-person Therapy Sessions
  • Telehealth Therapy Sessions (available state wide)
  • Substance Use Evaluations
  • Substance Abuse Counseling
  • Specialized clinicians are also available for spouses and adolescents

FRST Workshops / Training


FRST Stronger Together

Stronger Together (workshop)

Stronger Together is a four-hour (4) workshop designed to mitigate the effects of stress and trauma upon first responders and their families. This is accomplished by helping plan post-critical incidents, post-crisis recovery, healing, and resiliency restoration.

Next Workshop: 2/3/24, Omaha, NE, 9am-12pm

With Honor

With Honor (workshop)

When a first responder’s career comes to an end the residual effects of the work do not fade away easily. This workshop will include adjusting to a new identity in career/life. This two-hour (2) workshop helps provide knowledge and skills to first responders to prepare, adjust and grow when their career ends, and to do so With Honor.

Workshops in 2024: To Be Determined

Peer Support

Peer Support Training

Peer support training helps departments start a peer support team or keep active teams trained well. This education training helps individuals to support colleagues experiencing adverse effects of trauma or critical incidents. Training models vary but involve initial team start-up, continuing education, and suicide awareness and intervention. Peer Support Training is 21 hours of training over a three-day (3) period.

Resiliency

Resiliency Training

Resiliency Training enables participants to learn how to expend, recover, heal, and replenish their resiliency to maintain a healthier lives and careers. This is a critical training for all first responders, whether they are just beginning their career or have been in the trenches for several years. This is an eight-hour (8) training within one (1) day.

Suicide Prevention

Suicide Prevention Training

Our suicide prevention training has a systematic approach to prevent first responder suicides. The training is tailored to each department to meet their specific training needs/requests. Each training will provide information, education, prevention, and suicide awareness within the department by training the first responder to the administration of any department.

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Training –

The Group Crisis Intervention course will prepare participants to understand 5 different crisis intervention services. Fundamentals of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) will be outlined, and participants will gain the knowledge and tools to provide timely group crisis interventions, specifically RITS, defusing and the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). Training will include information regarding the need for appropriate follow-up services and referrals when necessary. This course offers core knowledge for anyone involved in Peer Support and crisis intervention.  This is an ICISF (International Critical Incident Stress Foundation) certified 2-day training. Certificate provided upon completion of the training.

FRST Support Groups


Peer Support Group – First Thursday of the month at 8am via Zoom

Meetings are open to all first responders in the community. Trained peers lead these supportive, confidential meetings. The trained peers are committed to helping colleagues manage the stress of the job in a healthy way and to supporting others in stress management. Clinicians are consulted as needed to support group needs. This support group meets once a month and is typically one (1) to one and a half (1.5) hours in length.

Spouse Support Group

Spouse Support Group – Last Wednesday of the month at 7pm via Zoom.

A clinician-led group open to spouses and adult family members of first responders. Individuals can attend a group whenever support is needed. The support group meets once a month for one (1) hour.

Addiction Support

Substance Use Support Group – Schedule TBD

This group is for those who strive to maintain their sobriety and can use additional support from a safe and understanding group.

Medical Support

Medical Support Group – Schedule TBD

This support group is clinician-led with the target audience being medical providers dealing with trauma on a daily basis. This support group is for the trauma teams, trauma transport, and medivac teams. The group focuses on managing one’s self in the midst of crisis, recovery from daily shift work, critical incidences and continued self-care to mitigate the effects of long term crisis engagement.

Seeking Safety: Connecting First Responders, Doctors, and Nurses in a Circle of Strength and Support

Seeking Safety is a psycho-educational support group that empowers, strengthens and assists men and women in healthcare/ first responder and civil service careers and as a result may have developed or struggle with PTSD and / or managed by using unsafe coping mechanisms.

STARTING JANUARY 10th! Group meets each Wednesday at 6:30pm at the First Responders Foundation Health and Wellness Center Classroom: 10605 Burt Cir, Omaha NE

For more information and/or to sign up, contact Nicole Gurnon: stonesofhope11024@gmail.com

FRST Support Teams


Peer Support Team

This team provides peer support to individuals who do not have departments with active peer support teams within their departments or when department teams need additional support. It also helps provide companion travel when individuals are in need of inpatient care in a different region. Peers collaborate in training / presenting various trainings provided by clinicians.

Clinician Team

This group of clinicians are trained in working with first responders in a therapeutic setting. The team provides sessions, presentations, trainings and workshops to provide proactive, reactive, and post-active trauma care for first responders. This team works closely with a list of preferred providers to help partner clients with culturally competent providers in the community.

Meet The Support Team


Leah O'Brien, Clinician, Thin Line Therapy, Director of Behavioral Health, Interim

Leah O’Brien, LIMHP, CPC, LADC

Clinician – Thin Line Therapy, First Responder Support Team

Director of Behavioral Health, Interim

Leah is a Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, Certified Professional Counselor, and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor who specializes in working with first responders and their spouses.
She has more than eight years of experience working in the mental health and substance use field.  Growing up the daughter of a Lincoln Firefighter and currently the spouse of a Council Bluffs Firefighter, Leah has found her niche helping those in the first responder community.  Leah is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and brainspotting, and facilitates a monthly spouse support group.  She is available for both in-person and telehealth sessions throughout Nebraska and Iowa.

Leslie Hartmann

Leslie Hartmann, LMHP

Clinician – First Responder Support Team

Leslie is a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and specializes in working with spouses and children of first responders. She has more than eight years of experience working with families, as well as children and adolescents with behavioral and social challenges. Leslie’s experience also includes working in the correctional setting, dealing with inmates and corrections staff. As part of the FRST Team, Leslie facilitates a weekly substance support group. Leslie is married to a retired U.S. Marine who also was an emergency medical technician (EMT). She is available for both in-person and Telehealth sessions throughout Nebraska.

FRST Programs are available for ALL First Responders (paid and non-paid) and their families. All services are confidential.

Click here to visit the First Responders Support Team Facebook page.

If you would like to speak to a member of the FRST Team or would like more information regarding FRST, contact the team at FRST@firstrespondersfoundation.org or call (402) 218-1234 Option 2