There, I said it. It’s an unpopular sentiment right now with all the calls for “culturally competent” therapists in wildland fire.
And, I have an embarrassing confession; the first time I heard that term I thought it meant therapists experienced with Native Americans. Come to find out, in our profession it means therapists experienced with first responders, more specifically wildland firefighters.
Of course, therapists who understand the work we do would be ideal! But the reality is there just aren’t enough out there, especially in the rural areas where many of us live. However, there are some excellent clinicians who specialize in relationships, depression, trauma, etc, and they don’t need to know what you do for living in order to help you. Please trust me.
What’s most disturbing to me is how many wildland firefighters I hear insist that only “culturally competent” clinicians can help us. And my fear is that this message may be resulting in many wildland firefighters who need help not seeking any help at all if they can’t find one of these specialists. I’m going to focus on treatment for trauma in this essay, but there are many therapists out there who can help with all of life’s challenges. And please stop self-diagnosing PTSD. It’s not a given that people who are involved with or exposed to traumatic events will develop PTSD. And you don’t have to have PTSD to still need a bit of help working through trauma, whether from your childhood or an accident at work.
Here’s the thing – even the most experienced, culturally competent, trauma-trained clinician still may not be able to help you. What I mean by that is, not everyone is a good fit or the right fit. They just may not be a good fit for you. And, frankly, you may not be a good fit for them. It’s critical that you and your therapist form a professional bond based on honesty, hard work, and agreed-upon treatment and treatment goals. As I learned from my own mental health journey, which I’ve previously written about, a therapist who is really great at treating trauma is more important to me than someone who understands precisely what I do for a living. It’s much easier to “teach” a therapist what wildland firefighters do, and the specific issues we face, than to train a therapist in how to treat trauma in its many forms — that can take years.
Our brains and bodies process trauma regardless of what caused the trauma. 
Our brains don’t care that the roar of a real train sounds just like the roar of the fire from which we ran for our lives that one time in Idaho. Our amygdala just knows that it’s time to recognize sensations that share cues with past trauma. It functions with the intent to keep us alive.
When I was having my own little mental health crisis a few years back, I was fortunate to find a really fantastic therapist who specialized in trauma but didn’t know jack about wildland fire (or any other first responder type work). I was on a major self-destructive adventure, and the important part of my treatment was addressing the way I was processing (or not) past traumas. Sure, I had to talk about what had happened, but my therapist was able to connect the dots she needed to. That therapy was more short-termed (intensive EMDR) because it was primarily to help me immediately stop blowing up my life. Often times we wait until we are in crisis to seek help, and believe me, the last thing we all want to do is have to explain our work. We just want help, and we want it right fucking now. I also believe if you are truly in crisis, a therapist doesn’t need to know the details of your job in order to throw you a lifeline.
After I moved from NC to OR I was able to find another therapist who continued the longer-term work of saving my bacon, and she also had no experience with first responders. She enthusiastically wanted to learn about what our profession was like and asked me to send her videos and other information to give her a peek behind the wildland fire curtain. Those end-of-the-year-crew videos a lot of you did? Those were really beneficial in giving her a sense of not just our culture but also of the arduous conditions in which we work. And I told her about the length of assignments and length of fire seasons and the stressors that impact our families and our personal lives. The physical toll it takes on our bodies from poor nutrition and lack of sleep. The horror of watching people’s homes and business burn down, seeing injured wildlife and pets, being involved in shitty medicals, and losing friends and colleagues to the external and internal hazards.
Are there any wildland fire situations where I feel culturally competent (can we please find a different term?) clinicians are absolutely necessary? Yes! I believe it’s imperative when providing critical incident stress management (CISM) assistance after traumatic events. As a trained CISM Peer Supporter, I know this is essential. And we’re fortunate the agencies are able to rely on fantastic trauma-informed clinicians for this valuable work who do have extensive experience with wildland firefighters who experience a very bad day on the job. I’ve seen them in action and am so grateful to be a small part of it.
The federal agencies are working hard to provide mental health programs and resources for wildland firefighters, and good things are certainly happening. However, when it all comes down to it, we are ultimately responsible for our own mental health. Just as we are for our physical health. If you feel like you are ready to work on your past trauma yet you can’t find someone who understands your job, please don’t throw the therapist out with the bathwater. Give a good trauma-trained therapist a try. Start with the Employee Assistance Program (it’s free), and ask for a trauma-trained clinician. If the EAP doesn’t work, start Googling. There are some really good ones out there, and you might be surprised at how much they can help you if they’re willing to learn a little about the job (and if they’re not willing, kick them to the curb and find another). Sure, it may take a little more time, but you’re worth it.
If you are in crisis, please dial 988. We all need you here.
Like a lonely ranger
Running through the night another stranger
You gamble or you fight
Through dust and ocean faults in our stars
Silent echoes shadows in their hearts
I throw you a lifeline
I throw you a lifeline, my friend.
From “Lifeline” by Julia Westin