Behind the Badge
Officers pay mental and physical price responding to hundreds of critical incidents over a career
0Dr. Heather Williams, founder of Premier First Responder Psychological Services, came of age professionally in an era when increased attention – and resources – was brought to mental health and wellness for members of the emergency response professions as well as victims of crimes. Williams spent more than 20 years working in crisis and trauma from differing perspectives, both with the Orange County Sheriff deputies in peer support and victims of crime with the Community Service Programs (CSP) Victim Assistance Programs. While the connections between the two may not be apparent at first, Williams says, “When you think of crime…
Shelly Pinomaki is nothing if not a survivor. Recently named 2023’s San Diego Sheriff’s Department Outstanding Volunteer, Pinomaki has suffered…
For several years now, there has been rising concern about the mental health of school-aged children. Increasingly, we are seeing…
An infant abandoned at a Fullerton Chevron station in early March was the catalyst for positive connections in the Orange…
A historically bad winter with storms and flooding, preceded by several years of record wildfire seasons, have tested Californians and…