First to Respond, Last to Seek Help: Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries, Self-Medicating to Cope and Resiliency

First responders become accustomed to acute trauma, causing physical, mental and emotional exhaustion of the body and mind. In response to the high intensity of their jobs and the accumulation of traumatic stress injuries, drug and alcohol use can become a means of coping, leaving first responders at risk for developing substance abuse disorders along with mental health issues like stress disorders, depression and anxiety.

During this webinar, Dr. Stephen Odom presents an in-depth and useful webinar that examines causes, signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress, how it affects you and your family and what can be done to heal and prevent further damage.

Webinar Recording
All Associate and Active Level IPSA members will have access to the webinar recording. If you're not a member, we'd like to invite you to join today.

Speaker and Presenter Information

Stephen Odom, PhD is a distinguished healthcare professional with more than 30-years expertise as an executive, organizational consultant, speaker, and psychotherapist. Dr. Odom’s focus on First Responder Wellness was born of his family’s career backgrounds with the military, healthcare and public safety, and was honed as he created and led specialty substance abuse treatment programs for physicians, nurses, first responders and their families.

He founded and leads a First Responder only behavioral health treatment program in California called First Responder Wellness by Simple Recovery. He possesses an educational background in organizational behavior, clinical psychology and healthcare administration. This valuable combination allows him to integrate current research knowledge, clinical and administrative practice understanding, and practical, directly relevant experience.

Dr. Odom has been coined as a wellness and behavioral health expert with peer-reviewed articles published on mental health, substance abuse and technology; was presented the national Behavioral Health Champion award in 2018; has appeared on The Today Show and other media channels.