Work with a former first responder - bridge the gap between the call to serve and coming home.
First Responder Counseling in Round Rock, TX
Virtual counseling available throughout Texas and Colorado.
Being at work is easy. It’s objective. You can close parts of yourself off in order to stay clear-headed. But switching gears when you get home, reopening yourself up, accessing your emotions, being available to your partner, your kids, and your friends - that’s harder. You stay closed off. No one would understand your stories from work anyway.
But the distance grows between you and your loved ones. It seems they live a life without you while you sink deeper into your role at work. Soon it seems you’re married to the job, and your relationships are more of a business arrangement.
Counseling for your relationships as a first responder helps you to bridge the chasm between work and home. You’ll learn how to re-enter the home environment with your whole self and draw near to the comfort and peace of those who know you best.
You might benefit from counseling for first responders if…
You feel emotionally shut off at home.
Re-entry into the home after shift is a source of conflict.
It’s hard to turn off your “work brain.”
You or your partner feel disconnected and growing more distant.
You sometimes prefer work to your home life.
What if you could go from…
feeling like two different people
to being able to transition more smoothly between work and personal life.
conflict right after a long shift
to being able to rest and enjoy your family.
always feeling on guard
to being able to relax and enjoy all aspects of your life.
avoiding your partner or home life
to looking forward to connecting with your partner and feeling safe with them.
Step 1
We’ll gather history on your job as a first responder, including how the job impacts other aspects of your life.
Step 2
We’ll envision how to help you transition out of “work mode” to connect well with your loved ones.
Step 3
We implement real, practical ways to engage and enjoy your personal life, allowing you to be all of who you are.
Meet your Round Rock first responder therapist
Hi, I’m Lia, a licensed professional counselor and former EMT. I help first responders protect and strengthen their relationships while balancing the demands of the job.
I’ve spent several years working with individuals and couples on connecting, engaging, and building trust and safety for the long haul.
Here’s why this work matters to me. I spent six years doing shift work, working to serve the public, witnessing and experiencing events most of my friends and family couldn’t fathom. I know the chasm first responders feel between work and the rest of their lives. You deserve to be able to come home and feel like yourself, enjoy your family, and go to your next shift feeling recharged. I’m here to help make that possible.
Lia Bermudez, LPC
FAQs
What is counseling for first responders?
1
Much of the work of first responders is unseen by the rest of the world. Even the families of front-line men and women have only a partial view into the work. As a former first responder myself, I understand first-hand the types of stresses of strains caused by balancing the job and home life. I help you feel understood around both and help you learn to decompress from work and transition back into home life.
I’ve seen a counselor before but didn’t feel like it helped. How is this different?
2
Most first responder therapy focuses on trauma, which is definitely needed. I focus on integrating all parts of your life, including your relationships. I tap heavily into my lived experience to empathize with what you go through on the job and how it impacts you in and outside of work. I emphasize the transition between home and work so that you don’t feel like two different people and feel disconnected from your loved ones.
Do you do EMDR?
3
I am beginning EMDR training over the summer and plan to have it concluded in the fall.
What’s your fee, and do you accept insurance?
4
My private pay fee is $150 for individual counseling and $175 for couples. See my Fees page for information on coverage through insurance and upcoming changes to my in-network status. Couples work is private pay only.
Need something else?
Other Services
For individuals and couples who want to break out of the cycle of tension and distance. Together, we’ll work to bring you back to secure connection rediscover the love and fulfillment you’ve been longing for.
Couples counseling
Deconstruction & Religious trauma
For those who have started to ask questions, or are ready to name their experiences in high-control religion in order to find healing. We’ll work to help you find yourself and gain clarity about yourself, your life and your faith.