First Responder Counselling
For the people everyone else calls in a crisis
You’re the One People Call on Their Worst Day
Police, fire, paramedics, dispatch, corrections, search and rescue: you show up, do the job, and carry on to the next call. Most of the time, that works. Until it doesn’t.
Maybe it’s the call you can’t stop replaying. Maybe it’s not one call at all, just a slow change you didn’t notice until your spouse did: a shorter fuse, worse sleep, scanning every room you walk into, feeling flat at home and wired at work. You’re used to being the one who copes. Asking for help can feel like breaking a rule nobody wrote down.
Here’s what the research actually shows: 44.5% of public safety personnel screened positive for symptoms of one or more mental health conditions, roughly four times the rate in the general population, according to a 2018 national study in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
Vista Counselling provides first responder counselling in person at our Langley, BC office and online across BC, with trauma-focused support for police, firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers, corrections, and search and rescue personnel.
What you’re carrying isn’t weakness. It’s an occupational injury, and it responds to therapy.
Counselling That Understands the Job
Dr. Kevin Klassen has worked with first responders and others in high-exposure occupations for years. He knows what shift work does to sleep and family life, why dark humour is part of how crews cope, and that you can’t simply avoid what the next call puts in front of you. He also knows the part of the culture that says you should be able to handle this yourself. That means you can start with what’s going on for you, from the first session.
Kevin has completed training with Wounded Warriors Canada and is listed in its Occupationally Aware Healthcare Provider Directory for uniformed service personnel.
Counselling here is confidential, practical, and paced by you. Nothing gets reported to your employer. You don’t need a diagnosis or a crisis to book. Most people come in well before that point, or wish they had.
How We Work With Occupational Trauma
Repeated exposure changes how the nervous system handles threat. That’s biology, not character. These are the approaches we draw on most with first responders, depending on what you’re dealing with:
Who You’ll Work With
Dr. Kevin Klassen, PsyD
Practicing in Langley since 2009, with more than 20,000 clinical hours across trauma, anxiety, depression and couples work. Listed in Wounded Warriors Canada’s Occupationally Aware Healthcare Provider Directory.
Who This Is For
Police officers, firefighters, paramedics and EMS, emergency dispatchers and 911 call-takers, corrections officers, search and rescue, ER and frontline healthcare workers, and the people who love them. Job strain rarely stays at work: if it’s showing up at home, couples counselling is also available.
You don’t need to be in crisis, and you don’t need to be sure it’s “bad enough.” If it’s on your mind, it’s enough.
What a First Session Looks Like
No forms about your worst call. No pressure to relive anything. The first session is a conversation: what’s going on, what you’ve already tried, what you want to be different. We’ll talk about which approach fits, and you set the pace from there. Sessions are available in person at our Langley office or virtually across BC.
First Responder Counselling FAQs
Is what I share confidential?
Yes. Counselling is confidential within the limits of the law (risk of serious harm to self or others, a child in need of protection, or a court order, which are the same limits every counsellor in BC works under). Nothing is shared with your employer, your department, or anyone else without your written consent.
Will this affect my job or my file?
Nothing is reported to your employer or your department. You book directly with us, with no referral and no paperwork through work, and whether you involve a benefits plan is entirely your decision.
Do I have to talk about the worst calls?
No. You control what you share and when. Some approaches, including EMDR, can reduce a memory’s intensity without requiring you to describe it in detail.
Isn’t needing help a sign I’m not cut out for the job?
The Canadian data says otherwise: nearly half of public safety personnel report significant symptoms at some point. Bodies and brains respond to repeated abnormal events. That’s an injury pattern, not a character flaw.
Can my spouse or partner be involved?
Yes. Couples counselling is one of our core services, and job strain on relationships is one of the most common reasons first responders reach out. For more background, see our post on first responders’ mental health and trauma therapy.
What does a session cost?
Sessions are 50 minutes. The fee is $200 per session. Many extended health plans cover counselling with a Registered Clinical Counsellor, so it’s worth confirming your coverage before your first session. Full details, including our cancellation policy, are on our FAQ page.
You’ve spent your career showing up for other people. This part is for you. Book online (no referral needed) or reach out with questions first.