About Gina Essex

Gina Essex, MA LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC Supervisor, Complex-PTSD Specialist, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Training Educator, NARM Master Therapist, Force Science Analyst​

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I specialize in helping First Responders and their families, including active and retired law enforcement, firefighters, command staff, EMTs, military veterans, and civilian department personnel. My 20 years of experience and training is rooted in multiple somatic therapies, evidenced based models, and neurophysiologically informed therapeutic models.
My therapeutic approach is  phenomenological and is aimed at:

• supporting greater resiliency by increasing capacities for emotional and physical regulation.
• addressing, mitigating, and often resolving the symptoms related to single, high-impact traumatic incidents, and chronic, long-term stressors, moral injury, compassion fatigue, and burnout.

Common symptoms my clients experience and seek help for include:

• Anxiety, depression, insomnia, nightmares.
• Hypervigilence, emotional numbness.
• Panic attacks, anger outbursts, and chronic pain.
• Strained relationships at home and work.
• Substance use for managing stress.
• Obsessive-compulsive behaviors (OCD).
• Challenges with parenting, divorce, grief, and loss.

I work with individuals, couples and groups. 
I do assessments for and treat individuals who have symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD).

Interested in working with Gina for counseling? Click here.

“Complex trauma shows up in so many different ways that are covert and overt. And the more we can recognize it, the more we're able to approach it in a way that moves toward healing and not isolation.”
​- Gina Essex, MA, LPC-S, Transforming Trauma Podcast, March 2020

Supporting First Responders:

​A Framework for Resilience and Wellbeing

Challenges Faced by First Responders

Helping First Responders has been a unique challenge because the coping mechanisms necessary for their daily survival—dealing with danger, violence, death, and public scrutiny—often contribute to their mental and physical distress. Frequently, their demanding careers, combined with the persistent stigma surrounding mental health, lead many to suffer in silence, fearing rejection from those they respect and care about most.

A Turning Point

In 2018, I learned that more police officers and firefighters died by suicide than in the line of duty. This realization prompted me to devote all my clinical efforts to working with First Responders. Upon their requests, I developed trauma and resiliency trainings for area departments. Over the past seven years, I have led numerous trainings and groups. Many of the First Responders who benefited from our work together volunteer to be part of my trainings and presentations. Their aim is to stand up against the stigma, to support the education of others and to encourage their communities to get help and stop suffering in silence.

The Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing

I was inspired to create the Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing in response to First Responders’ determination to receive help, their courage to pursue it, and their desire and willingness to support others in doing the same.

Mission Statement

My mission: to deliver specialized resiliency and peer support training, comprehensive resources, and targeted consultation services designed to support First Responders and their communities as they navigate the complex effects of traumatic and chronic stress accumulated throughout their career.

Current Focus and Community Impact

Today, alongside my private practice, my work centers on helping First Responders and their support networks to acquire the skills and methods needed to enhance resilience through connection, thereby improving their wellbeing and effectiveness both professionally and personally.

A group of First Responders founded Standing Stronger Together (SST), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, led by active and retired First Responders who have benefited from the framework and approach I developed. In 2024, Standing Stronger Together raised funds for me to present a 36-hour neurophysiological training for 12 Lead Peer Volunteers, preparing them to assist in future trainings and to lead peer support groups for active and retired First Responders in their communities. Our unified aim is to expand these clinically informed, peer-led trainings nationwide, offering education, resources, and non-clinical support to First Responder communities.

Building Resilience Together

Through collaboration with SST, we have strengthened our collective capacities for resilience, connection, and wellbeing. I am deeply grateful for the men, women, and children who continue to teach me how to help them. Their courage, grit, and willingness to grow despite the hardships they face has inspired, encouraged, and transformed me. I remain committed to learning and supporting First Responders who continue to defy stigma and give hope to others through their journeys of healing and resilience.
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None of us can do this alone. We hope you join us in Standing Stronger Together.

 

Trainings

Professional Foundations

Over the past two decades, I have cultivated a deep clinical understanding and developed practical methods dedicated to assisting First Responders and those they care for. My experiences in private practice have offered invaluable lessons, shaping my approach to support these individuals and their communities.

Clinical Framework

My approach incorporates:

• Hundreds of hours in formal postgraduate studies, trainings, and certificate programs, including multiple advanced clinical trainings in Complex PTSD, neurobiological and physiological impacts of traumatic stress, human factors in law enforcement, and clinical assessment for PTSD.
• Over ten thousand hours of clinical trauma counseling for First Responders, their spouses, and families, both individually and in groups.
• Hundreds of hours providing clinical consultations for other clinicians treating individuals with Complex PTSD.
• Creation and facilitation of trauma and resiliency trainings and consultations for numerous police and fire departments.
• Consultation and education for legal teams representing First Responders.
• Clinical services and advisement for various PTSD retreats.

Training for First Responders, Command Staff, Peer Support Teams & Civilian Personnel

Developed and presented by Gina Essex MA LPC, these trainings are delivered in collaboration with active or retired First Responders and oftentimes, members of the Lead Peer Team of Standing Stronger Together, ensuring that the content directly reflects and applies to the real-world needs and experiences of First Responders. 

All trainings are built upon a foundation of clinical knowledge, practical experience, and a focus on building genuine connections in relationship. All training participants will be equipped to actively break down stigma and serve as a source of hope, strength, and support for themselves and each other. 

The program's overall objective is to empower individuals to create lasting, positive systemic change within themselves and their communities.

​Levels 1 & 2 Overview

The training curriculum and experiential learning provide resources and peer support strategies to help First Responders maintain resilience and well-being both on and off duty. 
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After completing the Level 1 training, participants are welcomed to join the Standing Stronger Together Collaborative for ongoing access to its resources and peer-led support groups, continued education, and peer support around duty-related stress. ​

​Level 1 Peer Development: The Neuro-Physio Resiliency Training

Level 1* Peer Development: The Neuro-Physio Resiliency Training is a 16 hour comprehensive training for police, fire, EMT, and department staff. 

This training offers scientifically backed methods to manage the neuro-physiological effects of traumatic stress and provides tools to build resilience, prevent burnout, handle compassion fatigue, and traumatic stress injuries.  The program includes didactic information, interactive practical exercises, and optional ongoing peer support to reinforce learning and prevent burnout. 

By participating in this training, participants are better equipped to maintain their psychological and physical health and have greater capacities to support themselves and others in challenging circumstances.

Level 2 Lead Peer Development: The Neuro-Physio-Relational Peer Support Training

Level 2 Lead Peer Development: The Neuro-Physio-Relational Peer Support Training is a 16-hour, one-of-a-kind training expanding on the foundational skills taught in Level 1 Peer Development Training. 

This advanced training emphasizes a deeper understanding of neurophysiological factors in First Responders and peer relationships. We will introduce and practice practical tools for navigating complex interpersonal situations, helping peer support leaders build supportive communities.

Participants are equipped to enhance their skills for one-on-one support and peer mentoring, provided a framework to facilitate group support sessions to effectively contribute to the ongoing development and sustainability of peer networks within their department or organization.
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*Level 1 training is a pre-requisite for participating in Level 2 training

Contact Gina to learn more about scheduling a training for your Department or Organization!

 

Get in Touch with Center for Resiliency & Wellbeing

Please note this contact form is for training inquiries for the Center for Resiliency & Wellbeing.
If you are seeking individual counseling support, please click here.

Resources for Clinicians

What is NARM?
Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity for Relationship ​
The Practical Guide to Healing Developmental Trauma: Using the NeuroAffective Relational Model to Address Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resolve Complex Trauma
​Transforming Trauma Podcast -- March 2020 -- Interview with Gina Essex