I am so excited to bring you this week's episode! It is a chat with Rachel Murdock, former FBI Forensic Interviewer who worked crimes against children and responded to multiple high profile scenes, like the Boston bombing and Highland Park shooting.
While not a first responder or even a sworn agent, Rachel has seen and been involved with Law Enforcement, traumatic cases, and traumatic events in a 10.5 year career as a civilian with the FBI then MOST first responders ever will. After about 3 years of debating, she left the FBI in January 2023 to re-open her group private practice, Beyond the Storm Behavioral Health where she serves as a culturally competent mental health practitioner to Law Enforcement (including their families) and survivors of trauma. Most recently, she also serves local police departments as they implement Law Enforcement Wellness Checks for their officers AND civilian employees.
In this episode, she deep dives into what it means to be a culturally competent practitioner and how it can help ease the barrier many first responders feel as they think about therapy or mandatory wellness checks. "No one gets it. No one will understand." She has heard it all and she UNDERSTANDS what the clients are saying, how to help them feel seen/heard, and how to give them the tools they need to take control of their mental health.
You can hear Rachel's passion for serving those who serve/have served and all those affected by this profession. Make sure to give her a follow on LinkedIn, tagged above, and on Instagram. You can also visit her website, tagged above, for more information on her services.
A sincere thank you to Rachel for sharing her Next Shift story and for being a light for those feeling the darkness this career can often bring. Together, we CAN and WILL end the stigma of not only asking for help when needed, but taking a proactive approach to protecting our mental health.
If you haven't already...make sure you follow me on LinkedIn and on Instagram at @_nextshift_ AND @the_jessflores
If this podcast resonates with you or you feel like it could help someone else, please feel free to share it with them and/or on your social media platforms...but be sure to tag me so I can personally say THANK YOU!
Be sure to subscribe by clicking the + sign at the top and if you feel called to do so, I'd love to hear your thoughts in a review.
See you Next Shift