The first session establishes group expectations and defines operational stress, operational stress injuries (OSIs), compassion fatigue, moral injury, and other terms relevant to the mental health of public safety personnel. It includes an overview of the history of Stoic service culture, when stoicism can be helpful, and when it can be harmful, and introduces Functional Disconnection and Reconnection (FD/FR) as a mechanism for actively transitioning between occupational and personal identities.

The second session focuses on brain development and how the stress response has evolved to support survival. The discussion covers the autonomic nervous system, its sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, hormonal dysregulation, and the impact chronic stress can have on the brain over time.

The third session focuses on how unprocessed trauma impacts the nervous system, especially in terms of dysregulation of the stress response. Participants learn how operational stress injuries can sometimes manifest as hypo- or hyperarousal and are introduced to the Window of Tolerance as a self-monitoring and self-awareness tool they can apply between sessions.

The fourth session highlights the connections between thoughts, behaviors, and emotions through a discussion of automatic thoughts, cognitive distortions, and cognitive biases. Clinician-guided practice helps participants identify and interrupt unhelpful thinking patterns in real time.

The fifth session increases emotional awareness and helps participants understand how emotions make sense of experience. Cultural and societal expectations around emotional expression in frontline environments are discussed, along with the long-term cost of suppression and how to begin working with that pattern.

The sixth session focuses on the role of avoidance in maintaining anxiety and post-trauma reactions, and how avoidance can interfere with the natural recovery process. Gradual exposure is introduced as a practical strategy to reduce avoidance, with the group format providing accountability and the clinician providing support as participants begin applying these skills.

The seventh session explores how operational stress disrupts communication at work and at home. Key communication skills are introduced and practiced, helping participants navigate difficult conversations with greater clarity and confidence.

The final session explores how empathy is both a professional strength and a personal vulnerability. FD/FR is revisited as a core strategy for sustaining a long career without losing yourself in the work. Participants leave with a specific set of strategies they commit to using going forward.