‘The magic is us’: Captain Frank Leto talks peer support

Post-9/11, there was an attempt to embed psychologists in firehouses, but that approach didn’t work, as the firefighters just ended up counseling the psychologists: “We realized that the magic was us … we’re the ones that keep each other going,” explains FDNY Captain (ret.) Frank Leto. And so began the expansion of the FDNY Counseling Service Unit for which Leto served for years as deputy director, building peer support teams to help other first responders through a variety of incidents beyond Sept. 11 and industries beyond the fire service. And that mission continues today, as Leto works with several organizations focused on behavioral health and resilience. Plus, we dig into this:

• The question, “Who has the best therapist?” as a positive cultural shift
• Why the depression level spikes for firefighter-retirees
• What we can learn from women about coping skills
• Workaholism being as unhealthy as other addictions
• The effort to “bottle the kitchen table” – and become a millionaire in the process

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by TheFireStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting TheFireStore.

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