Thank you to Chad for joining The Overwatch Collective Podcast after getting connected through Veterans_Up! Chad served in the United States Marine Corps as an 0311, infantry rifleman. Chad started his USMC career in active duty and then transitioned to the reserves so he could partake in a deployment to Afghanistan.

Chad discusses his deployments overseas and the common challenges we see in our military community such as stigma, lack of resources, the challenges of transitioning out of the military, and losing friends to suicide.

Chad also provides an in depth breakdown of his suicide attempt in 2022, where he was fortunately unsuccessful. We thank Chad SO much for joining the podcast and being willing to share his story as we know it will benefit many of you.

Check out Chad on instagram at Forgeconcepts_chad.

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Tune into this episode to learn about Alison Fienning, one of The Overwatch Collective's contracted therapists who is licensed in Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, & Arizona. Alison has been a therapist for over 12 years and specializes in working with our first responder community.

Alison is embedded with several first responder departments after founding Pinpoint Behavioral Health Solutions based in Ohio. Alison provides a break down of neck up check ups, 24/7 crisis care, and gives great insight on how PTSD is seen as a 3rd wheel.

Thank you for joining Alison.

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Joining today is Natalie Montenegro, a T.O.C. contracted therapist in California. Natalie has been a therapist for over 18 years and specializes in working with our first responder community. Natalie is also married to a Law Enforcement Officer in California and her sister is a Dispatcher.

In this episode, Natalie touches on what therapy looks like working with her, the importance of conducting debriefings post critical incidents, and the need for culturally competent therapists in our community.

Head to our website today and click on California therapists to learn more about Natalie!

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Thank you to Brian Laurence for joining the podcast virtually from Northern California! Brian served 3 years in the U.S. Army followed by 30 years in law enforcement, where he retired as a Lieutenant.

Once retired, Brian focused on become a licensed marriage and family therapist in order to continue serving the community, specializing in our first responder and military community. Brian breaks down his prior experience, how he's straight forward and blunt to our community, and the benefits of therapy early and often!

Find Brian's profile on Theoverwatchcollective.com under California therapists.

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Tune in to listen to Melissa Cavanaugh, one of T.O.C.'s contracted therapists as she discusses life as a military spouse as her husband is a fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy. Also, Melissa is a therapist who specializes in working with children whose mother and/or father are in the U.S. Military and are deployed.

Melissa is licensed in California, Maine, Louisiana, Washington, & Washington DC.

Learn some of the common struggles that our military children face, tips for maintaining healthy communication with your deployed spouse, and the importance of having a great group of friends!

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Joining via zoom from Northern California is Joshua Fernandez. After spending four years in the U.S. Army as an infantryman with a deployment overseas, he switched to the Army National Guard for three years.

After discharging from the military, he unfortunately lost several friends to suicide in addition to a suicide attempt. Joshua touched on the lack of resources and the challenges of discharging from the military.

After some challenges adjusting to life outside of the military, Joshua now co-owns two CrossFit gyms in Northern California and is starting a firearms training company!

Thank you to Joshua for being open and vulnerable throughout this episode. We hope you all enjoy.

Follow Joshua on instagram @J.fern.

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Thank you to Trevor Ellis for joining T.O.C.'s Podcast! Trevor was a U.S. Marine for 10 years where he spent 6 years flying the MV-22 Osprey and did two combat deployments. After flying the Osprey, Trevor found himself working with the grunts on the ground.

Trevor touches on the challenges of seeking mental health assistance while being. pilot, losing two fellow Marines to suicide, the fun and dangers of flying the MV-22 Osprey, and what is needed in our community to reduce the stigma and number of suicides.

Listen in to this great episode and thank you once again Trevor for joining the Podcast!

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Thanks to Nick Abeyta for joining T.O.C.'s Podcast. Nick and Greg met in Camp Fuji, Japan, while on their deployment with 2nd Battalion 23rd Marines. Thankfully, they were able to stay in contact and Nick wanted to share about the challenges he and his wife faced during his deployment overseas after recently being married and his feedback on ketamine assisted therapy.

Nick talks about the challenges of being deployed overseas while new wife was stateside. There was a lack of effective communication among the two in addition to the already challenging time difference. Thanks to Nick for being willing to share regarding this topic.

If you want to learn more about ketamine assisted therapy, listening to this episode is a must for you. Nick breaks down the different ways to get ketamine introduced to the body, the pros of being on ketamine during therapy, the cost of the sessions, considerations on where and who to go for ketamine assisted therapy, and much more.

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