Dr. Anastasia Pytal is a licensed psychologist and former law enforcement officer.

She was awarded her Diplomate in Police Psychology by the Society for Police and Criminal Psychology. Her area of professional interest and expertise is working with police officers and their loved ones on issues pertaining to trauma, depression, anxiety, and officer wellness. She is the founder of First Responder Resilience Center. In addition to acting as the Area Clinician for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division Employee Assistance Program, Dr. Pytal works with law enforcement officers from over thirty departments across New Jersey. She presents nationally at law enforcement conferences.

Dr. Pytal has advanced training in Eye Movement Desensitization and

Reprocessing (EMDR), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), Complex Trauma, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS).

Anastasia.Pytal@nationalsbs.org

Ann Ashmead is a licensed clinical social worker, and was formerly the Youth & Family Specialist in the juvenile division of the Arlington, Texas police department. During her time with the APD she worked with the Crimes Against Children unit, Victim Services, and the Detective assigned to Runaway Youth. She was TCLEOSE certified, supervised social workers doing their internship in the juvenile unit and participated in many of the police academy training scenarios. As well as being trained for critical incidents, Ann also assisted in the Arlington EOC during Hurricane Katrina.

As a clinician in private practice Ann has worked with adult and child survivors of sexual assault, and those affected by a multitude of different trauma and tragic loss. Ann earned a Bachelor of Social Work and a Master’s of Science in Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington where she later became an adjunct professor in their School of Social Work. 

Nationally she has been very involved with the Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) and National Police Week in Washington, DC as a presenter and counselor for both. At its inception in 2020, Ann joined the Wellness Support Staff of Survivors of Blue Suicide (SBS).

Ann & her retired fire chief husband Mark, have a blended family of 7 children and 19 grandchildren.  When not traveling in the RV they reside in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Ann.Ashmead@nationalsbs.org

Jack Harris’ interest in Helping Keep Good People Good began during his career with the Tucson, Arizona Police Department.  He is a licensed counselor, a Board-Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, an EMDR trained therapist, an approved instructor for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) and a trained mediator. He holds a Masters Degree from the University of Arizona and a Bachelors Degree from Western Illinois University.

Jack participates in National Police week, in trauma retreats and Post Critical Incident Seminars (PCIS) for fire, EMS, law enforcement and other first-responders.   He has been a resource to first-responder organizations, management teams, involved individuals and family members following tragic loss and tragedies such fires, aviation & vehicle accidents, shootings, suicides, natural disasters and terrorist attacks; including the Yarnell Hill Fire, World Trade Center Attack, Oklahoma City bombing and Hurricane Marilyn. 

Rev. Dr. Chuck Lorrain is the former executive director of the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC); a non-profit NGO of approximately 2400 police chaplains from 20 countries worldwide.  He is a Fellow with the ICPC having spent over 25 years as a front-line law enforcement chaplain serving multiple law enforcement agencies in California.  He is a Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress Diplomate with the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress as well as being a Board Certified Crisis Chaplain, Certified Emergency Crisis Responder and Certified Trauma Responder.  He has worked on the youth suicide task for Placer County, CA. as well as served on the child death review board. He has responded to national incidents such as the Loma Prieta earthquake, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the crash of American Airlines #587 in Queens, NY, hurricanes Ivan, Katrina and Rita to mention but a few. 

He has been working with the Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) for the past 20 years as a presenter, counselor and peer support member working at the National Police Week in Washington DC every year as well as various COPS hands-on retreats.  He also has worked with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department as a trainer/advisor for the Crisis Negotiations Unit (CNU).

In 2001 he was awarded the prestigious John A. Price Award for excellence in chaplaincy for a career chaplain and has received numerous awards for his disaster response services. He is also an author and international lecturer having taught on 6 continents.

Dr. Lorrain is married to his wife of 42 years, Karen, and has three children and two grandchildren.  He and wife reside in Destin, FL. where he oversees the counseling services at Vision Church at Christian International. 

Chelsea Brown is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor for the State of Oklahoma and the owner and Director of Restoration Behavioral Health in Muskogee. She works in partnership with WISH, Kids Space Child Advocacy Center, and Victim and Witness Services of the Eastern District to provide quality mental health care to the victims of abuse, neglect and domestic violence in the Muskogee community. Chelsea specializes in treating reactions to trauma and traumatic grief.

Chelsea is a nationally certified TFCBT and CPT trained therapist. She is also trained in EMDR.

She is trained in Critical Incident Stress Management and is certified to assist both individuals and

groups following critical events. She is the clinical director for the BlueLine Wellness program for the

Muskogee Police Department and one of the clinical coordinators for the Muskogee Peer Support Team.

Chelsea has been married to her husband Stephen for 17 years and they have four children. Chelsea’s

husband is a child crimes investigator for the City of Muskogee and together they sit on the city’s Multidisciplinary board for child abuse treatment and prevention for Muskogee and McIntosh counties for the state of Oklahoma.

Heather Coleman is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Peer Support Coordinator/Clinical advisor for Muskogee Police Department. 

She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Arkansas in Counselor Supervision & Education. Her areas of professional training and experience include first responder wellness, critical incident response, domestic violence, and abuse and neglect experienced in childhood. Heather is trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Processing therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Critical Incident Stress Management and is certified to assist both individuals and groups following critical events. 

She resides in Oklahoma with her husband, son, and three dogs and as much time on the lake as possible. 

Nora Druepple is a licensed clinical social worker, mental health clinician and consultant. Her compassion and professional focus is working with grief and trauma survivors. She first began this work through her employment at The Austin Police Department Victim Services Division, and later at the local emergency room as a trauma social worker. In addition, her work includes various social service and mental health agencies in the Austin, Texas community.  Nationally, she has been very involved with Concerns of Police Survivors grief retreats, Kids Camp and National Police Week Conference. 

Ms. Druepple is also an educator, having taught at the University of Texas at Austin.  She has provided crisis intervention trainings to numerous disciplines, including mental/behavioral health specialists, teachers, social workers, nurses, psychologists, police and various first responders in workshops, seminars and state conferences. 

Ms. Druepple resides in Texas with her nurse/paramedic husband and spends as much time as she can camping, hiking, scuba diving, doing yoga and enjoying the outdoors.

George Forsythe is a life-long Maryland resident. George graduated from Divine Mercy University in September 2020 with an M.S. in clinical counseling.  After completing a one-year internship where he worked with individual, couples and adolescents he accepted a position at Rogue River Counseling in Annapolis, Maryland.  George has completed an intensive addictions course with Catholic Charities in DC as well as additional specialized addictions related courses in his five years as a substance abuse counselor. George is certified as a Field Traumatologist through the Green Cross and completed field work with the Green Cross for 3 weeks in Kenya in August 2019 and a deployment to Oregon to work with those impacted by the wildfires in 2020. George is a CAC-AD in the State of Maryland and has worked with people suffering substance abuse disorders in a residential and outpatient setting. George has worked with persons suffering grief, depression, anxiety and relationship concerns.  

George was a Maryland State Trooper from 1985 until he retired in 2009. George worked as a detective, predominately undercover, for 23 of his 25 years of service and has served in various narcotics task forces, the gang unit, special investigation units, the Baltimore City Warrant Unit, and a DEA  Task Force (Violent Traffickers Initiative) in Baltimore City, in addition to his 3 years in patrol. George was also a team leader on the Maryland State Police Hostage Negotiation Team for 15 years during his career. George has a heart for police officers and other first responders. He has worked with first responders struggling with substance abuse and understands their unique relationship with issues such as suicidality, trauma, and stress. George has lost friends and co-workers to suicide and line of duty deaths. 

Nicholas Greco IV, M.S., B.C.E.T.S., C.A.T.S.M., F.A.A.E.T.S., is President and Founder of C3 Education and Research, Inc. Nick has held multiple positions over a 20-year career in clinical operations, project management, multidisciplinary training for civilians and law enforcement. He has authored over 325 book reviews, presented globally on over 400 professional presentations, workshops, and in-services, and authored or co-authored numerous articles and text supplements in psychiatry and psychology. 

He is an approved CIT instructor with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, a CIT instructor for the Chicago Police Department, CIT Coordinator and Lead CIT Trainer for the Lake County Sheriff’s National CIT Program, a Subject Matter Expert for both Axon and Lexipol/Police One, and a Mental Health First Aid Instructor with Public Safety, Fire/EMS, and Higher Education designations. He is a member of ILEETA, an Associate Member Service Provider of IACP and Committee Chair for the IPSA Mental Health Committee.

Kiva Harper is a licensed clinical social worker and an Associate Professor in Practice in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. She serves as a faculty affiliate for the Center for African American Studies. She has a BS in Criminal Justice from The University of North Texas and a MSSW in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Her areas of specialty include trauma, traumatic grief, military social work, mental health, domestic violence, substance abuse and grief. Her professional experience includes working with domestic violence crisis centers, law enforcement, active duty military, persons affected/infected with HIV/AIDS, people living with severe and persistent mental illness and people experiencing homelessness. She is the owner of Harper Counseling and Consulting Services in Arlington where she provides therapy to survivors of trauma. 

Meret Hofer recently completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Virginia and now works as a researcher examining the intersections of mental heath and criminal justice. She is especially interested in understanding the mental health consequences of police work with a goal of identifying ways to improve police agencies to enhance the mental well-being of law enforcement officers. 

Meret is the survivor sibling of P.O. David S. Hofer who was killed in the line of duty in 2016 in Euless, TX.

Kimberly “Kim” McDuffie retired from the Louisiana State Police (LSP) after serving a total of 30 years in law enforcement. Kim spent most of her career with LSP working in narcotics investigations, eventually becoming a supervisor over narcotics and detectives. Prior to her retirement, Kim served as the LSP Troopers and Employees Assistance Program Statewide Program Administrator.

Kim obtained her bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the University of Upper Iowa. She went on to obtain her Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Holy Cross College in New Orleans. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana and Nevada.

Kim works from a client-centered approach and depending on the needs of the client, incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Brainspotting. Kim is also a Certified First Responder Counselor

Kim is an International Critical Incident Stress Foundation Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention approved instructor. She is also a SafeTALK (Suicide Awareness is For Everyone) trainer for Living Works. Kim has received training in QPR (Question Persuade Refer) for Law Enforcement, and Living Works Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).

Ms. Morgan is the founder and CEO of Academy Hour (www.academyhour.com), a training provider offering

mental health & leadership courses to law enforcement, first response teams and public safety personnel, as

well as corporate teams. Academy Hour also provides the CFRC (Certified First Responder Counselor)

program and certification exam (www.FirstResponderCounselor.com).

Ms. Morgan is pursuing a Ph.D. in Psychology specializing in Trauma and Disaster Relief, holds a Master's degree in Counseling (LPC), and a Bachelor's of Science in Behavioral Sciences. She previously served as the Training Officer for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Ms. Morgan is LEFR (Law Enforcement First Responder) certified, as well as being trained as Armed Private Investigator and Security.

Ms. Morgan has authored therapy resource workbooks, and is a mental health trainer for a variety of Law

Enforcement & First Responder organizations nationwide. Additionally, Ms. Morgan is a member of the

International Law Enforcement Education and Trainers Association.

Ms. Morgan is a certified trainer for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), and is trained as in

CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management), QPR (Question Persuade Refer) and Crisis Prevention Institute Non-Violent Physical Crisis Intervention training. Additionally, she is Oklahoma Supreme Court certified as a civil mediator, and she has achieved Mensa membership status.

Ana Pais is a licensed professional counselor in the state of New Jersey and a registered telehealth provider in the state of Florida.  She has over 10 years of experience working in the mental health field, having graduated in 2010 with a Master’s in Forensic Psychology and then in 2014 with a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is a Board Certified Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified First Responder Counselor, and a trained Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist. Ana is passionate about working with Responders, their loved ones, all legal professionals (dispatchers, co-responders, crime scene technicians, probation/parole officers, etc.), and all survivors of trauma; be it vicarious, indirect, or direct. 

Dr. Darren Sroufe served on the Evansville Police Department for 21 years until his retirement in 2014 at the rank of Sergeant. Darren served as a Patrol Supervisor, as Commander of the Records Section, and as Commander of the Crisis Negotiation Team, offering leadership classes and executive coaching to up and coming leaders. Darren previously served as Chief of Police for the Dupont, Ohio Police Department. Darren has served over 29 years in law enforcement, as he continues to serve as a Reserve Deputy of the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office and as Chaplain for the Rockport, Indiana Police Dept.

Darren is a graduate of Saint Meinrad College and School of Theology. Darren holds a Doctorate of Divinity Degree in addition to a Doctorate in Law Enforcement Management and Administration Degree.

Darren has served the Evansville Police Department as Chaplain and as a negotiator since he joined the department. In addition to his police department duties, Darren also served as the Chaplain for the Evansville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #73 and serves as the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police Lodge. Since 1995, Darren has been a member of the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police Critical Incident / Memorial Team. Darren has been trained in critical incident response, stress management, crisis intervention- basic, peer, and advanced. Additionally, Darren provides immediate need counseling in critical situations. Since 1995, Darren has responded to over 80 line-of-duty deaths throughout Indiana, assisting other police departments and communities in dealing with the tragedy of having an officer killed in the line-of-duty. Darren was appointed as the Chairman of the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police Critical Incident / Memorial Team in 2006. Darren has been serving the Evansville, Indiana office of the ATF as Chaplain since 2004.

Darren also serves as an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certified instructor, an approved International Critical Incident Stress Foundation instructor and has been an adjunct professor in the School of Criminal Justice at ITT Tech.

Darren returned to Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Seminary and School of Theology in 2014 to work in development for the organization as Director of Planned Giving and Foundation Relations. In September of 2018, Darren took on a new position for Saint Meinrad Archabbey. He now serves Saint Meinrad as the Director of Safety and Security.

Gary Berryhill is retired from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) after 26 years. Gary served as Chief Inspector in the Tactical Operations Division, Office of Crisis Services, as the Chief of the agency Peer Support Team called the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). He was responsible for coordinating the deployment and peer support response by CIRT to USMS employees worldwide. Gary has extensive instruction and presentation experience and is adept in the coordination of internal team resources and liaison relationships with government agencies to facilitate advancement of program initiatives. Gary worked with Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S) to help coordinate peers, chaplains, and mental health professionals providing Support Services for the families and coworkers of fallen officers at National Police Week for 7 years. He is an approved Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) instructor through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) and has taught and assisted with building Peer Counseling teams in the State of Oklahoma as well as teams across the United States. Gary has served as a peer counselor in Post Critical Incident Seminars (PCIS) conducted in Oklahoma. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Oklahoma Chapter of the Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.).

Cathy Bustos is a retired police lieutenant from Central Texas. She is a graduate of American Military University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She is a graduate of The Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute Leadership Command College. As one half of “That Peer Support Couple, LLC” she is a strong first responder peer support and mental health advocate. She is an International Critical Incident Stress Foundation approved and certified Group Crisis and Assisting Individuals in Crisis instructor. She's also a certified trainer on the topic of Law Enforcement Suicide. She appeared in the documentary "Officer Involved". 

Javier Bustos is a 21 year law enforcement officer from Central Texas. He is a graduate from the University of The Incarnate Word with a Bachelor's degree in Communication Arts. He is a graduate of the Austin Police Department Leadership Academy. He is a certified in Peer Support through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.

As one half of “That Peer Support Couple” he is a strong first responder peer support and mental health advocate. He is a certified instructor through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. He appeared in the documentary "Officer Involved". 

Jessica Smith, MHR, LPC, TBRI trained practitioner and EMDR trained clinician provides therapeutic services to first responders, spouses, couples, adults and adolescents who have experienced trauma.  She is currently the mental health advisor for several local police departments through the state including the Mustang Police and Fire Department, Norman Police Department, Moore Police Department, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office and the Yukon Police Department.  

She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Central Oklahoma and then went on to obtain her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Oklahoma.  Prior to becoming a therapist, Jessica was a Forensic Interviewer and she worked as a group therapist at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center working with children and adolescents with sexual behavior problems.  Currently she is an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma, Department of Human Relations.  

Jessica subscribes to a client-centered approach when working with her client and tends to incorporate elements of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Family Systems, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) into her sessions depending on the needs of each individual’s client.  

Jessica is currently married to a motor office from the Norman Police Department.  The two of them have presented various trainings and workshops to law enforcement officers on a local and national level.  

Tim Smith, is a Sergeant with the Norman Police Department where he has been employed for the last 25 years.  He began his law enforcement career as a deputy with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department in 1989.  While at the Norman Police Department, Sgt. Smith has served in many capacities, including being a Field Training Officer, Academy Instructor and Crime Prevention Officer.  He has taught at a local and national level (COPs National Conference and the National Black Police Officer’s Association).  Sgt. Smith is a Peer Support Team Leader for the Norman Police Department and has served in this capacity for over 20 years.  Currently he is assigned to the traffic unit as a motor officer.  In 2016, Sgt. Smith received the Trooper Matthew Scott Evans Memorial Award for his dedication to improving traffic safety in the State of Oklahoma.         

John is a 21 year plus veteran of the Oklahoma City Police Department.  Blu has served in variety of specialty units that have given him an incredible journey within the law enforcement field.  He served in the undercover drug unit, motors units and peer support team of which he currently is one of Oklahoma City PD’s team leaders for the peer support team unit.  Blu is a proficient and experienced instructor in the fields of Incident Command System, National Incident Management System, Radar Operations, Field Training Officer, Police Motorcycle Instructor and Defensive Tactics.  Blu has been involved in a multitude of traumatic experiences that left an indelible impression on his soul but can also testify to the importance of mental & emotional health care due the painful journey to health that he speaks on.  Blu has lost significant co-workers and family members that made a heavy impression on him, as well as losing his job for a time as a result of his unhealthy LE journey.  Blu was also part of the tragic events that unfolded in the tornado deaths in 2013.  Blu has served in motor operations at National Police Week for many years.   Blu is also a contract employee for Warrior’s Rest Foundation serving as peer support at National Police Week, National Traumas of Law Enforcement trainings and other deployments that require experienced peer support personnel.  Blu is strongly connected with the National Office of Concerns of Police Survivors, C.O.P.S. serving in a variety of capacities, including serving at national Kids Camp in Salem, WI and is on the National Strategic Planning Committee for National C.O.P.S. Office. Blu is passionate today in helping officers and all first responders on a journey to positivity and good health by telling his story and exercising his talents and leadership as a trained peer supporter, team leader and presenter.