A former Montgomery County firefighter, Fessenden attended the nation’s only in-patient facility designed to treat firefighters with PTSD. “I was in complicated grief over the loss of my career,” said Fessenden, the third generation of firefighters in his family. Firefighters come racked with guilt, thinking what they could have done differently on calls that ended tragically. Detox, individual therapy and group therapy are available, with firefighters getting help finding treatment closer to home to continue their progress after they leave. We were dealing with the same suffering and emotional pain.”“You don’t come out perfect,” Fessenden said, but you learn how to cope.

Source: Washington Post December 28, 2017 22:31 UTC