Truly Mental
This podcast has been created by Joe Smarro & Jesse Trevino and it is being provided by SolutionPoint+, a national training and consulting firm that specializes in cultivating mental wellness to maximize human capital and promote safety. They are two combat veteran marines, who have been on a shared journey as best friends for the last 20+ years. Joe and Jesse were both San Antonio Police officers for 15 and 10 years, respectively, and have started a training and consulting firm which is now their full-time endeavor. They have set out on a mission to change the culture of law enforcement in America by focusing on individual wellness. They hope to eradicate first responder suicide. Welcome to the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave comments for them both. BeWell -
Truly Mental
Blue Collar Heart, White Collar Job: Steve Bisson
•
Joe & Jesse
•
Season 5
•
Episode 10
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Connect with Steve:
- Steve Bisson has worked in mental health and addiction treatment since 1999 — jails, corrections, parole, probation, courts, and side-by-side with first responders from day one
- Licensed mental health counselor certified in CBT and EMDR, author of Finding Your Way Through Therapy, and host of the podcast Resilience Development in Action
- Born and raised in Montreal, French as his first language — Steve talks about how he ended up building his career in mental health in the U.S.
- The first-in-Massachusetts jail diversion program, and what riding along with first responders actually taught him about earning trust before offering help
- What "first responder trained" therapist really means — and why the label matters less than whether a therapist can meet someone where they actually are
- Steve's blue-collar upbringing (a farmer, a mechanic, a dad who did the grunt work) and why he says he's got a white collar job but a blue collar heart
- Why being "honest" and "real" beats being polished — and how that became his practice's motto
- The reality check every therapist needs: you're not everyone's cup of tea, and that's fine
- Steve's advice for finding the right fit: give it three sessions, then be honest about whether it's working
- Why geography shouldn't stop anyone from getting help — virtual therapy, out-of-state options, and finding someone with real first responder or military exposure
- Closing questions: the belief Steve had to unlearn about "resistant" clients, and the one sentence he'd whisper to everyone suffering in silence