245 5th Ave #311, New York, NY 10016 / 80 Park St., Montclair, New Jersey 07042
(312)600-3775
Accepting New Clients! Book a Free Consult
So you’re the person who runs toward danger while everyone else runs away, and now your nervous system won’t power down, your partner says you seem “different,” and you’re quietly wondering if this is just…life now? Plot twist: it doesn’t have to be. You’ve spent your career holding space for other people’s worst days—maybe it’s time someone held space for yours.
Sound familiar? We’re here for you. At Authentically Living Psychological Services, our therapy for first responders isn’t built on platitudes or neatly packaged advice. It’s a place where you can finally exhale, put words (or no words) to what’s been living inside you, and reconnect with the part of you that exists beyond the uniform and the survival mode it demands. Contact us when you’re ready to begin.
Meet our counselor for first responders
Jaclyn Paradise
Jaclyn doesn't do small talk or surface-level coping strategies. She's here for the deep work—the kind that involves your nervous system finally releasing what it's been white-knuckling for years, existential questions about who you are when you're not saving lives, and yes, probably some breathwork that'll make you feel weird at first but actually works.
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Credentials: Licensed Associate Counselor, Certified Trauma Professional, Certified Mindfulness Informed Professional, 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher
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Location: Montclair, NJ
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Virtual therapy: Yes
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What sets our practice apart from other New Jersey therapy providers for first responders
Look, we could give you the standard therapy pitch about "evidence-based practices" and "safe spaces," but you've heard that before and it probably didn't land. Here's what actually makes this different:
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We get that your trauma isn't a single event—it's a career. No one's asking you to pinpoint "the" incident; we're addressing the cumulative weight of a thousand impossible moments.
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No clinical mask. We show up as a human first, not a clipboard in disguise, meeting you without judgment or distance.
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Holistic that doesn't mean woo-woo. It means recognizing that your insomnia, your irritability, and your emotional numbness are all connected, and addressing the root instead of slapping band-aids on symptoms.
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Accessible without the extra friction. Therapy happens online, because adding traffic, parking, and awkward waiting rooms to your plate felt unnecessary, especially when your nervous system already works overtime.
Here, you get room to breathe, unload what your nervous system has been dragging around for years, and remember that you are more than a walking survival response with a calendar full of shifts.
Common reasons why people seek first responder counseling
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The calls that replay in your head at 3 AM, especially the ones where you did everything right and it still went wrong.
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You’re snapping at the people you love over things that genuinely don’t matter, and you don’t recognize who you’re becoming at home.
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Alcohol or other substances have quietly become your most reliable off switch after a shift.
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You feel like you’re watching your own life through plexiglass; present, technically, but not really there.
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Your body refuses to stand down even when you’re exhausted; hypervigilance has become your default setting everywhere.
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Imposter syndrome teams up with second-guessing every call you’ve ever made, despite knowing you followed protocol.
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Random triggers (sirens, certain smells, specific locations) send your nervous system straight into overdrive.
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There’s a quiet, nagging question you can’t shake: Can I keep doing this without losing the parts of myself I actually like?.
What to expect from the therapy process
First contact: The "are you my people?" conversation
Building the foundation: Getting your nervous system on board
Deepening the work: The messy middle where magic happens
Sustaining growth: Building a life that doesn't require numbing
We start with a free consultation where you can sus out whether this feels right. No hard sell, no therapy jargon—just real talk about what's bringing you here, how this actually works, and whether our vibe matches what you need. Also, yes, we'll address the confidentiality concerns because we know you're wondering.
Early sessions are about creating actual safety (not just talking about it). We're exploring your story, sure, but also teaching your body that it's allowed to stand down sometimes. Expect grounding practices that feel weird until they don't, and conversations about how trauma isn't just memories—it's stuck in your shoulders, your jaw, your constant need to scan every room.
Once trust is established, we dive into the stuff you've been avoiding. This might look like somatic work to release what's trapped in your system, mindfulness practices that create breathing room between trigger and reaction, or existential exploration of "Who am I beyond this job?" Warning: this phase can feel worse before it feels better, but that's just your system finally processing what it's been holding.
The later phases are about integration—taking what you've learned and actually living it. We're rebuilding relationships that matter, rediscovering meaning beyond the badge, and creating sustainable practices so you don't just white-knuckle your way through existence. You'll learn to recognize when old patterns are creeping back and actually have the capacity to course-correct.