A large grass field glowed yellow from the setting sun as five brown former-race horses stood tall in the distance. Julie Baker, Healing Arenas founder and program director, took cover from the heat under the shade of giant sequoia trees.
This is where participants will have to answer tough questions about how they respond to stress.
“The first one kind of says it all: I tend to bounce back quickly after hard times,” Baker read from a half sheet of paper.
It’s part of Healing Arenas’ resiliency program. Firefighters, police officers, and emergency room staff can develop skills to cope with the trauma they encounter on the job, day to day.
“That’s going to be what helps you retain your career and help your home life as well,” Baker said.
Baker said the horses allow people to open up in ways a traditional setting may not.
“You’re hearing the wind blow through the trees, you’re out in nature, you have these giant God-created beings that you can identify with,” Baker said. “It’s fun because they have their own personalities too. People learn who’s gonna respond and who doesn’t. Well, who’s that remind you of? ‘Oh, it's my chief. I can't get him to respond.’ Ah, okay.”
There’s also a family day where participants can invite their loved ones and discuss how to decompress after a firefighting season or 48-hour shifts. Baker said another added benefit is they’re elbow-to-elbow with other first responders.
Baker worked nights as an EMT in Stockton and Modesto for 15 years. She said the job changed her.
“It made me crabby. Made me not want to go to work. It made me be a person I never was. It’s amazing what an environment can do to your soul,” Baker said.
She’s run similar courses for veterans for over a decade, and said it was time to work with first responders. Now, she faces another uphill battle.
“A lot of it stems from the stigma of superiors wondering if you’re still good to go. They don’t want their badge taken away,” Baker said. “That’s what we're trying to do here: to help people discover that peace. You can do something about it.”
Participants can either attend the next five weeks of classes or drop by one to earn an hour of continuing education credit. The class is free and voluntary.
