How do you support a coworker coming back after mental health leave or a suicide attempt without making it weird? This episode will give you practical language and steps to reduce stigma and welcome them back well.

What do you say when a coworker returns after mental health leave or a suicide attempt—without making it awkward or piling on more stigma?

Many responders either avoid the person completely, crack the wrong joke, or pry for details, and the coworker ends up feeling like a problem instead of part of the team. In this episode, you’ll get clear, practical peer support skills to welcome them back, support their reintegration, and know when to step in or back off.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

1. Simple, respectful phrases you can use when a coworker returns after a suicide attempt or mental health crisis
2. Common mistakes to avoid so you don’t increase shame, stigma, or workplace awkwardness
3. How to support their safe reintegration at work while protecting your own boundaries as a peer supporter

Use this episode with your peer support team, your shift, or your leadership group to set a healthier standard for how your agency handles return-to-work after a mental health crisis.

Share This Episode:

https://www.survivingyourshift.com/52

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: www.survivingyourshift.com

Mentioned in this episode:

CISM Individual Lake Charles Training

This Assisting Individuals CISM training gives you a clear, proven framework for supporting individuals after difficult calls, losses, or traumatic events, without turning the conversation into therapy. Learn when and how to use the Assisting Individuals model appropriately, practical skills for one-on-one crisis support after critical incidents, and how this training fits into a strong peer support or CISM program. Training Dates: January 15–16, 2026 Location: Lake Charles, Louisiana Host: With You SWLA Underwritten By: Crisis Response Care Cost: $50 Register at https://www.survivingyourshift.com/individual

When a coworker attempts or dies by suicide, the whole agency feels it. Learn how to support your team, honor the person, and navigate grief and fallout without causing more harm.

You walk into work and hear the words you never wanted to hear: “One of our own attempted suicide,” or, “We lost someone to suicide last night.” The room goes quiet, people are in shock, and you’re left wondering what to say, what to do, and how to help without making things worse.

A suicide attempt or death by suicide inside your agency hits harder than almost anything else. It affects morale, trust, and the sense of safety in your “second family.” In the middle of all that, peer supporters and leaders are often expected to somehow hold everyone together.

In this episode, we’ll walk through what to do after a suicide attempt or death by suicide in your agency, how to support the team, honor the person, and handle the ripple effects with wisdom and care.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL LEARN:

• What to focus on in the first 24–72 hours after a suicide attempt or death by suicide
• How to talk about what happened without glamorizing suicide or spreading harmful details
• How to support the people closest to the situation and care for yourself and your peer support team in the weeks and months that follow
• You can’t undo what happened. But you can show up in a way that helps your people grieve, heal, and move forward without feeling abandoned or alone.

SHARE THIS EPISODE:

https://www.survivingyourshift.com/51

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

StressCareDoc.com

Schedule a Discovery Call

https://stresscaredoc.com/consultation

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: www.survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

CISM Individual Lake Charles Training

This Assisting Individuals CISM training gives you a clear, proven framework for supporting individuals after difficult calls, losses, or traumatic events, without turning the conversation into therapy. Learn when and how to use the Assisting Individuals model appropriately, practical skills for one-on-one crisis support after critical incidents, and how this training fits into a strong peer support or CISM program. Training Dates: January 15–16, 2026 Location: Lake Charles, Louisiana Host: With You SWLA Underwritten By: Crisis Response Care Cost: $50 Register at https://www.survivingyourshift.com/individual

Christmas can be beautiful and painful, especially on the front lines. This short Christmas special reflects on the birth of Christ, the reality of working through the holidays, and how to find hope and peace, whether or not you celebrate the season the same way.

You might be listening to this on your way to shift, in the bay between calls, or at home trying to catch a quiet moment during a busy season. Christmas looks different when you work in law enforcement, fire, EMS, dispatch, corrections, or the hospital and Emergency world.

Some of you are working doubles while your family opens presents without you. Some are carrying grief or loneliness into a season that’s “supposed” to be happy. And some of you don’t celebrate Christmas the same way I do, or at all, but you’re still navigating the pressure, expectations, and emotions that come with this time of year.

In this special episode, we step away from training models and talk about the heart of Christmas. From my Christian faith perspective, we’ll look at the birth of Christ, God coming close in the middle of a messy, broken world, and what that means for those of us serving on the front lines today.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL BE ENCOURAGED TO:

• See Christmas as a reminder that you’re not alone, even in dark or difficult seasons
• Find small moments of peace, presence, and gratitude in the middle of busy shifts or complicated family situations
• Give yourself permission to feel what you’re feeling this year, while still holding onto hope
• Whether you share my faith or not, this episode is meant to be a few minutes of encouragement: a chance to breathe, to remember your value beyond the job, and to be reminded that light still shines in dark places.

SHARE THIS EPISODE:

https://www.survivingyourshift.com/50

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

StressCareDoc.com

Schedule a Discovery Call

https://stresscaredoc.com/consultation

Connect with Bart

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bartleger

Facebook Page: facebook.com/survivingyourshift

Website: www.survivingyourshift.com

Want to find out how I can help you build a peer support program in your organization or provide training? Schedule a no-obligation call or Zoom meeting with me here.

Mentioned in this episode:

CISM Individual Lake Charles Training

This Assisting Individuals CISM training gives you a clear, proven framework for supporting individuals after difficult calls, losses, or traumatic events, without turning the conversation into therapy. Learn when and how to use the Assisting Individuals model appropriately, practical skills for one-on-one crisis support after critical incidents, and how this training fits into a strong peer support or CISM program. Training Dates: January 15–16, 2026 Location: Lake Charles, Louisiana Host: With You SWLA Underwritten By: Crisis Response Care Cost: $50 Register at https://www.survivingyourshift.com/individual