Thin Line Wellness and Recovery, LLC

10/10/2026

💚 World Mental Health Day is a reminder that caring for your mental health can begin with small, everyday choices.

For those who serve others, try to make room for the basics:

• 🍎 Fuel your body with regular, nourishing meals and focus on protein
• 💧 Hydrate throughout the day with water, and no, ice doesn’t count.
• 😴 Sleep and give yourself time to recover, aim for 5-9 hours a day.
• ❤️‍🩹 Feel what you are feeling without judging yourself for it.
• 🤝 Share what is weighing on you with someone you trust whether it’s with a therapist, peer support mentor, or close friend or family member.

You do not have to carry everything alone. Checking in with yourself and reaching out for support are signs of strength and help you obtain and sustain optimal performance.

10/10/2026

Congratulations to our Resident in Counseling, Ashley Sorrells Jenkins! Her poster proposal, “Beyond the Call: Exploring Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy for First Responder Burnout,” has been accepted for presentation at the Horses and Humans Research Foundation Conference in Kissimmee, Florida!

We are proud of Ashley’s dedication to advancing thoughtful, innovative support for first responders. We look forward to seeing her share this work with the conference community. Congratulations, Ashley! 🐴💚

09/28/2026

For some first responders, a tattoo is a chance to pause, focus on the moment, share a story with someone who’s listening, or mark a part of life they’ve made it through. The steady rhythm, the breathing, the conversation, and the art itself can leave someone feeling calmer, lighter, or more connected to their own body.

A tattoo won’t fix everything. But sometimes doing something intentional for yourself and carrying a reminder of what matters to you can mean a lot.

Healing can look different for everyone. Sometimes it looks like talking. Sometimes it looks like getting support. And sometimes it looks like choosing art that tells your story.

Your story deserves to be yours. 🖤

09/24/2026

911 and 988 work in tandem to help prevent su***de in the United States. Here's a graphic to help you know when to call (or text) each number.

And if you're an Emergency Dispatcher, we encourage you to take our Protocol 41: Caller in Crisis (1st Party) course on the College of Emergency Dispatch: https://learn.emergencydispatch.org/

09/22/2026

🐴 What if trauma therapy didn’t always have to happen sitting in an office?

A new study looked at combining EMDR, a therapy that helps the brain process painful or overwhelming experiences, with equine-assisted psychotherapy.

Of the 16 people in the study:

• 94% made progress from the beginning to the end of treatment
• 56.3% reached their expected treatment goal or better by the middle of treatment
• 50% reached their expected treatment goal or better by the end of treatment

For first responders, trauma is not always tied to one call. It can build over years of seeing, carrying, and handling things most people never experience. Approaches that involve movement, connection, and the calming presence of a horse may offer another way to work through those experiences especially when sitting face-to-face and talking about everything feels difficult.

This was a small early study, so it does not prove that combining EMDR and equine-assisted therapy will work for everyone. But the results are encouraging and support the need for more research.

Healing doesn’t always have to look like sitting on a couch. Sometimes a different setting creates a different way forward. 💚

📖 EMDR and Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Retrospective Mixed-Methods Case Series

https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.70225

09/11/2026

“I remember the fear, but also heroism, patriotism and neighborliness that came after 9/11” - Chief Robert Zoldos, Durham Fire Chief and Pentagon Responder

09/08/2026

What actually helps first responders experiencing PTSD?

A 2026 systematic review of 15 studies found that EMDR and trauma-focused CBT had the strongest and most consistent evidence for reducing PTSD symptoms.

The findings were more mixed for other approaches:

• Group interventions and CISD did not consistently reduce PTSD symptoms.
• Resilience and mindfulness programs sometimes improved short-term well-being, but lasting benefits remain unclear.
• Evidence specific to EMS personnel is still limited.

The takeaway: wellness and resilience programs can be valuable supports, but they should not replace access to individualized, evidence-based trauma treatment.

Research matters, especially when we’re deciding how to care for the people who care for everyone else.

Source: Jebreel et al. (2026), International Journal of Emergency Medicine
doi.org/10.1186/s12245-026-01266-2

09/03/2026

Following yesterday’s events in Waynesboro, many individuals are asking how to support their first responder coworkers or loved ones.

Keep in mind support doesn’t require finding the perfect words. Offer a meal, help with routine responsibilities, give them space without disappearing, and listen without pressing for details. Changes in sleep, mood, energy, or concentration can be common after a high-stress event.

Please share this with the families and support systems standing behind our first responders.

We could also bring Athena out to your department to hang out 😉

09/02/2026

Thin Line Wellness & Recovery stands with the first responders, dispatchers, and other personnel involved in today’s response in Waynesboro.

Free peer support is available through Virginia First Responder Support Services (VFRSS).

Call or text: (540) 755-0208

Please share with anyone involved in the response.

08/29/2026

Come on out to Rowing for For Responders 2026 and get in a workout, grab some lunch, pet Athena and support a good cause!

🚨Alert! - No one is petting Athena! Come help and support a good cause!!

📍 648 Peter Jefferson Pkwy, Charlottesville