Tag Archives: Fire Service Psychology Association

In the bustling world of firefighting and emergency services, there’s a long-lost sister—a quiet advocate working tirelessly behind the scenes. Her name? Fire Service Psychology Association (FSPA). Dr. Kristen Wheldon, Psy.D is the President and Founder of FSPA, and has been championing her cause, but why haven’t the major fire service organizations rushed to embrace FSPA? Let’s explore this intriguing question.

I've been a fire service member of the Fire Service Psychology Association (FSPA) since 2018 and it's been an informative, educational, and fulfilling experience seeing how fire service leaders and psychologist and other mental health clinicians are working to "build a bridge between professional psychology and the fire service." However, in the five-plus years I've been a member of FSPA I never really gave serious thought to "Why did I join FSPA?"

You can help support the 6th Annual Conference of the Fire Service Psychological Association with your tax-deductible donation. Help support improving mental health services for firefighters!

Said Wheldon, who has worked with firefighters in her private psychology practice, “In my own work, and in speaking with other psychologists who’ve treated firefighters, I’ve come to learn that that firefighters are different. They’re different from police officers, who I’ve also worked with, and they’re the general public. And I think they need a different kind of psychologist. They deserve a different kind of psychologist.”