Ashlyn Douglass-Barnes, LCSW
I’ve worked with first responders my entire career and dedicated the majority of my client spaces for first responders and their families. I’m married to a first responder, and understand the difficulties faced by the profession not only for the first responder but also the family. I understand the immense stress of the job can put on relationships, especially when resentment and irritation set in. Don’t worry, we’ll cuss, get angry, might even yell or cry. I’ll understand your dark humor and horror stories. I promise to keep your information confidential and help you keep your mental ability to work your job you have worked so hard to obtain.
I specialize in processing trauma, helping to clear those calls your brain wants to hold onto thinking it’s keeping you safe. As well as adjustment to life changes, such a starting at a new department or changing departments, marriage, divorce, having children, change in ability or functional, and retirement. And some of the more scary, such as chronic suicidality (thoughts without actions or plans) and all the not so great ways you may be dealing with your stress, such as alcohol, sex, drugs, video games or gambling, which works really well until it doesn’t.
At the end of the day, my goal is to empower you to make positive changes in your life. Whether we're working through issues related to trauma, addiction, or mental health, I believe that no person is ever too broken or too far down, we can work together to figure out the next best step towards a making a life worth living.
Tania Gorham, LMFT
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Qualified Supervisor, I specialize in supporting first responders and their families through the emotional weight that comes with serving on the front lines. Law enforcement, fire rescue, EMS, dispatch, corrections, and military roles require strength and composure under pressure, yet the impact of the work often follows you home.
My clinical focus centers on trauma exposure, cumulative stress, anxiety, relationship strain, burnout, executive functioning under chronic stress, and navigating identity shifts within public safety careers. I provide a direct, grounded, and trauma-informed space where first responders can speak openly without being judged, pathologized, or misunderstood. Whether you are navigating critical incident stress, marital tension, hypervigilance, irritability, sleep disruption, or the quiet emotional toll of the job, therapy can be a place to recalibrate and regain steadiness.
I also supervise Registered Marriage and Family Therapy Interns and Registered Mental Health Counseling Interns, mentoring clinicians who are passionate about serving high-stress populations with competence, clarity, and respect for the culture of first responder communities.
Jessica Ruiz, Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern
As a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern in the state of Florida, I work with first responders and their partners who want to strengthen their relationships, improve communication, and feel more connected despite the demands of public safety careers. My clinical approach centers on understanding the patterns that develop under chronic stress and high-risk work, and helping couples and individuals build more secure, resilient, and fulfilling partnerships.
My work focuses on relationship dynamics impacted by shift work, trauma exposure, hypervigilance, emotional withdrawal, desire discrepancies, infidelity recovery, and financial stress. Many of the couples I support are navigating recurring conflict, emotional distance, or resentment that has grown alongside the pressures of the job. Together, we work to rebuild trust, strengthen communication, and restore both emotional and physical intimacy.
I integrate systemic, attachment-based, and somatic frameworks to create a grounded, collaborative space where clients can explore their experiences without judgment. In addition to my clinical training, I am an AASECT certified sex therapist and a certified financial therapist, which allows me to address the interconnected emotional, relational, and practical realities that first responder families often face.