HEALTH & WELLNESS
MUCCIARELLI CONTINUED FROM PAGE 75
are a bit unsteady. However, back when “old me” was making
that threat call through the mic in my Kevlar-plated helmet, it
was as smooth as silk. Just another day on the job. What in the
hell happened to that me?
Over the years, I’ve learned that life will never be the same.
Some of the same characters may still be around, but boy, has
the scenery changed. I have learned to accept my “new nor-
mal.” I have acknowledged that my idiosyncrasies and nuanc-
es have multiplied by a hundred, as has my anxiety. I try to
practice living in the moment and to keep my head where my
feet are planted. I know that I must practice self-care — not
just say the phrase “self-care” to my clients, but actually do
it. I can do things like take a day off from work every now and
then, get a massage, catch up with an old friend, etc. It’s so
much easier to say, than actually do, isn’t it? Taking care of my-
self (without feeling guilty that others may have to toe the line
once in awhile) is by far one of the most challenging tasks I’ve
ever been assigned. Sound familiar?
Coming to work for Princeton House Behavioral Health’s
First Responder Services was one way I could keep myself con-
nected to the demographic that will always be near and dear
to me. I couldn’t possibly return to the workforce as a regular
civilian. At Princeton House, our team of former first respond-
er clinicians facilitates group therapy and provides one-to-
one sessions with police, fire, military and other first respond-
ers who have been shaken and unable to employ their coping
skills due to a tragedy or trauma on the job. Perhaps they are
dealing with something at work that has been exacerbated by
a stressful situation at home. And oftentimes we see first re-
sponders who are using alcohol and/or other substances to
“get them through.” Princeton House provides wrap-around
care, 24 hours a day for our first responders. There would be
no better fit for me as a therapist than to work in service of
those who still serve.
Through my work at Princeton House, I have since prac-
ticed what I preach, and took a chance on accepting “new
Jamie,” however, the jury is still out on whether or not I like
her that much. She’s irritable a lot; she doesn’t do as well with
family and friends as she used to. She’s also scared fairly often.
She’s emotional when she tries to explain why she is the way
she is, and she certainly has one hell of a time moving through
a crowd of people without almost going into a full-blown pan-
ic attack. “New Jamie” demands that she see people/traffic
coming and going in every direction in order to feel safe. “New
Jamie” has to get to the restaurant early to ensure she gets the
seat against the wall, at the table all the way in the back. She
needs to see where every exit sign is when she enters a place
that she’s never been. Life is different now. Different, but man-
ageable. “New Jamie” knows what she has to do to adapt to
her new normal; and she must do it every single day. Through
practice and repetition, this twelve-year combat veteran has
decided, like so many of you, to no longer suffer in silence.
And by making that call, we just might become the best ver-
sion of ourselves. d
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ OCTOBER 2017
Jamie Mucciarelli is a senior therapist for first responders at
Princeton House Behavioral Health and the owner of Mucc-
iarelli Therapy Services, LLC in the Mercer/Somerset Counties
area. She served in the U.S. Air Force for 12 years with four com-
bat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan as a C-130 Crew Member.