HEY THEREI’m Brittany Thomas-Vestal, LCSW
My husband and I have been married 19 years, and today we live a busy life with our four kids. Similar to the struggles you’re experiencing, we’ve had to work hard to figure out how to overcome the challenges we’ve faced.
One thread that’s woven through the struggle we’ve had to navigate is being a first responder family. My husband has been a firefighter for the last 27 years. While he’s had a successful career, it’s meant that we’ve spent long hours away from each other. Much of my parenting has been solo and, we are constantly in a state of adjustment. We’ve witnessed injuries and illnesses in other firefighters, watched relationships suffer, and navigated struggles in our own marriage.
Together, we have shared the experience of everything from infertility, learning to set difficult boundaries with extended family, coping with challenges that come with being a first responder family, and learning to re-adjust after a difficult year at home during the pandemic.
When the chaos of 2020 happened, I realized how many people were struggling and that they were simply unable to find the care they needed. As a community member, I watched countless social issues being exacerbated, including a huge need for mental health services with first responders. I believe the pandemic highlighted what a deep need we have for empathy and compassion, but it also showed how important it is that when we lean on and trust people, they follow through on what they commit to.
The pandemic and virtual therapy has provided a unique opportunity to connect with others. In reaching out to first responders and their therapists, I discovered the need for mental health support in first responders was far greater than I had even anticipated.
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My husband and I have been deeply impacted in so many different ways by the stress we’ve experienced, both individually and as a couple. We’ve worked hard with therapists and on our own as individuals and as a couple, and we’ve come out on the other side more resilient and better equipped to face whatever life decides to throw at us next.
I know the same can be true for you, too. My goal is to support you in learning how to move forward with perseverance and persistence, in order to build resilience, and take control over the outcome of your story.
I look forward to seeing what we can do together!
Find me on Psychology Today
My Credentials
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Major: Psychology, Minor: Business
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Studied: Social Work
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CBT and Motivational Interviewing 2004
Socratic Dialogue in the Treatment of PTSD: Putting it into Practice 2025
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD 2024
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BASIC: Group Intervention 2005
Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention 2024
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Brainspotting Phase 1 2023
Brainspotting Phase 2 2023
Brainspotting: Cultural Competency for Emergency Responders, Military Personnel and their Families 2023
Harmonic Brainspotting 2025
Brainspotting for Intensives 2025
Brainspotting Attachment Specialty Workshop 2025
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EMDR Part 1 2025
EMDR Part 2 2026
Integrated EMDR/IFS 2026
Polyvagal Informed EMDR 2026
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Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD 2023
A Developmental Model of Couples Relationships for Couples Therapists 2024
Sex Therapy for Couples and Relationships 2024
Gottman Phase 1 2025
Fundamentals of EFT 2025
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples July 2025
EFT Betrayal 2025
Polyvagal Couples 2025
IFS (IFTIO) Informed Couples 2026
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Frank Anderson IFS 2025-2026
IFS Foundations 2026
Integrated EMDR & IFS 2026
IFS Informed Couples
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Basic Principles of Somatic Experiencing 2024
Embodied Somatic Interventions for Trauma Healing 2025
Integrative Somatic Parts Work 2025
Polyvagal Couples 2025
Clinical Applications of Polyvagal Theory Part 1 2025
Clinical Applications of Polyvagal Theory Part 2 2026
Polyvagal Informed EMDR 2026
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Training through 4Paws2Freedom Ongoing from 2024 - current
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ACT with perinatal mental health 2023
Optimizing Performance, Rapid Recovery & Stress Management for First Responders 2023
Estrangement Grief 2025
EFIT (Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy) 2026
Featured In
Check out the podcast where I discuss my personal experience with infertility as a fire wife.
Check out the podcast where I discuss my personal experience with IVF and fire family schedules.
CONTACT US
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