First Responders (F.R.A.T.)
First Responders Addiction Treatment (FRAT)
The First Responders Addiction Treatment Program (FRAT) was one of the first programs in the area designed to treat the unique needs of emergency responders and veterans. The program started in 2011 and has treated over 1,000 patients, many of whom are still part of the FRAT peer support network. Treatment consists of evidenced-based modalities delivered by a passionate team of well-trained staff members who also once served their country and communities. We serve all individuals who are current or former law enforcement, firefighters/ EMS, and military veterans.
First Responders experience consistent stressful and dangerous situations in their careers, which has a cumulative effect on their mental health. Substance abuse often starts as a coping mechanism but quickly spirals into addiction. The stigma from society and peers becomes a barrier to seeking help. Left hidden, their problem almost always gets worse.
The FRAT Program treats alcohol and drug addiction as well as underlying issues that prevent a person from maintaining long-term sobriety. Recovery is not just about putting down the abused substances – there is a need for education. This is a large component of our treatment, delivered by caring professionals who understand the stress of serving on the front lines.
Whether you are actively serving or once served, FRAT can assist you on your journey toward recovery.
Program Overview
- Evidence-Based Practices – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET).
- Peer Support – No person with the disease of addiction can recover alone. FRAT provides a built-in support network of peers with both onsite volunteers and virtual meetings held three times per week.
- Wingman Program – Every FRAT patient that enters treatment receives contact information for a FRAT peer that will assist the patient while in treatment.
- FRAT Project Zero – Suicides continue to be one of the leading causes of death for police officers, almost equal to felonious assaults. We are still losing our veterans at an alarming rate to suicide as well. FRAT Project Zero was started after the suicide deaths of two former patients. Our goal is to lose zero FRAT members to suicide moving forward. We provide weekly prevention groups, host guest speakers, and provide 24-hour support. In 2022, two FRAT members with suicidal intentions were led to treatment by FRAT Staff in the overnight hours.
- BOOT Program – The name “BOOT” is a military acronym for “Beginning of One’s Tour.” Our BOOT Program was started to allow patients that successfully complete treatment to stay involved in the FRAT Program. “BOOTs” provide insight and support to the patients in treatment by sharing success stories and challenges faced in early sobriety under the guidance of staff.
- Daily Psychoeducation – There is so much more to recovery than putting down the drink or the drug. There are a host of “living” problems that need to be resolved for a person to maintain long-term sobriety. Our staff delivers these education sessions every day to fix the issues that lay beneath the addiction.
- Group Therapy – The FRAT patients form a tight knit group, bonded by their service to their country and communities. Group therapy sessions create an atmosphere of concerned care in which the group provides each other with their own experiences, feedback, and support. Group members learn quickly that they are not alone. Their problems are often similar to others in the group. The group is a safe space to talk and practice new, healthy habits.
- Individual Therapy – Each FRAT patient gets weekly one-on-one therapy sessions with a counselor where underlying addiction issues are addressed. Patients can expect to gain new healthy coping and communication skills, relapse prevention strategies, trauma informed care, and a change in thinking and behavior patterns.
- Equine Assisted Therapy – Livengrin partnered with Kindle Hill Farms in Blue Bell, PA in 2021 to provide FRAT patients with a unique opportunity for weekly equine assisted therapy sessions. Patients typically realize they have more internal resources than they knew they had, strengthen their coping skills, and start to regain a sense of control. They learn how intuitive horses are and react to the emotions displayed by the patient.
- Other Therapeutic Groups – FRAT also offers patients the opportunity to attend music therapy, art therapy, guided meditation, and trauma-informed yoga weekly.
- Evidence-Based Practices – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET).