ABOUT OUR GUEST Cameron Schwarz, widely known across social media as the Mental Health Medic, is a veteran paramedic and licensed mental health clinician. After serving in the Army National Guard and deploying to Africa, Cameron landed in EMS by chance, serving four years on the street in both high-volume urban and rural systems as a paramedic and Field Training Officer (FTO). He later spent eight years as a lead EMS faculty member before transitioning into full-time clinical mental health counseling, specializing in first responder trauma, identity, and mental health advocacy.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT

• Accidental EMS Journey: How a pre-law student and military veteran was "voluntold" into EMT/paramedic school by mentors who saw his potential before he did.
• The Slow Fade into CPTSD: Recognizing cumulative post-traumatic stress—not from one single horrific call, but from the quiet morning ritual of sitting in a driveway with a 30-pack of beer after a 24-hour shift.
• Where the System Fails Responders: The stark lack of EMS-competent therapists in the mid-2010s, administrative silence during shift change debriefs, and the limitations of generic EAP programs.
• The Flaw of EAPs: Why standard EAPs fail public safety personnel by grouping high-trauma responders into generic government employee contracts without understanding responder culture.
• The "Musturbating" Trap: Breaking down the psychological fallacy of self-imposed demands ("I must do this, I should feel that") and replacing rigid expectations with self-compassion.
• The Trauma One-Upping Problem: Why peers must stop relating to another's trauma by sharing their own "worst call," and instead simply validate that the situation sucks.
• Identity vs. Purpose: How starting a career as a teenager without a clear sense of self leads to burnout when the job fails to meet unrealistic expectations.
• Calling Future Clinicians: Cameron’s direct call-to-action for first responders considering graduate school in mental health to step up and meet the desperate need for culturally competent providers.

• Guest Social Media: Instagram & TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_mental.health.medic?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

  https://www.instagram.com/_mental.health.medic?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsi=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

• Founding Sponsor: Five Arrows Forge- fivearrowsforge.com
• Official Website: A Silent War Within- asilentwarwithin.com
• Featured Event: Rescuing the Rescuer: The 99 Initiative (Tomorrow, September 12 at Church of the Harvest, Olive Branch, MS)

  Sign Up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rescuing-the-rescuer-the-99-initiative-tickets-1996115897383

• National Crisis Resources: Dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

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ABOUT THE INITIATIVE 99 SERIES Initiative 99 is a dedicated faith-based series within A Silent War Within. Named after the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15, Initiative 99 strips away secular excuses to focus on the truth: professional strength cannot save your soul, and no badge or uniform can carry the weight of human sin. This series provides emergency providers with a direct pathway to spiritual armor, confession, and true peace in Jesus Christ.

ABOUT OUR GUEST Clint Hatch is a 22-year law enforcement veteran in Mississippi. Over his career, he spent 16 years in patrol, serving on SWAT, working as a field training officer, and leading firearms instruction. He later transitioned into criminal investigations with the Mississippi Attorney General's Office specializing in public integrity and fraud, and currently serves as an investigator with the Madison-Rankin County District Attorney's Office. Clint is the author of Keeping the Peace Within: Following Jesus as a First Responder.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT

• The Heart of Initiative 99: Grounding responder recovery in Luke 15 and the reality that Jesus leaves the 99 healthy sheep to pursue the one bleeding in the dark.
• The Dual Identity Trap: How growing up in church while hiding secret struggles created a split personality that collided with street trauma early in Clint's career.
• The Darkest Shift: Surviving a near-suicidal crisis two years into his career with his duty weapon in hand, and the intervening grace of God that saved his life.
• The Midnight Confession: The Holy Spirit prompting Clint during a night shift to go home, wake up his wife, and lay everything out in the light, beginning the restoration of their marriage.
• Physical Gear vs. Spiritual Armor: Comparing ballistic vests and duty belts to the Armor of God (Ephesians 6), and why tactical training alone cannot protect your soul.
• Healthy Spousal Communication: Learning how to let your spouse into your operational stress without dumping graphic details, preventing emotional isolation and bitterness at home.
• Therapy on a Firm Foundation: The role of professional Christian counseling when grounded on Christ as the primary cornerstone.

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Resources:

• Book: Keeping the Peace Within: Following Jesus as a First Responder by Clint Hatch (Available on Amazon) https://a.co/d/0dKe2Dvs
• National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988
• A Silent War Within Hub: asilentwarwithin.com
• Founding Sponsor: Five Arrows Forge (fivearrowsforge.com)

Mike Worthen is a 34-year EMS veteran and EMS Battalion Chief at the Nevada National Security Site. Over his decades-long career in Las Vegas and critical care flight transport, Mike experienced the extreme highs and devastating lows of frontline public safety. After losing six close friends across two separate medical helicopter crashes within three years, Mike struggled silently with severe alcoholism, trauma, and emotional detachment. On January 9, 2006, a compassionate encounter with law enforcement connected him to peer support, setting him on a path to 20 years of continuous sobriety. Today, Mike is an author, speaker, and advocate dedicated to embedding mental health operations and self-care directly into EMS training academies.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT

• Starting in Las Vegas EMS: How a failed college football attempt in freezing Utah led Mike back to Vegas to become an EMT with Mercy Ambulance.
• The Emotional Suitcase: Why first responders stack unresolved trauma call after call until the suitcase overflows.
• Tragic Helicopter Crashes: Processing the Flight for Life crash in 1999 and the Mercy Air crash in 2002 that claimed six of Mike's closest peers.
• Descending into Alcoholism: How lack of mental health resources and generational culture pushed Mike into a four-year downward spiral.
• The Turning Point: The January 2006 law enforcement interaction that offered help instead of jail, marking Mike's first real experience with peer support.
• Vulnerability as True Strength: Re-framing vulnerability not as losing control, but as regaining control over your life and mental health.
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): How adoption at birth drove a lifelong search for validation through saving others on shift.
• Fixing EMS Education: Moving past one-page textbook warnings to build mandatory 3 to 4 hour operational mental health modules in initial academies.
• Why Traditional EAPs Fail First Responders: Long wait times, lack of relatability, and why departments need culturally competent trauma clinicians.
• Defusing vs Debriefing: Breaking down informal tailboard defusings within 8 hours versus formal 48 to 72 hour critical incident stress debriefings.
• The Myth of Career Legacy: Recognizing that the job will replace you in days, making family and personal relationships the true priority.

FOUNDING SPONSOR Five Arrows Forge: Operational-level mindset coaching and mentorship founded by firefighter, author, and NLP Master Coach Jason Meinershagen. Learn more at fivearrowsforge.com about building mental readiness for the tailboard, kitchen table, and home front.

RESOURCES AND LINKS

• A Silent War Within: asilentwarwithin.com
• Contact Mike Worthen: MikePWorthen@gmail.com
• Crush the Stigma Article: Better Ways to Cope by Mike Worthen (EMS World