They give their all to protect and serve the community.

But a new program is looking to turn the tables and to make sure first responders are getting the care and help they need to.

Recovery Centers of America at Raritan Bay launched a training initiative focused on suicide prevention and mental health.

That comes on the heels of First Responder Wellness Week.

And in the wake of the tragic death by suicide of Passaic County Sheriff Richard Bernick.

Ted Goldberg reports.

A new program is teaching people what to watch for if a law enforcement officer, first responder or veteran, is considering suicide.

This program is based on the premise of reaching in that sometimes asking to reach out doesn't work as well as reaching in.

So we teach individuals to be responsible for the person next to them, whether that's in a cubicle or in a a police car, wherever it may be.

The other focus is to stop blaming the job.

Once you once you start to blame a job, you remove your role.

You justify inaction.

Clinical psychologist Steven Wachtel says in most years, more police officers die by suicide than die in the line of duty.

This program at Recovery Centers of America at Raritan Bay comes a few months after Passaic County Sheriff Richard Bernick died by suicide in a restaurant bathroom.

Dr. Wachtel says officers have a higher risk of suicide because of what he calls the police officers Paradox, That.

Sharing plot about coming home and talking about what they saw.

They really don't do it so that that gets kept in.

And then there's there's the isolation piece of it that comes with that.

So they they tend to be hypervigilant.

And if they go out to eat, they're at a restaurant.

They'll sit with their back to the wall and looking at the door and scanning constantly.

The way that the police world used to work is you kind of hold everything in.

And there's other avenues that guys and girls used to take to try to have that kind of release to get over the stresses of our jobs.

Now it's more we try to get everyone to express themselves and try to have a different avenue, a different approach.

Union County officer Mark Resta says attending this training was important for him.

The days and for our guys and girls that are in law enforcement are very stressful, especially in the the way the world is right now.

We try to learn as much as we can to prevent as much as we can to give them the help that they need.

Doing things like this with the Concord Suicide awareness or other forums for mental health and suicide awareness and prevention is paramount to keeping us alive.

Conquer Suicide Means.

Connect Question.

Respond.

And it's the name of this course.

Marine veteran Brian Gillespie works here and is concerned with how many military members die by suicide.

I know for veterans they say that the average is 22 a day, but I know for a fact that it's higher than 22.

If we're not getting people like Dr. Steve involved in the mental health and well-being for our first responders, we're not doing our job.

Amy Lippert works with Veterans at Hope in Her Eyes, a nonprofit specializing in equine therapy.

Recognizing more warning signs as far as first responders are concerned, people that are trained to keep it suppressed.

So I do a lot with disabled American veterans.

So being able to read their body language a little bit more.

For her, suicide hits close to home.

My daughter has been struggling with her mental illness since she's 11 years old.

She's now 22, attempted suicide two times, once overdosing on her own prescribed antidepressants.

So it's something that is I'm extremely passionate about.

Dr. Wachtel has taught his program throughout New Jersey.

His next training is for World Trade Center responders.

Coming up shortly in South Amboy, I'm Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight News.