When people hear a story, it resonates with them. It remains in people’s minds and memories much longer than a lecture. Listeners are able to relate to the story and recall what helped and what did not. During stories of struggle and resilience, the listeners feel the speakers’ emotions, and the stronger those are felt, the more impacted people are. Every time a first responder tells a story of a death in their ranks, a struggle with disease, or difficulty with substance use, other responders relate the story to their own lives, reflect on their own struggles, and feel the pain and difficulty the person is conveying. From this, people learn (or relearn) that they are not alone. Everyone has difficulty and pain. Suffering is not permanent. There is no shame in mental illness, and there is no place for stigma. These are the powers of storytelling, both for the storyteller and the listener.

Stories have been told around the campfire to convey information for hundreds of thousands of years. The modern campfire is the glowing computer screen. The Self Care Interactive Online Network (SCION) is a program developed around this concept. First responder stories centered on mental health challenges and shared online can have a significant impact on the lives of those gathered around their computer screen. SCION is a free service for all first responders. Each month, a first responder tells their story online through Zoom about struggle and resilience. The story is preceded by a brief 15-minute lecture presented by a psychiatrist with the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). The lecture aligns with the main topic the first responder is going to share. This helps the participants recall the information as they hear the story being shared.

The concept for SCION came about when the authors realized that more could be done than simply sharing behavioral health resources with law enforcement officers during regular trainings. There needed to be a platform where officers could share their own stories with each other while still learning about behavioral topics and resources.