About the Speaker
Sarah Steger, LPC-MHSP-S, CFRC
Sarah Steger is a seasoned behavioral health professional with more than 20 years of experience in the field and nearly 10 years of leadership experience. As a licensed professional counselor, Sarah has dedicated her career to helping individuals, strengthening clinical teams, and developing innovative approaches to behavioral health care.
A particular passion throughout Sarah’s career has been working with military personnel, veterans, first responders, and their families. Recognizing the unique experiences and challenges faced by those who serve and protect others, Sarah developed, built, and led a specialized behavioral health program specifically designed to meet the needs of this population. This work has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding aspects of her career.
Sarah’s leadership experience spans clinical and operational settings, including supervision of therapists, support staff, care management teams, and multidisciplinary programs. She brings a unique combination of clinical expertise, operational leadership, program development, and a deep commitment to creating environments where both professionals and the individuals they serve can thrive.
Known for her compassionate yet decisive leadership style, Sarah is passionate about developing people, improving systems of care, and making behavioral health services more accessible, effective, and responsive to the communities they serve. She believes strongly in meeting people where they are, recognizing their strengths, and creating spaces where healing and growth are possible.
Originally from Florida, Sarah made Tennessee home five years ago, along with her beloved dog, Maggie. Outside of her professional work, she continues to be driven by her passion for helping others and making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people and communities she serves.
Speaker Sessions
- EST
Beyond the Call: Navigating Grief, Loss, and Trauma in First Responders.
Beyond the Call: Navigating Grief, Loss, and Trauma in First Responders is a practical, evidence-informed training designed for counselors and behavioral-health professionals who work with firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMS professionals, dispatchers, corrections personnel, and other first responders.
Participants will explore the unique intersection of occupational trauma, cumulative exposure, grief, traumatic loss, PTSD, prolonged grief, moral injury, substance use, sleep disturbance, and family-system impact. The training emphasizes practical clinical assessment, stabilization, therapeutic engagement, grief interventions, and evidence-based PTSD treatments.
Particular attention will be given to working effectively within first responder culture while maintaining clinical boundaries, confidentiality, and appropriate risk assessment. Participants will leave with practical frameworks, clinical questions, intervention strategies, and resources that can be incorporated into everyday practice.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the unique ways grief, loss, cumulative occupational exposure, and traumatic stress may present in first responders, including factors that can influence help-seeking and treatment engagement.
2. Apply evidence-based clinical strategies for assessing and addressing grief, traumatic stress, PTSD, and related concerns, including stabilization, psychoeducation, cognitive and behavioral interventions, and grief-focused approaches.
3. Develop culturally responsive clinical strategies that support first responders' resilience, coping, relationships, and recovery while recognizing risks such as substance misuse, suicide, secondary traumatic stress, and clinician burnout.
