Managing Mental Health in the Mountains

As the importance of mental health continues to be addressed and recognized as a safety issue for backcountry users, TCSAR Foundation was proud to organize a recent workshop detailing the ins and outs of stress trauma and psychological first aid.

On March 5, 2024, local TIPS therapists Lewis Smirl and Ryan Burke led 50 first responders, mental health practitioners, mountain guides, and community members passionate about psychological first aid through a workshop on ‘Managing Mental Health in the Mountains.’

Ryan Burke is a local therapist who works with the Teton Interagency Peer Support group, commonly known as TIPs. Photo: Taylor Fasolo

After a brief deep dive into the neuroscience of stress exposure, Lewis and Ryan facilitated an open conversation about the interface of mountain town culture and trauma. Participant questions underlined the prevalence of ‘stress injuries’ in Jackson and the stigma that can exist surrounding peer and professional support.

Therapist Lewis Smirl engages with the audience on March 5 at the Black Diamond store in downtown Jackson. Photo: Taylor Fasolo

Thank you to Black Diamond for hosting, Yeah Buddy for providing pizza, and Lewis, Ryan, and everyone who attended for making this night so meaningful. Mental health is incident prevention and we appreciate your commitment to normalizing these conversations.

If you need stress injury support, check out Responder Alliance, Mountain Muskox, Redside Foundation, Soar4Life, and the Community Counseling Center of JH. And don’t forget all Teton County first responders get FREE access to therapy thanks to the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole’s Teton Interagency Peer Support (TIPS) program.

TCSAR Foundation will continue to make this issue a priority in our educational programming. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media to be alerted when new classes are scheduled. You can find all of our programming on the events page at Backcountry Zero.