Free First Responder Peer Support — Louisiana | Behind the Line

Behind the Line is a Louisiana-based 501(c)(3) built around a simple idea: the people who show up for everyone else deserve somebody who shows up for them. The organization provides peer support, crisis intervention, and family support to law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and dispatchers across the state of Louisiana, along with the families who carry the weight of that work at home. Support is free to first responders and their households.

What to Expect

Behind the Line’s mental wellness programming includes peer support networks, professional counseling connections, and crisis response after a line-of-duty injury or the death of a fellow responder. Peer support is delivered by people who understand the culture — the shift work, the call that follows you home, the reluctance to say any of it out loud in front of a command staff. Conversations are confidential and are not routed through an employer. Because the organization serves the entire state, support is arranged individually rather than through a single fixed meeting room and time; you tell them what you need and they connect you.

Who This Group Is For

Police officers, deputies, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, 911 dispatchers, and telecommunicators anywhere in Louisiana — active or retired — and their spouses, partners, and children. First responder families face crises that ordinary support systems handle badly: sudden injury, the funeral of a colleague, the accumulated toll of years of critical calls. This program exists specifically for those situations. You do not need a diagnosis, a referral, or your department’s permission to reach out.

Why Peer Support Works

First responders are trained to compartmentalize, and that skill keeps people functional on scene while making it very hard to unload afterward. Research on responder wellness consistently finds that peer support programs lower the barrier to seeking help, in large part because the first conversation happens with somebody who does not need the job explained to them. Talking to a peer removes the fear of being seen as unfit for duty, and it often becomes the bridge to counseling later on for people who would never have made that call cold. Family support matters for the same reason — spouses of responders are frequently the ones absorbing the aftermath with no outlet of their own.

How to Join

There is no cost. Use the Get Help request form at officialbehindtheline.org or email info@officialbehindtheline.org, and a member of the team will follow up. Behind the Line is headquartered in Denham Springs and serves first responders throughout Louisiana. If you are in immediate crisis, call or text 988 or go to your nearest emergency department.