About Niki Stepanian, MA, LMFT
Are you still as idealistic about your profession as when you first started? Have you had a particular incident looping in your head and find yourself unable to make it stop? Are you energetic and engaged at work but tired, disconnected, and irritable at home? It is not just you. These issues are actually quite common effects of your job as a first responder.
As the wife of a firefighter, I know first hand the unique challenges the profession can have on relationships and family. I work primarily with first responders and their significant others. Together we work on issues such as accumulated stress, relationship issues, PTSI, trauma, burnout, anxiety, and more. I also partner with fire departments to teach about topics such as suicide prevention, the effects of compassion fatigue, PTSD awareness, and significant other survival. Significant other survival is a class that helps signifiant others of firefighters learn to navigate the unique stressors that are placed on them and their firefighter relationships.
I specialize in working with various forms of trauma. I’m a Certified Trauma Therapist and am also Certified in EMDR and Crisis Intervention Stress Management. I work with public safety departments and individuals when critical incidents arise. These incidents range from department specific incidents such as an OIS, a LODD, and traumatic child calls to large scale events such as the Las Vegas mass shooting, the San Bernardino school shooting and the Montecito mudslides.
I know no single approach is right for everyone, so I’ve been trained in various modalities including CBT, Solution-Focused, Psychodynamic, and Trauma Informed Care. No matter what stressors you are facing, together we’ll find solutions that work for you so you can confidently move forward in life.
Qualifications
- Years in Practice: 11 Years
- School: Chapman University
- Year Graduated: 2011
- License and State: 96376 California
Additional Credentials
- Membership: EMDRIA
- Member Since: 2018
- Membership: CAMFT
- Member Since: 2010