In Part II of this deep and honest conversation, psychotherapist Brittnee Stewart takes us further inside the world of EMDR, low-dose ketamine work, and trauma integration. If you’ve ever wondered why certain therapies work when others don’t, or why first responders often hit a wall in traditional talk therapy, this episode pulls back the curtain. We explore the difference between recreational versus clinically supervised psychedelic use, why “set and setting” matter, and how trained practitioners keep clients safe. Brittnee explains how ketamine can temporarily soften protector parts (using IFS language) so that EMDR and trauma processing can finally move. She […]

When the nervous system holds the story, healing has to start deeper than words. In this episode of The Other Side of the Call, our hosts sit down in studio with Brittnee Stewart, psychotherapist and co-founder of Spear Wellness in Kingston, Ontario – a multi-disciplinary clinic offering trauma-focused therapy, EMDR, and emerging psychedelic-assisted treatments. Together, they explore how psychedelics, when used ethically and clinically, may help bridge the gap between science and spirituality in trauma recovery. Brittnee explains how EMDR and psychedelic-assisted modalities can rewire the brain’s relationship to painful memories and open a path o sustainable post-traumatic growth. From […]

Career paramedic Jessica Vanderhoek has lived both sides of the job: the pride of service and the private cost. After years of high-acuity calls, insomnia, migraines, anger, alcohol misuse, and a brutal relapse, she hit the wall and looked for what actually heals. Her path led through equine therapy and carefully screened psychedelic work, then a rare return to frontline duty — and ongoing advocacy for safer, smarter support. In this conversation we cut through the myths. Jessica explains why peer support often fails in practice, how low pay and constant labor fights amplify moral injury, and why PTSD is […]

Decorated tactical paramedic Steve Urszenyi turned decades of frontline trauma into award-nominated thrillers. In this conversation, he reflects on a lifetime of crisis leadership – from commanding Ontario’s Emergency Response Team to managing the 2015 Pan Am Games – and how creativity became his path to healing.

When retired Master Warrant Officer John Blaine finally looked in the mirror and decided to ask for help, it wasn’t a sign of weakness — it was the turning point of a lifetime spent in service. In this Remembrance Day special, John reflects on four decades in uniform: from Cyprus and Germany to Afghanistan’s Operation Medusa. He speaks candidly about moral injury, the invisible wounds of service, and what it takes to rebuild after losing your sense of purpose. Honest, grounded, and deeply human, Fixing What Is Broken reminds us that the fight for survival doesn’t always end on the battlefield — […]

This week, The Other Side of the Call sits down with Don E. Devine, one of Canada’s earliest paramedics and a pioneer of ambulance service in British Columbia. From the early days when funeral homes doubled as ambulances to the 1996 Vernon mass-casualty call that scarred an entire responder community, Don’s career charts both the rise of a profession and the toll it can take on those who serve it. After decades on the road and years spent burying his own trauma under alcohol, anger, and humour, Don finally faced what the job had done to him. With the help of an […]

After more than 30 years with Peel Regional Police, Constable Dave McLennan retired but wasn’t done service. He founded Boots On The Ground, a 24/7 volunteer-powered peer support line for first responders. What began as ten to twenty calls a month has grown to more than 150 monthly, with over 4,700 calls answered and 51 life-saving interventions since the line launched in 2018. In our season premiere of The Other Side of the Call, Dave shares how a small team with a big mission built a trusted, confidential network that now services police fire, EMS, corrections, dispatchers, nurses and military […]

Coming November 4, 2025 – Stories of trauma, resilience, and recovery from Canada’s first responders, frontline members, and military personnel. Hosted by former 911 dispatcher Amelia Thornton and psychotherapists Rebecca Rafuse and Kathy Ann Laman.