Dr. Dara Rampersad
Dr. Dara Rampersad is a First Responder and Forensic psychologist who is licensed in both Arizona and Hawaii. He is certified in Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) as a CIT Coordinator, and is trained in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and FBI- Crisis Negotiator Teams (CNT). In addition, Dr. Rampersad is licensed as a professional counselor in Colorado, and is nationally board certified in counseling, with over 25 years of experience in the mental health field.
Dr. Rampersad owns and operates BluePaz First Responder Services, which hosts annual first responder health and wellness conferences and provides counseling, consulting, coaching, critical incident stress debriefings, and training to first responders and their departments on resiliency, stress management and other pertinent topics.
Dr. Rampersad helped to start the world’s first hospital-based CIT program, and he currently serves as the Security Special Operations Senior Director of Crisis Services for a large multi-state hospital system. He is also an instructor at the Naval Postgraduate School- Executive Leadership Program and trains law enforcement agencies, fire departments, hospital staff, paramedics, and other first responders on Crisis Response, PTSD, Resiliency and Mental Health Tactical Intervention (MHTI).
Dr. Rampersad is a founding member and first President of the Arizona CIT Association. He also served on the CIT International board of directors and is an active board member of EMSHelp, Mesa Police Department mental health advisory board, and Phoenix Fire Department paramedic training advisory board.
Dr. Rampersad works with the Peoria Police and other departments as a member of their peer support team, and was also involved as a team leader for an International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) policy group, revising policies and procedures for how law enforcement assist people in mental health crisis.
Dr. Rampersad helped to launch Maui County Police Department’s and the State of Hawaii’s very first CIT program aimed to improve first responder service delivery to people living with mental illness. During this time, he was also able to assist in starting Maui County’s first felony/circuit court mental health court, and he was selected by CIT International as an international behavioral health practitioner of the year.
Dr. Rampersad has appeared on multiple television and radio programs to speak on law enforcement response to mental health, violence risk assessment, homelessness, and other mental health issues. He has also served as an expert witness in complex judicial cases involving involuntary hospitalization and fitness to proceed issues.
Dr. Rampersad has been given letters of commendation by the Governor of Hawaii and the Mayor and Chief of Police of Maui County for his pioneering work in the field of mental health. He was also lauded by and received commendations from the Phoenix Police Department for his assistance in selecting their CIT detective squads, and for his ongoing work in assisting law enforcement as a first responder psychologist.
Matthew Dyer, LPC, ncc
Matthew Dyer is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Approved Clinical Supervisor in Arizona. He is comprehensively trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Matthew is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Professionally, he has experience working with adolescents and adults in many settings ranging from community mental health to secure care settings. He brings a fun, motivating personality into the session. Matthew specialized in working with adults and adolescents struggling with post traumatic stress disorder, trauma, depression, anxiety disorders, interpersonal problems, emotion dysregulation, self-esteem, self-harm, suicidal ideation, conduct disorders, and personality disorders. Matthew’s passion is to empower clients to live a fulfilling life the desire.
Kristi Stuckwisch, LCSW LISAC CFRC CCTP
Kristi has been a dually licensed therapist in the state of Arizona since 2004. Prior to that she was a City of Phoenix police officer and FTO, who came into law enforcement with time as a Victim Advocate for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Major Crimes, Vehicular Homicides and Sex Crimes cases. Kristi is a past and present spouse of a first responder, which provides her lived experiences of the dynamics of first responder marriages, along with her personal experiences as a first responder. Kristi has over 25 years of experience as a mental health clinician, having worked in tribal communities, health care systems, university and community college settings, faith-based communities, and private practice settings. She is a certified clinical trauma professional, certified first responder counselor, and a Gottman trained couples therapist who provides individual and couples therapy. Kristi specializes in treating mood disorders, addictions, trauma, relationship issues, PTSD, moral injuries, grief, chronic health conditions and spiritual struggles. Her approach in therapy is direct yet compassionate, offering reflective challenges from a values-driven and calm perspective. Identify sabotaging patterns that negatively impact your world and developing sustainable responses that are healthy is a common focal point in Kristi’s therapeutic care. Away from work, Kristi enjoys doing life with her amazing humans and dogs, listening to great live music, skydiving, and working out.
