# Episode 77 | Mental Health in Military & Law Enforcement: Endurance, Identity, and Relationship Strain with Caleb Chestnutt, LAMFT

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-affirming-minds-podcast-7020030/episode-77-mental-health-in-military-law-enforcement-endurance-identity-and-relationship-strain-with-caleb-chestnutt-lamft
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-affirming-minds-podcast-7020030/episode-77-mental-health-in-military-law-enforcement-endurance-identity-and-relationship-strain-with-caleb-chestnutt-lamft.md
Podcast: [The Affirming Minds Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-affirming-minds-podcast-7020030)
Published: 2026-05-19T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shaina-siber-sanderowitz.mykajabi.com/podcasts/the-affirming-minds-podcast/episodes/2149205955
Audio file: https://app.kajabi.com/podcasts/medias/2149205955.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-affirming-minds-podcast-7020030/episodes/episode-77-mental-health-in-military-law-enforcement-endurance-identity-and-relationship-strain-with-caleb-chestnutt-lamft
Duration seconds: 4112

## Resource

  Featured Book: Using ACT and CFT for Burnout Recovery: The Beyond Burnout Blueprint by Shaina Siber Kindle: https://a.co/d/0iAlSrhC Paperback: https://www.routledge.com/Using-ACT-and-CFT-for-Burnout-Recovery-The-Beyond-Burnout-Blueprint/Siber/p/book/9781041074304 Course Information: https://canva.link/3zd9769bl3hwj38 --- Episode Summary: What happens when survival mode becomes an identity? In this episode, Shaina sits down with Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist Caleb Chestnutt to explore the mental health impact of chronic stress, trauma exposure, hypervigilance, and emotional suppression within military and law enforcement culture. Drawing from both his clinical work and his lived experience serving in military law enforcement roles in the U.S. Air Force, Caleb offers a grounded and deeply nuanced conversation about the culture of endurance that exists within many first responder spaces — and the ways it can quietly shape relationships, emotional regulation, identity, and help-seeking over time. This is a thoughtful and deeply human conversation about trauma, endurance, identity, and the emotional cost of operating in systems that reward strength while often stigmatizing vulnerability. --- Topics Discussed: Barriers to seeking therapy in military and law enforcement communities Hypervigilance, emotional numbing, and chronic survival mode Dark humor as adaptation and coping Moral injury and institutional culture Relationship strain in high-stress professions The psychology of strength, control, and emotional suppression Clinical considerations when working with first responders --- About Our Guest: Caleb Chestnutt is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who works with couples navigating the weight of high-stress lives. His work focuses on ho…

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