After Action Treatment Program · Northridge, CA
Residential treatment built for the job that changed you.
First call to admitted in 24 hours. Travel arranged. Department never contacted without your consent.
These are industry figures. We're building our own outcomes data â because this population deserves better than averages.
Who are you here for?
No records sent to your department. No employment risk. HIPAA protected.
How It Works
A care coordinator who understands first responder culture picks up. No intake scripts. No judgment. Just a real conversation about where you are and what you're dealing with.
We check your benefits and call you back with exactly what's covered â before you commit to anything. Most first responder and veteran plans cover 100% of residential treatment. Most clients are admitted within 24 hours of the first call.
Travel coordinated, bed ready, family briefed if you want. Our case managers handle all FMLA and disability paperwork â every form, every deadline â so you can focus entirely on healing. A return-to-duty letter is ready when you are.
Before you close this tab
Confidentiality
The single biggest reason first responders don't get help is fear of what happens to their career. Here's exactly what we can and can't do â no vague reassurances.
Your department receives no notification of any kind. We do not contact employers, unions, or departments â ever â without your signed written authorization.
Your treatment record is sealed by federal law. HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 apply. No employer, insurance company, or agency can compel disclosure without a court order.
Return-to-duty letters are on your terms. If you need documentation for your department, we prepare it exactly as you authorize it â nothing more, nothing less.
Law enforcement: we understand the firearms issue. Voluntary treatment handled correctly does not automatically trigger HR218 or LEOSA concerns. We can walk you through this call.
Employer notifications sent without written patient authorization. In our entire history.
Of first responder clients whose treatment was covered at 100% by their insurance plan.
From first call to admitted â most clients are in within 24 hours. Insurance verified same morning.
What treatment actually looks like
Not talk therapy in a circle. Not a 28-day hospitalization. A structured clinical program that addresses trauma, stress injury, and substance use the way the research says works â with modalities selected for a population that runs toward the problem, not away from it.
Specific therapies used
On length: The 2-Week Reset addresses acute stress and burnout without requiring extended leave. The 30-Day Rebuild is for addiction, complex trauma, or anyone who needs more than stabilization. Insurance typically authorizes based on clinical assessment â we handle verification same morning you call, and we'll tell you honestly what's covered before you commit to anything.
We never contact your department, union, or employer. Your record is protected under HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2.
Case managers manage all FMLA, disability, and return-to-duty documentation. You focus on treatment â not forms.
Most PPO and union plans accepted. We verify your benefits before you commit to anything â same day.
We arrange flights and ground transport for clients coming from outside Southern California â covered at no cost through our partner assistance programs. You show up. We handle the rest.
Who you'll talk to
Doug Monda spent 20 years as a narcotics agent. In 2013, he reached a breaking point â depression, isolation, a suicide attempt he doesn't shy away from talking about. That experience is why he does this work, and why he does it the way he does.
Today Doug is a national voice on first responder mental health, the founder of a peer support organization that's helped hundreds of officers and firefighters, and the person who often answers the phone at After Action. He doesn't pitch programs. He talks to people. There's a difference.
Meet the full teamPrograms
Designed for first responders who cannot step away for long. Intensive daily clinical work, peer-only cohort, and a return-to-duty support plan.
For deeper work. Trauma-informed therapy, EMDR, peer support, and a full clinical program in a confidential residential setting.
Common Questions
What you can count on
Sensory Modulation
Sensory modulation uses carefully controlled sensory input â light, sound, texture, movement, temperature â to help regulate a nervous system that's been running in overdrive. For first responders, that's not a clinical abstraction. It's the difference between lying awake at 3 AM replaying the call and actually sleeping. It's part of every program at After Action.
Our sensory modulation space at the Northridge facility is purpose-built for first responder clients â designed around how your nervous system actually works after years of occupational trauma. It's not a meditation room. It's a clinical environment engineered to give your body an off-ramp from hyperarousal.
No locked wards. No civilian cohorts. Our clinical team is trained specifically in first responder culture, and our FR liaisons are retired officers, firefighters, and medics. The peer cohort means everyone in the room has worn a uniform.
Learn more about sensory modulation at After ActionFirst responders shouldn't have to wait for a crisis to access this kind of support. After Action partners with first responder agencies to design and build sensory modulation spaces inside your department â and then trains your team on how to use them. We handle the room design, equipment, and staff training. At no cost to partner agencies.
Whether it's a room in your station, your precinct, your dispatch center, or your corrections facility â we build it, we teach it, and we stay connected to your team. Prevention at the source.
Ask about an agency partnership â
