Setting My Sights On Stigma: Thoughts From An Injured Mind

by Mark Bouchard, Daniel Sundahl (foreword)

"Wow! Mark offers a rich blend of personal insights and professional guidance to not only reduce mental health stigma in first responders but to fortify their resilience. He clearly explains the why of recommendations, backed by scientific research, while maintaining gripping readability. As I read this, I kept thinking "Ya, that's what I keep telling my clients" and "Ya, that's what my clients keep telling me." I believe this book provides proof to other first responders that they are not alone and they are not irreparably broken. It goes well beyond telling stories to be filled with a message of hope. This book is a call to action for first responders and their agencies to take better care of themselves with the tools to do just that."

-Stephanie M. Conn, PhD
Licenced Psychologist, First Responder Psychology
Author of Increasing Resilience in Police & Emergency Strengthening Your Mental Armor

Sights on Stigma
Mark Bouchard shares his experience of suffering from a post-traumatic stress injury due to his work as a police officer on an Emergency Response Team operator, along with the lessons that he learned during his recovery.

Mark shares the hardest moments in his journey, including high-risk calls, being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and failing a psychological exam. He takes the reader on an emotional journey, where he shares what it feels like to go through intense experiences as a police officer working on an elite SWAT / ERT team. This book will show you in vivid detail what it is like to face impossible situations as a front line police officer, and the long-term impacts of those experiences. It was written as a guide to help other police officers and first responders to navigate the psychological challenges of their career.

Mark shares his own journalling that he wrote while off work on stress leave with a psychological injury. These journaling passages were written to one of Mark's closest friends at a time when he felt broken. He wasn't broken. He was injured, but it took him years to change his own mindset by learning from the top researchers and professionals. Now Mark shows a different type of courage by taking his deepest thoughts and feelings, the ones that he wanted to hide from everyone, and by showing them to the world to reduce mental health stigma.

Real Lived Experience
"This book is the 'REAL - LIVED - EXPERIENCE!!' Mark has turned tragedy into triumph, not only for himself but to all those that are able to read this very inspiring and informative book. Mark has exemplified true bravery by sharing his story and shining a light on the most invisible injuries that so many first responders experience each day. It is a tale of sacrifice and an unveiling of a what a true 'hero' really is."

-Dr. Jody Burnett, Registered Psychologist

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2023

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest and educational take on the roller coaster that is working in law enforcement and the reality of how to heal from a mental/moral injury.

[Adam Hildebrandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Bouchard has written this book as the book he wished he had as a new police officer. Mark is gut wretchedly honest and vulnerable in this book as he shares his experiences of trauma within the policing profession. But by being so vulnerable, he takes a sledgehammer to the Stigmatic walls that exist within Police culture.
Mark succinctly lays out the broken systems of coping with Mental Health and the traumas police officers see on a day to day basis, and provides better lessons learnt and coping skills for dealing with trauma, moral injury, stresses, shift work and more.
Just as important, is that this book shows that Police officers are Human beings, who face more stress and trauma than the average profession. This is a better resource for humanizing the badge than a lot of modern attempts to do just that. A police officer is called on to solve problems for others, that usually includes making life altering decisions for others, but also the officer; and expected to not fail at all in the process. It is an extremely high bar, and Mark demonstrates and shares his experience of how that stress affects those within the profession.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a psychotherapist, Setting My Sights on Stigma gave me valuable insight into the lived experience of first responders. Mark writes with a raw honesty that stayed with me long after I closed the book.

His vulnerability is real and unpolished in the best way—it feels shared. That kind of openness is rare, and it’s what makes this book matter.

This isn’t just a personal story—it’s also a generous offering to others in the field, and to those of us who support them. I see Mark’s work as a kind of quiet philanthropy—giving back through truth-telling.

Highly recommend to anyone working in mental health or with first responder populations.

[Krista Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing book for first responders and their families to read to get a true understanding of what front line first responders go through.. Mark was so incredibly brave and vulnerable for sharing this intimate part of his life to help others!