Our work began in places where the essentials of human well-being are unmistakably clear—in the aftermath of trauma, and at end of life.

Dr. Duncan Shields' work with refugees, veterans, first responders and people in palliative care shone a light on a single, repeating theme: that in life’s most difficult moments, belonging and connection are foundational to safety, recovery, and well-being.

Putting a name to what people need most when life is most fragile, and how deep relationships can shape well-being, was also core to Dr. David Kuhl’s research on end-of-life experience.

From their backgrounds in medicine and group-based psychotherapy, Shields and Kuhl united in common cause to bring what they had learned from people facing life's most difficult moments to inform the approach to trauma response.

Shields and Kuhl also received critical, formative support from Mohammad H. Mohseni—via the Mohseni Foundation—who stood behind the clinicians when their work was not yet an established initiative, or even a vision, but simply a belief: that communities are stronger when people know how to look after one another.

Building a home for knowledge mobilization

The belief that this work could be transformed into practical tools that people can actually use became Blueprint—a community innovation hub, designed by Kuhl and Shields.

This in turn would translate research into applied programs aligned with the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and focused on delivering research-informed work in real communities, such as the First Responder Resiliency Program.

“Responding to their call”

The First Responder Resiliency Program (FRRP) was Blueprint’s first proof of concept program, born from directly from British Columbia’s fire service.

After a single department experienced two deaths by suicide in quick succession, fire fighters Tony Spiess and Steve Farina, with the support of their peers with the British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters Association (BCPFFA), asked Blueprint, and respected leaders within the first responder community and the military to help develop a program grounded in the real conditions of first response work. Speiss and Farina helped shape and steward the developing program forward, and are recognized as founding contributors in establishing and building FRRP.

The first step was not “delivery”—it was listening. With the essential contributions of the BCPFFA and the BC Police Association (BCPA), the team conducted a qualitative study, interviewing fire fighters and police officers across career stages to understand the realities and stressors of service, what support actually worked, and what was missing on the ground.

Evidence-informed, co-built with first responders.

In 2016, an internal review of the available research found a gap: many programs existed, but there was limited public evidence of effectiveness and a clear need for approaches that strengthened upstream prevention and early intervention.

In the beginning, the program was designed as a collaboration—developed with first responder participants and built in partnership with the BC Police Association and the BC Association of Fire Fighters and offered to fire fighters and police communities across the province.

Throughout, the founders sought to stay true to one core principle: any program successes belong to first responders.  The programs are  built “shoulder to shoulder,” with the culture, language, and realities of the job at the centre.

Groups of peers, real talk, real skills

The result was a focused, residential small-group format: 4 days, eight participants, and an intensive block of skills and guided self-exploration supported by clinicians and trained peer leads.

Over time, pilot delivery also made something clear: many participants were arriving with higher-than-expected symptom burden, and the program expanded beyond “upstream” resilience-building to include stronger early-intervention and recovery elements.

Growing impact and ongoing evaluation

Since 2017, FRRP has supported active-duty fire fighters through close partnership with fire service collaborators. In 2019, policing partners helped adapt the model for law enforcement audiences.

As the program grows, we continue to evaluate outcomes and improve delivery—so departments and participants can trust that what we offer is both workable in the real world and grounded in evidence. From 2021-2024, rigorous evaluation accelerated through grant-funded implementation and research support from Movember.

Following that period, the program transitioned into a sustainable model collectively administered by the BCPFFA, the BC Police Association, and Blueprint.

Belief in the Future of Well-being

Thanks to the support of the Mohseni Foundation, Movember and the first responder community, we’ve transformed a simple idea into real-world programs, partnerships, and impact—reaching communities across Canada, Australia and the United States. This support has been foundational to the growth, reach, and substance of Blueprint’s work.