May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and if you’ve been around here for a while, you know this isn’t a new conversation for us. Mental health in forensics has been part of what we teach, talk about, and prioritize since our first Forensic Supervision course back in 2019.
At the time, these conversations were not always easy to have (or simply did not happen!).
But over the last few years, we’ve seen a real shift in forensic science and law enforcement. More people are talking about mental health, more research is being done on burnout and trauma exposure, and more conferences are dedicating space to these conversations.
And that is a really good thing.
However, just because we’re talking about it more doesn’t mean we fully understand it yet. The reality is that forensic professionals are still regularly exposed to high levels of stress and traumatic material through what they see, document, and analyze. And for many, there still is not a clear roadmap for how to process it all.
That’s why this month, we’re focusing on the real stories behind that experience.
Start here: listen to the kickoff episode first. This episode sets the tone for the entire month, so before you dive into this month’s Mental Health Awareness content, take a moment to listen and then continue scrolling to explore the rest of the series.
We’re revisiting some of the most impactful episodes we’ve ever recorded. Stories that don’t just lightly talk about mental health, but actually dig into what it looks like in real forensic careers.
These episodes were hand-selected for Mental Health Awareness Month, and our hope is that they:
✅ resonate with forensic professionals at all levels
✅ stick with you long after you listen
✅ and open the door for more honest conversations in the field
This is Mental Health Awareness Month in forensics – let’s get started with the reality of the job!
Week 1: The Reality of the Job
The moments that change you in this career
Every forensic professional remembers their “firsts.”
… first major scene.
… first mass casualty event.
… first time something stayed with you longer than you expected.
… first time you realized this job can shift something inside you.
Week 1 is about those moments. The ones that don’t stay locked up in a case folder—they shape how you move through the rest of your career.
This week features stories from two forensic professionals who experienced scenes that fundamentally changed how they viewed the job, safety, and mental health in this field.
▶️ Case Reopened: The Scenes That Stay With You (Parts 1 & 2) – Matt Davis
Matt Davis shares his early career experiences working high-stress, high-casualty forensic scenes, including some of his first major exposures to trauma on the job.
What stands out in his story isn’t just the scale of the incidents. It’s what happens afterward.
The realization that you can do everything “right” in this work and still walk away carrying something heavy.
And in Part 2, that conversation deepens as he explores what happens when trauma isn’t tied to just one moment, but builds over time. Because in forensic science and crime scene investigation, it is often not a single case that changes you… it is the accumulation.
The repeated exposure. The long hours. The scenes that start to blur together until one day you realize they’ve been following you home.
Listen to Part 1 of Matt Davis’ story:
Listen to Part 2 of Matt Davis’ story:
👉 Themes across both episodes:
- Recognizing when support actually becomes necessary
- Early-career trauma exposure in forensic science
- High-stress and high-casualty crime scene environments
- The shift from technical processing to emotional impact
- Cumulative stress and repeated exposure over time
- Coping mechanisms, both healthy and unhealthy
- What happens when “just push through it” stops working
▶️ Case Reopened: The Scene That Changed Everything I Thought I Knew About Safety – Letty Ramirez
Letty Ramirez shares a deeply personal and intense experience from her career that reshaped how she views scene safety, vulnerability, and the hidden risks in forensic work.
In her story, what begins as a routine call escalates into a life-threatening situation that no training truly prepares you for. And afterward, the impact doesn’t just stay at the scene. It follows her into how she thinks about safety, trust, and recovery.
Listen to Letty Ramirez’s story:
👉 Themes in this episode:
- Unexpected danger on scene
- Civilian forensic personnel in high-risk environments
- Trauma response and delayed emotional processing
- The importance of support and peer connection
Wrap Up from Week 1: Why These Stores Matter
We didn’t choose these stories to kick off this series just for dramatic effect or storytelling value.
We wanted to stress the importance that in forensic work, there are moments that change you.
And most of the time, those moments don’t get processed out loud. They get carried with you quietly into the next call… into supervision… into home life… into sleep (or lack of it).
So this week is about bringing those moments out into the open not to dwell on them, but to acknowledge that they exist.
What’s Coming Next
We’ll be continuing Mental Health Awareness Month with a deeper look at:
Week 2: When It Starts to Take a Toll
What happens when the job doesn’t stay at work.
Week 3: Coping (Healthy & Unhealthy)
How forensic professionals actually manage stress—and what tends to work (and what doesn’t).
Week 4: The Hard Decisions
Staying, leaving, and redefining what a forensic career looks like over time.
👉 Each week builds on the last, so don’t just stop here. Keep coming back with us as the series unfolds. It only gets more real from here, and if you’ve ever worked in this field, you’ll probably see yourself in more of it than you expect.
