Title: President
Company: UndertheShield.com
Location: Gilbert, Arizona, United States
Susan Simons, president of UndertheShield.com, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Business Owners for dedication, achievements, and leadership in health services.
With over three decades of experience to her credit, Ms. Simons established a successful career in health services, specializing in mental wellness and traumatic stress. She currently excels as the president of Undertheshield.com. She founded Under the Shield, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing mental wellness resources and training for first responders, the military, and their families. The organization partners with a professional liability insurance carrier, serving 79 of Arizona’s 91 cities, and is set to renew its fourth contract in January. The organization was created in response to a request from police and fire dispatch in Arizona seeking wellness resources for their personnel and stands out as the only one in the United States offering comprehensive mental wellness training and support for first responders and the military. Her work focuses on compassionate support, particularly for military personnel dealing with suicidal thoughts and for first responders affected by 9/11.
Ms. Simons’ experience also includes master trainer for stress and critical incidents at Rally Point Alpha from 2015 to 2019, conducting virtual and in-office sessions with clients nationwide, including first responders and their families, roles as a mental health clinician and stress coach from 1992 to 2019 and as a litigation paralegal. Additionally, she has authored an article for the Airline Pilot Association and is a fellow of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. She laid a strong educational foundation, earning a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from the University of South Carolina in 1981 and a Master of Science in counseling and human development from Troy University in Montgomery in 1996. She also earned advanced certifications, including instructor development through the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2008, a board-certified expert in traumatic stress from the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress in 2001, forensic hypnosis from the Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy in 1997, and litigation paralegal specialization from the National Center for Paralegal Training in 1981.
Ms. Simons attributes the success of Under the Shield to its stress coaches, many of whom have personal connections to law enforcement and emergency services. These coaches provide peer-based support and early intervention strategies, helping families and supervisors recognize signs of distress and implement preventative measures. Her 20 years of experience as a law enforcement spouse lend her unique insight into the challenges these individuals face, further informing her work.
Looking to the future, Ms. Simons is committed to expanding awareness of stress coaching as an educational resource distinct from therapeutic interventions. Additionally, in 2025, her Psychological Garbage Can Theory will become the standard training for Arizona peace officers, integrated into police academy curricula. The garbage can model of decision-making illustrates how problems and solutions are placed in the same location and matched during choice opportunities when decisions need to be made. The choice opportunity represents a garbage can while problems and solutions are placed inside like trash. She also plans to launch the Oscar Project Viewpoint, featuring filmed segments of Under the Shield to be distributed through national media outlets, including Fox News and National Discovery, to raise awareness about the organization’s mission and impact.
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