Founded in February 2022, Go Bag Consulting specializes in self-care for disaster response workers. GBC provides training, devotionals, and resources to help you take care of yourself before, during, and after an incident.
Contact Carolynn for more information.
Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.”
Mark 6:31, MSG
Mark 6:31, MSG
About Go Bag Consulting
About Carolynn
Carolynn Barkhouse
Owner, operator, and chief bottle washer, Go Bag Consulting
Experienced disaster responder, trained educator, and novice writer with a passion for helping others personally prepare for deployment
I first got bit by the disaster response bug when I deployed to Ground Zero. No training. No experience. No idea what I was getting myself into. But I loved it.
Fast-forward 20 years. Countless training courses. Numerous domestic and international disaster response deployments. I now know (mostly) what I’m getting myself into. And I still love it.
But what I’ve learned along the way is that disaster response is hard . Emotionally. Environmentally. Intellectually. Physically. Socially. Spiritually. It’s really hard. And if you don’t take care of yourself - before, during and after a deployment – what happens on scene can take its toll.
I like to be prepared so, during those 20 years, I did what I could to learn all I could. Registered for courses. Attended conferences. And signed up as a regular disaster response volunteer with my church, The Salvation Army. That morphed into different full-time positions with The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services including management and training roles. And eventually, I ventured into international response with their International Emergency Services.
I have seen, and felt, first-hand what deployments can do to a person. How the lack of preparation can trip you up. And not just lack of preparation about your job, but about how what you will see, hear, smell, and feel can, and will, affect you personally. But I’ve also seen, and felt, first-hand how a little forethought about self-care can make a world of difference.
So now, I have branched out on my own, offering training, resources and devotionals specifically for disaster responders. With a focus on that self-care piece.
Looking back to 2001 with what I know now, I should probably never have been deployed. What were they thinking??? But it was fortuitous. It was how God brought me to my calling. My passion.
So, what’s your self-care plan? What skills do you have in your personal self-care go bag? None? Just a few?
C’mon. Together, let’s fill your personal go bag, one skill at a time.
Carolynn
Owner, operator, and chief bottle washer, Go Bag Consulting
Experienced disaster responder, trained educator, and novice writer with a passion for helping others personally prepare for deployment
I first got bit by the disaster response bug when I deployed to Ground Zero. No training. No experience. No idea what I was getting myself into. But I loved it.
Fast-forward 20 years. Countless training courses. Numerous domestic and international disaster response deployments. I now know (mostly) what I’m getting myself into. And I still love it.
But what I’ve learned along the way is that disaster response is hard . Emotionally. Environmentally. Intellectually. Physically. Socially. Spiritually. It’s really hard. And if you don’t take care of yourself - before, during and after a deployment – what happens on scene can take its toll.
I like to be prepared so, during those 20 years, I did what I could to learn all I could. Registered for courses. Attended conferences. And signed up as a regular disaster response volunteer with my church, The Salvation Army. That morphed into different full-time positions with The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services including management and training roles. And eventually, I ventured into international response with their International Emergency Services.
I have seen, and felt, first-hand what deployments can do to a person. How the lack of preparation can trip you up. And not just lack of preparation about your job, but about how what you will see, hear, smell, and feel can, and will, affect you personally. But I’ve also seen, and felt, first-hand how a little forethought about self-care can make a world of difference.
So now, I have branched out on my own, offering training, resources and devotionals specifically for disaster responders. With a focus on that self-care piece.
Looking back to 2001 with what I know now, I should probably never have been deployed. What were they thinking??? But it was fortuitous. It was how God brought me to my calling. My passion.
So, what’s your self-care plan? What skills do you have in your personal self-care go bag? None? Just a few?
C’mon. Together, let’s fill your personal go bag, one skill at a time.
Carolynn
© 2022 Go Bag Consulting
