Help for Heroes with Dr. Mark FlemingHelp for Heroes with Dr. Mark Fleming
SMART Recovery® Podcast
Dr. Mark Fleming talks with host Luke Frazier about the Help for Heroes programme, which supports military personnel, veterans and first responders with trauma and substance use. The conversation highlights stigma, “dysfunctional resilience”, and how SMART Recovery tools fit into science-based, culturally informed care for people in uniform.
38:09•23 Jun 2026
Help for Heroes: Supporting Those Who Serve on the Front Lines of Trauma
Episode Overview
- Help for Heroes offers trauma-informed, evidence-based treatment for active-duty service members, veterans, first responders, and other frontline professionals.
- Dr. Fleming highlights “dysfunctional resilience”, where heroes appear to cope while actually suppressing serious symptoms of trauma and substance use.
- Stigma and fear of career consequences remain major barriers to seeking help in military and uniformed cultures.
- The programme values partnerships with organisations like SMART Recovery to provide practical, action-oriented tools that align with CBT and DBT.
- Ethical care means offering multiple pathways to recovery and meeting each person where they are, rather than forcing them into a single model.
“They're getting through, they're not making it through.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction and trauma on the front lines? This conversation with psychologist and army lieutenant colonel Dr. Mark Fleming shines a light on the unique pressures facing active-duty service members, veterans, first responders, and other frontline professionals. Hosted by Luke Frazier for the SMART Recovery Podcast, the episode centres on the Help for Heroes programme at Lifepoint Behavioral Health, where Dr. Fleming is Vice President of Clinical Operations.
You'll hear how this initiative focuses on trauma-informed, evidence-based care for people in uniform who are often seen as strong and unshakeable, yet may be “functionally dysfunctional” underneath. As Dr. Fleming puts it, many have “a really dysfunctional resilience because they're able to still function in a way that pushes down all the symptomology that actually needs to be addressed.” The discussion traces Dr.
Fleming’s path from university counselling and forensic psychology to system-level leadership and long service in the US Army. He shares personal family experiences of addiction, reflecting on how curiosity rather than judgement shaped his approach to recovery work. You’ll also get a clear sense of why Help for Heroes partners with SMART Recovery: a shared focus on practical tools, action-oriented methods, and approaches grounded in CBT and DBT.
Stigma, moral injury, PTSD, and the fear of career consequences all feature as major barriers to care, and Dr. Fleming explains how culturally informed staff training and multiple pathways to recovery can make a real difference. If you’re interested in how science-based recovery tools are being brought into military and first responder settings—or you support someone in uniform—this episode offers honest, grounded conversation with plenty to think about.
Which parts of “dysfunctional resilience” sound familiar in your own life or recovery journey?
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