Several years back, members of our team had the opportunity to participate in National Police Week by doing peer support. The first year was the most exhausting week of anything we had ever done, but it was also the most rewarding. We also discovered we had a knack for it, and we were invited back a couple of years in a row.
In 2018, we formed Warrior’s Rest Foundation. While we initially focused on Law Enforcement, we quickly expanded to serve agencies in Fire, EMS, Communications Officers, and Corrections, while still serving Law Enforcement as well.
Through peer support teams, workshops, and educational tools, Warrior’s Rest is shifting the stigma that surrounds job-related trauma with programs that support healthy individuals and build infrastructure within agencies.
Our team is comprised of active and retired First Responders and First Responder Clinicians who have a firsthand understanding of the pain these warriors carry. They have seen the consequences of compounding trauma and witnessed what’s possible when First Responders engage in the healing process.
We believe healing begins in courageous conversations, and restoration is possible when First Responders choose to offer and receive help from one another. Warrior’s Rest is on a mission to help First Responders heal from frontline traumas and empower them to live healthy, productive lives - personally and professionally.
Programs are available to give agencies training, tools, and support to build resilience in First Responders across the nation.
Our Team
Brett Key
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Brett Key is the Chief Executive Officer and a Co-Founder of the Warrior’s Rest Foundation. Brett retired in 2021 as a Lieutenant with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) after serving the state for 26 years. Brett served in numerous assignments during his career with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol including becoming a supervisor and K-9 handler in OHP’s Criminal Interdiction Division and as a supervisor in the Training Division. During his time in the Training Division, Brett had oversight and developed the curriculum for the Leadership Development program, the Law Enforcement Driver Training program, and served in the Commandant and Assistant Commandant role for three of OHP’s Academies. Brett served on OHP’s Tactical Team as an operator, sniper, Team Leader and rose to the position of Assistant Commander. Brett also served in the OHP’s Officer Assistance Program as a peer counselor for over a decade.
Brett is an experienced presenter and instructor in Leadership topics as well as other numerous disciplines. Brett is trained in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF). Brett has helped teach and train Peer Support Teams across the State of Oklahoma. He has served as a peer counselor in Post Critical Incident Seminars (PCIS) conducted in Oklahoma as well as serving as a peer with Support Services for the Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) at National Police Week in Washington DC.
“My passion is to ensure that mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health is the #1 priority of the first responders, their families and the departments.“
Gary Berryhill
Director of Operations
Gary Berryhill retired from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) after 26 years of service. Gary served as Chief Inspector in the Tactical Operations Division, Office of Crisis Services, as the Chief of the USMS Peer Support Team called the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). He was responsible for coordinating the deployment and peer support response by CIRT to USMS employees worldwide. Gary has extensive instruction and presentation experience and is adept in the coordination of internal team resources and liaison relationships with government agencies to facilitate advancement of program initiatives. Gary worked with Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S) to help coordinate peers, chaplains, and mental health professionals providing Support Services for the families and coworkers of fallen officers at National Police Week for 7 years. He is an approved Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) instructor through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) and has taught and assisted with building Peer Counseling teams in the State of Oklahoma as well as teams across the United States. Gary has served as a peer counselor in Post Critical Incident Seminars (PCIS) conducted in Oklahoma. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Oklahoma Chapter of the Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.).
Jill Newman, M Ed., LPC-S
Education and Outreach Coordinator
Jill is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor from Shawnee Oklahoma, worked in community mental health and owned a private practice for several years. Jill is a former educator, is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Gottman Couple’s Therapy. Jill is passionate about implementing both therapeutic and critical incident stress management skills as she works with first responders and their families to find hope and healing in the midst of their traumatic experiences. She has worked with Warrior’s Rest Foundation and Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) since 2017 responding to numerous critical incidents. She is especially grateful to have had the opportunity to honor fallen officers by helping those they love at COPS kid’s camp, spouses retreat, adult children’s retreat, siblings retreat and national police week. She enjoys speaking in varied arenas. Her speaking focus is promoting the mental health of the responder and their families through education and evidence-based strategies to help them thrive despite the continued trauma they experience. Jill enjoys volunteering in her community for numerous events as well as at her church. Jill finds her greatest joy in spending time with her family and helping others.