William “Josey” Visnovske

Josey Visnovske was born in the Midwest United States on a small farm to blue collar parents. At an early age, he found the outdoors to be a place he felt more connected to than the concrete and asphalt world that lies far away from their hillside farm.

Serving in law enforcement community for over 29 years Josey has been employed as a deputy sheriff, a city police officer, a state law enforcement officer, a federal law enforcement agent, and a United States Marine. During his service in law enforcement, part of Josey’s interests led him to be involved in departmental peer support activities, caring for first responders who have been emotionally impacted by their service to others. He has has recently retired from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives as a Special Agent, an International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) Certified Fire Investigator and a Certified Explosive Specialist.

Josey is an International Critical Incident Stress Foundation approved instructor in ten different studies. He is certified in CCISM, which is  is the world’s first university-based certification in the field of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and psychological crisis intervention. He volunteers as a specialized peer support team member at the On Site Academy in Massachusetts; a residential training and treatment facility for emergency and military personnel struggling with critical incident stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). During the last eight years he has worked closely with Dr Mitchell conducting research and developing new concepts in the field of critical incident stress, as well as expanding his education beyond his degree in Psychology. In 2016, after administering assistance as a peer responder to public safety workers for several years, Josey and Dr Mitchell discussed his desire to help more than just his peers. He is now dedicating his time as a CISM and Peer Support Instructor as well as consulting with agencies to create their own Peer Support programs. Serving as a passionate teacher training others to become dedicated caregivers, speaking to groups responsible for responding to events of high emotional disturbance, consulting and mentoring during the creation of peer response program are all activities that continue to energize his plans for the future. He dedicates his limited free time to writing books in the hopes of helping anyone who is suffering from emotional trauma understand the road ahead of them.

At an early age, he was sent home from school for a three-day suspension. It was then he wrote his first story about the field behind his home. He soon realized that writing simply made him feel better, but it was not until he met Dr Mitchell that he fully comprehended how writing was a way of coping and processing. When Dr Mitchell suggested they write a book (Crucial Moments) he was very reluctant to share his personal writings with strangers, but he did. After the first book was published, and he received feedback that it was helpful to people, he was happy that he had taken the chance. After a few more years of simply being himself and continuing to assist people in critical incidents, he decided it was time for another book (Sister Mary, The Baker, The Barber and The Bricklayer). In that book, he wanted to highlight and define the same recurring issues with most critical incidents. He dug deep inside of himself and exposed his own struggles in an effort to help the reader learn how to use self-care when a critical incident found its way into their backfields. After the second book was published, he once again received feedback that it was helpful to people in crisis. It was then time to share more of his stories in an effort to continue to reach people who are suffering. The third edition in the series (Transition Man), was written to to stress the importance of having an internal self-care system. He feels strongly that “we have to make sure as we help others process the expected and the unexpected events of life, that we take care of ourselves too.”

Josey is a family man, and his family is very involved with his work in critical incidents. He is a woodsman, an avid hunter, and conservationist. The woods is where his stories come to life in his mind. He has spent most of his life trying to fit in, but when he enters the woods, he feels he fits in perfectly. The woods also give him the ideal place to teach his children about being the kind of people that make a difference in the world.

To this day, after years of writing and publishing multiple books, Josey will tell you that he is not an author. Just a country boy who puts his heart on paper.

For further information regarding Josey Visnovske’s education and training offerings, speaking engagements or other services – please click HERE to be redirected to his personal website TheRoadmapCompany.com