Fighting Police Trauma: Practical Approaches to Addressing Psychological Needs of Officers

Abstract

Stress and trauma experienced by police officers in the line of duty can have negative impacts on officers’ health and well-being. Psychological support is imperative to help officers maintain psychological well-being and to perform their duties efficiently. However, officers are often skeptical to seek psychological support. The reasons behind such skepticism vary. Specifically, officers may believe that clinicians do not understand police work. In addition, inquiries by clinicians into personal and early life experiences may be interpreted as attempts to patronize officers; as a result, police officers’ identities as those who serve and protect may be disparaged in the context of therapy. This article recommends a number of evidence and practice-based actions that clinicians may employ to approach police culture and develop effective clinical support for officers who suffer from the debilitating effects of police-related stress and trauma. Recommendations for empirical research and clinical practice are discussed.