Question:  Is there a need for therapy in police departments? 

Answer:  This depends on different situations.

First, if an officer thinks he needs therapy, and the therapy is job related, then yes.  On the other hand, if therapy is department mandated, or if it is something that the officer resists, then it is unlikely to be effective and should not be required.  If an officer does not think he is having problems then what therapeutic value will mandated therapy offer him?  Some departments, especially when department psychologists were being added, mandated therapy and evaluations after major events such as shootings or use or force.  This became more of an issue to protect the department from civil liability than a real attempt to help the officer.  Those kind of situations do not work.  Of course, there are times when the officer really does need help, so having therapy available is a plus in such situations. 

Question: Do Police Officers need therapy after a tragic incident?
Answer: This type of therapy is not always what a person expects it will be.  I say this because of my police experience. There was a psychologist in our department, he had impressive credentials and worked with other government departments, but he had no idea how it felt to be a police officer or how to really handle the stresses of the job.  This made some of his methods questionable and I’m not sure he had much impact on the officers he was trying to help. I believe that if the therapist has some kind of working mind set on policing, that predisposition may taint the whole relationship.  To that end, therapy is a valuable tool but it must be used within the confines of the situation or need. 

Question: Would therapy make a difference?
Answer: It depends again on how the therapist relates to criminal justice, especially policing.  In some instances it can make a tremendous difference, but the right facts have to be in place for it to be effective. 

Question:  What kind of therapy would you suggest? (In- patient, out- patient, counseling etc.).
Answer:  I am not a fan of mandated therapy, but I feel that having therapy available is great if the officer thinks he/she needs it and has the willingness to proceed with it. Again, therapy has to be wanted not just assigned. Part of being a police officer means that you are going to see, feel, and touch human tragedies, how we deal with that can be very different for the police officer than from any other citizen.  My experience is that therapists sometimes try to categorize police officers to fit their expectations of non-police personnel.  This tendency to pigeon-hole police often leads to poor treatment decisions, and in this sense the type of treatment becomes just as important as the actual treatment itself.  As an example, a police officer who has used deadly force for the first time is very different from the officer with 25 years of experience, and as such the type of therapy or treatment will vary greatly. 

Question: Should police departments offer therapy?
Answer: Yes it should always be available to a police officer in need, but it should not be mandatory.  Sometimes the best therapy is just getting back to work, and a lot of police officers are that way.  Others need more formal treatment, so having it available is a great idea. 

Question: Should police departments make therapy mandatory?
Answer: No, because if the person does not want therapy the therapy probably will not be of any help. When therapy is made mandatory, the people who are made to do it will just end up telling the therapist what they think the therapist want to hears in order to get through the treatment as quickly as possible. They don’t really get any help and just waste the therapist’s time.  It is a lot like treatment of alcoholics or other disorders where cooperation and desire by the patient must exist before the therapy can succeed. 

Question: In your opinion does therapy help in reducing police officer’s anxieties or fears?
Answer: I believe that if the therapy could be based on a well trained therapist who understand policing and if the patient is ready and feels the need for therapy, then it most certainly can reduce anxieties and fears.  I also believe other forms of treatment are just as effective.  This includes spiritual leadership (department clergy) as well as peer adjustment. 

Question: Would a quality therapeutic program help officers when dealing with tragic incidences?
Answer: Yes, a good program would help. One thing that I feel needs to happen is that the program needs to fit to the police officer. The reality of being a police officer is that we deal with tragic circumstances. Most officers know that seeing, touching, and feeling tragic incidences is part of the job. Officers find ways to deal with this part of the job. We exercise, go out for good food, or just sit and talk amongst ourselves. This works well because we relate to each other and we have a common bond that goes beyond therapy.  Therapy is certainly one form of adjustment and treatment, but it is not the only one that police have available.  The key is to have it available, but not make it required.

 

Question: How do you feel about this issue?
Answer: This is a good issue, but when it comes to the cost of therapy vs. quality police officers, I feel that there is a gap between what is good and what is needed. I have been in the criminal justice system for over twenty years, and know that this issue is full of landmines.  The biggest landmine is the cost.  Citizens do not like high taxes, and if we raise taxes to help provide therapy then some will rebel.  Another landmine is allocation of resources.  How do small departments justify hiring a PhD level therapist for the same cost as 3 new police officers?