Mental Health and Stress Management Programs in Policing - lemit

T E L E M A S PB U L L E T I NTEXAS LAW ENFORCEMENT MANAGEMENT ANDADMINISTRATIVE STATISTICS PROGRAMSeptember/October 2009 Volume 16, No. 5Mental Health and Stress ManagementPrograms in PolicingScott MacMillanThis TELEMASP Bulletin examines the mental healthand stress management (MH/SM) programs among 57responding law enforcement agencies to determine whetheran internal, external or hybrid program is employed, and ifpresent, how peer counseling is employed.Mental Health and Stress Management ProgramsWhile a certain degree of stress is present in any job, it ismuch more pronounced in the field of law enforcement. Forexample, police officers are often exposed to danger or thethreat of danger, and lengthy or rotating shift schedules can,perhaps, prevent the officer from spending time with familyand friends. Further, courts often drop charges or deliverlenient sentences to offenders who are the very ones that thepolice worked hard, and possibly risked their lives, to arrestand keep off the streets (National Institute of Justice, 2000).The police bureaucracy itself can also place enormous stresson the officer’s family that can affect shift-work, constantfear of injury or death, low pay, and other factors often asmuch, if not more, than the officer (Blau, 1994; Matteson &Ivancevich, 1987). Without a healthy outlet for dealing withthese stress-related issues, an officer may become cynical,impatient, violent toward others as well as him/herself,unhealthy, and/or even suicidal.There are numerous reasons why police departmentsshould maintain or have access to MH/SM programs.For example, they provide confidential and specializedtreatment, raise morale, increase the department’s efficiencyand effectiveness, reduce early retirement or quitting,lessen workers’ compensation claims due to stress-relateddisabilities, lower the chance of civil liability as a result ofstress-related behavior, improve the general well-being ofofficers’ families, and minimize negative media attention(Finn & Tomz, 1996).By providing MH/SM programs, large metropolitandepartments will have more program requirements resultingin additional staff, thus justifying extra budget support. Ofthe responding agencies, the Texas Department of PublicSafety, Dallas Police Department and Harris CountySheriff’s Office have 2,500+ sworn officers, and three otheragencies have over 500. Forty-one out of the 57 agencies,however, have less than 250 officers, and, in some cases,there are fewer than 30 sworn officers. Nevertheless, thisdoes not imply that the need for a MH/SM program is lessimportant, but rather, it should be tailored to the specificdepartment. Faced with limited budgets, another optionfor smaller departments is to consolidate a program withnearby police, sheriffs’ and fire departments. For example,in a rural area of Iowa, the Law Enforcement Assistance andDevelopment Program (LEAD) was established to servethe officers, staff and families of Iowa State University’sDepartment of Public Safety, the Story County Sheriff’sOffice, and the Ames Police Department (Desinger, 2002).Similarly, the Baytown Police Department makes use of theHouston Police Department’s services for Officer InvolvedShootings (OIS), whereas occasionally, the Travis CountySheriff’s Office and Odessa Police Department employTexas Department of Public Safety services, and the OdessaPolice Department utilizes the Midland Fire Department’sMH/SM services.Law enforcement agencies rely on three types of MH/SMprograms: internal, external and hybrid. Although outsidepsychologists may sometimes be consulted on a case-by-casebasis, a department’s internal mental health professional staffare generally used due to both their close proximity and betterunderstanding of police officers. To quote a Michigan Statetrooper, “Outsiders haven’t a clue about what the departmentdoes, but staff with the [Michigan State Police BehavioralScience] Section … are ‘one of us’” (Finn & Tomz, 1996,Sam Houston State UniversityA Member of The Texas State University SystemBill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas

2p. 36). On the other hand, external programs employ privateproviders, most of whom are psychologists with specializedtraining in the mental health of law enforcement personnel.Hybrid programs, as the name implies, combine elementsfrom both internal and external programs. A majority of theresponding agencies employ external MH/SM programs,while others hire internal services as well, creating hybridprograms.Peer counseling is also considered to be an effective wayof managing stress, and at the same time, keeps the officermentally healthy (Madonna & Kelly, 2002). Peer counselorsare fellow officers who experience similar tensions and are,therefore, empathetic in understanding a comrade’s feelings.In addition, an officer may find it easier talking to a colleaguerather than a psychologist. Twenty-three of the respondingagencies have a form of peer counseling.The SurveyFifty-seven Texas law enforcement agencies participatedin a survey regarding the use of mental health and stressmanagement programs in their department. As shownin Figure 1, of these, 88% (n=50) provide mental healthservices. Specifically, 4% (n=2) use internal programsexclusively, 78% (n=39) use external programs and 18%(n=9) use hybrid programs. Stress management services arealso provided by 74% (n=42) of the agencies in which 7%(n=3) have internal programs, 60% (n=25) employ externalprograms, and 33% (n=14) make use of hybrid programs.Forty percent or 23 of the 57 agencies have a peer counselingprogram.Internal and external services offered. Depending onthe type of program employed, the survey was composed ofseparate sections to fill out. Although not all questions wereVol. 16, No. 5, September/October 2009alike, both internal and external sections were related to theuse of seven services commonly provided by each type ofprogram. As Figure 2 depicts, those services included criticalincident stress debriefing, long-term counseling, short-termcounseling, family member counseling, preventive stressmanagement training, special unit testing, and an “other”category.Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) is offeredinternally by 32% (n=18) of the departments and externallyby 58% (n=33) of the departments. CISD is usuallyconducted by a fellow officer trained as a peer counselor orby a psychologist who is either brought to the scene or theofficer is referred to him/her soon after the incident. Commoncritical incidents that require debriefing include: an officerinvolvedshooting, the injury or death of an officer or anysituation deemed to be severely traumatic. By participatingin CISD, an officer is not as likely to experience the samelevel of stress-related symptoms as an officer who does notreceive CISD (Desinger, 2002; Murphy, Hurrell, Sauter, &Keita, 1995; Territo & Sewell, 1999).Long-term counseling is offered internally by 14% (n=8)of the departments and externally by 37% (n=21), whereasshort-term counseling is offered internally by 23% (n=13)of the departments and externally by 63% (n=36). Finally,family member counseling is available internally by 14%(n=8) and externally by 39% (n=22) of the departments.Preventive stress management training is providedinternally by 18% (n=10) of the departments and externallyby 30% (n=17). Nationwide, however, preventive stressmanagement is the most commonly used method. It involvestraining officers to recognize the sources and signs of stressexhibited by an officer in addition to developing individualcoping techniques and strategies. “Stress-related problemsFigure 1. Agency provisions for mental health, stress management and/or peer counseling

Mental Health and Stress Management Programs in Policing3Figure 2. Internal and external services providedcan be prevented in two principal ways: (1) by eliminatingthe sources of stress themselves, and (2) by learning how todeal with stressful conditions before they lead to problems”(Finn & Tomz, 1996, p. 107).Six agencies offer special unit testing both internally (11%)and externally (11%), respectfully. Other types of servicesare provided internally by six agencies (11%) and externallyby four (7%) agencies.The Haltom City Police Department offers external servicesincluding marriage or family relationship counseling,financial services, domestic violence counseling, substanceabuse/dependency counseling, legal services, and child/elderly care. The Arlington Police Department’s externalservices are event-driven, that is, dependent upon theevents and situations occurring at any given time, whereasinternal event driven services are available at the Keller,Odessa and San Angelo police departments. The DallasPolice Department offers internal psychological testing, andthe Travis County Sheriff’s Office provides internal crisiscounseling. Finally, the San Antonio Police Departmentfurnishes internal cadet screening, consultation with thehostage negotiation team, fitness for duty evaluations, andcommand consultationsTotal internal mental health and stress managementpersonnel. Sixteen agencies were reported as having fulltimeMH/SM personnel on staff ranging from as few asone or two to as many as 40. When respondents were thenasked to list the number of specific personnel classified aspsychologists, certified counselors and/or specially trainedofficers, in addition to “other,” a total of seven full-timepsychologists, 16 certified counselors, 123 specially trainedofficers, and 10 “other” full-time MH/SM personnel are used.The specially trained officers, as well as “other” personnel,are generally police officers trained in peer counseling andcritical incident stress management techniques (CISM) (seeFigure 3).External program services available. Generally,external program services include Employee AssistancePrograms (EAP) and Employee Referral Programs (ERP).EAPs are department-sponsored contract agency visitsthat often include a comprehensive contract for all city orFigure 3. Total mental health/stress managementpersonnel (156 total offi cers from 16 agencies)

Mental Health and Stress Management Programs in Policing5Figure 6. Techniques used by peer counselorsWhere peer counselors are utilized. The survey listedfour circumstances and a fifth “other” option as possiblesituations in which peer counselors may be involved: criticalincidents, death of an officer in the line of duty, injuriessustained by an officer in the line of duty, and divorcesupport. As Figure 7 depicts, of the 23 agencies reporting theuse of peer counselors, 91% (n=21) turn to them followingcritical incidents or the death of an officer in the line of duty,and 87% (n=20) call on them when an officer is injured inthe line of duty. In addition, peer counselors are used byFigure 7. Situations where peer counselors are used

6Vol. 16, No. 5, September/October 200935% (n=8) of the agencies to help officers who are goingthrough a divorce, and 39% (n=9) indicated “other.”For example, the Baytown Police Department uses peercounselors in multiple situations employing any techniquethat the situation warrants, whereas the Beaumont andUniversity Park police departments employ peer counselingwhen deemed appropriate. Further, the Corpus Christi andLubbock police departments use peer counselors uponrequest by a fellow officer, and the Travis County Sheriff’sOffice as well as the Texas Department of Public Safetyutilize their help when there is either an incident involvingthe death of a child or OIS. On the other hand, the TexarkanaPolice Department employs peer counselors to intervenewhen fellow officers have drug or alcohol abuse issues.Situations when confidentiality between the peercounselor and officer can be waived. Although the majorityof agencies reported that confidentiality between the officerand peer counselor can be waived or broken, most providedspecific situations that warrant the waiver. To illustrate,Chapter 33.02H the Corpus Christi Police Department’sPolicy states:Confidentiality and Autonomy1. Strict confidentiality shall be maintained betweenpeer counselors and the officer.2. There is no confidentiality in situations in which anofficer being counseled has been involved in violationsof the law or their oath of office. Peer counselors arerequired to report these facts to the Chief of Police.Although only three agencies responded that confidentialitycould not be waived or broken, there is no legal basis forconfidentiality. In other words, each department establishesits own policy. Eighty percent of the agencies stated thatconfidentiality can be waived or broken if there is a threatof imminent danger to the officer or others. The Amarillo,Baytown, North Richland Hills, Plano, and Richardsonpolice departments, as well as the El Paso County Sheriff’sOffice and the Texas Department of Public Safety, allwaive confidentiality if there is an admission or discoveryof criminal activity. In addition, the Baytown PoliceDepartment will waive confidentiality when there is a needfor an officer’s greater mental health care.ConclusionIt is suggested that MH/SM programs can make a differencein both an officer’s retention and quality of life. By the1980s, statistics revealed that 70% of officers involved ina fatal shooting left law enforcement within five years afterthe incident; larger departments have since reduced thatfigure to 3%, with smaller or less funded departments losingroughly 33% of its officers within five years (Miller, 2006).This dramatic decline is due, in part, to police administratorswho express more acceptance of MH/SM programs thatassist officers in coping with the constant stress associatedwith police work.ReferencesBlau, T. (1994). Psychological services for law enforcement.New York: John Wiley & Sons.National Institute of Justice. (2000). On the job stress inpolicing: Reducing it, preventing it. National Instituteof Justice Journal (NCJ Publication No. 180079).Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.Desinger, E. (2002). Executive summary of the LawEnforcement Assistance and Development (LEAD)program: Reduction of familial and organizationalstress in law enforcement (NCJ Publication No. 192276).Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.Finn, P., & Tomz, J. E. (1996). Developing a law enforcementstress program for offi cers and their families. NationalInstitute of Justice: Issues and Practices (NCJPublication No. 163175). Washington, D.C.: U.S.Department of Justice.Madonna, J., & Kelly, R. (2002). Treating police stress: Thework and the words of peer counselors. Springfield, IL:Charles C. Thomas.Matteson, M., & Ivancevish, J. (1987). Controlling workstress: Effective human resource and managementstrategies. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Miller, L. (2006). Practical Police Psychology: Stressmanagement and Crisis Intervention for LawEnforcement. Springfield, IL; Charles C. Thomas.Murphy, L. R., Hurrell, J. J., Sauter, S. L., & Keita, G. P.(Eds.). (1995). Job stress interventions. Washington,DC: American Psychological AssociationTerrito, L,. & Sewell, J. (1999). Stress management in lawenforcement. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.

Mental Health and Stress Management Programs in Policing7Thank you to the following agencies for participating in this bulletin:Allen Police DepartmentAmarillo Police DepartmentArlington Police DepartmentBaytown Police DepartmentBeaumont Police DepartmentBexar County Sheriff’s OfficeCarrollton Police DepartmentCollege Station Police DepartmentColleyville Police DepartmentConroe Police DepartmentCorpus Christi Police DepartmentDallas Police DepartmentDuncanville Police DepartmentEl Paso County Sheriff’s OfficeEuless Police DepartmentFarmers Branch Police DepartmentFrisco Police DepartmentGrapevine Police DepartmentGreenville Police DepartmentHaltom City Police DepartmentHarlingen Police DepartmentHarris County Sheriff’s OfficeHuntsville Police DepartmentHurst Police DepartmentIrving Police DepartmentKeller Police DepartmentKerrville Police DepartmentKilleen Police DepartmentLongview Police DepartmentLubbock Police DepartmentLufkin Police DepartmentMidland Police DepartmentMontgomery County Sheriff’s OfficeNorth Richland Hills Police DepartmentOdessa Police DepartmentPasadena Police DepartmentPlano Police DepartmentPotter County Sheriff’s OfficeRandall County Sheriff’s OfficeRichardson Police DepartmentRichland Hills Police DepartmentRoanoke Police DepartmentSan Angelo Police DepartmentSan Antonio Police DepartmentSan Marcos Police DepartmentTemple Police DepartmentTexarkana Police DepartmentTexas City Police DepartmentTexas Department of Public SafetyTravis County Sheriff’s OfficeTyler Police DepartmentUniversity Park Police DepartmentVictoria Police DepartmentWaller Police DepartmentWhite Settlement Police DepartmentWichita Falls Police Department

8Vol. 16, No. 5, September/October 2009TELEMASP Bulletins, ISSN 1075-3702,are produced under an agreement with thePolice Research CenterSam Houston State UniversityLarry T. Hoover, Ph.D., DirectorJamie L. Tillerson, Project ManagerBILL BLACKWOODL awE nforcementM anagementI nstitute ofT exasRita Watkins, Ed.D.Executive DirectorFor information about LEMITprograms, call: (800) 477-9248 oronline: http://www.lemitonline.orgFor information about TELEMASPBulletins, call: (936) 294-1704 oremail: jtillerson@shsu.eduTELEMASP Bulletins are located at:http://www.lemitonline.org/telemasp/index.php© Sam Houston State UniversityThis bulletin was authored by Scott MacMillan, adoctoral student at Sam Houston State University.His research interests include violent sexualoffenders and neurolaw, and he is currentlyresearching the correlation between low restingheart rates and criminal propensity.Board of RegentsThe Texas State University SystemRon Blatchley, Chairman ............................. Bryan/College StationTrisha Pollard, Vice Chairman ............................................ BellaireCharlie Amato .............................................................. San AntonioKevin J. Lilly ..................................................................... HoustonRon Mitchell ............................................................ Horseshoe BayDavid Montagne ............................................................... BeaumontMichael Truncale ............................................................. BeaumontGreg Wilkinson ...................................................................... DallasDonna N. Williams ............................................................ ArlingtonWilliam Patterson, Student Regent ............................... San MarcosCharles R. Matthews, Chancellor .......................................... AustinSam Houston State UniversityA Member of The Texas State University SystemBill Blackwood Law EnforcementManagement Institute of TexasCriminal Justice CenterSam Houston State UniversityHuntsville, TX 77341-2417