Nov 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 11

DR. TINA JAECKLE
blue mental health
The Pain of Media Scrutiny
and Officer Mental Health
I often read national news
stories that are published when
an officer experiences a very
public fall from grace. It seems
such easy fodder for journalistic
organizations to, on one
hand, highlight the vulnerable
side of the individual behind the
badge, then, on the other hand,
promote intense scrutiny for the
mistake. It is important to me to
try to understand the impact on
the officer’s mental health and
subsequent short- and longterm
adjustment. For public
safety mental health professionals,
we clearly know that
there is often more to the story,
and we encourage officers not
to read it, especially the comments
from keyboard warriors.
But they do, and it cuts, deeply.
Please do not misunderstand,
I am not referring to those now
ex-officers who have been
arrested for egregious acts
against others. My focus is on
the officers who have made
mistakes that frequently arise
as symptoms of a larger problem.
Trauma, cumulative stress,
depression, moral injury, alcoholism
and substance abuse.
I have met numerous officers
who do not begin to remotely
consider that their need to
medicate pain is in response
112 The BLUES
DR. TINA JAECKLE
to deeper unresolved issues.
At times, it is, in part, the pain
of seeing the consequences of
their decisions in such a public
forum that brings them to their
knees and opens the floodgates
to finally ask for help.
When these situations arise, I
am blessed to be reminded of
the amazing behind the scenes
network of wonderful professionals
who always pick up
the phone and ask how they
can help. While I utilize several
types of treatment programs,
I wanted to highlight one that
has provided consistently high
levels of care and focuses on
the specific needs of first responders.
The National Law Enforcement
and First Responder
Wellness Center at Harbor
of Grace’s (Maryland) Mental
Health Treatment Program is
a clinically managed, medium-intensity
residential program
for adults, 18 years and
older, with a diagnosed mental
health disorder, needing a safe
and structured living environment
that allows additional
time for stabilization and recovery
skill development. The
program provides 24-hour care
with trained staff for patients
able to tolerate and use an active
milieu or therapeutic community
setting. Daily groups, individual
and family counseling
and education/experiential sessions
are designed to address
physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual aspects of mental
illness. Patients develop a
deeper understanding of themselves
and their disease, laying
the foundation for recovery and
healing. The length of stay in
the HoG Residential Program is
determined on a case-by-case
basis, however most patients
stay a minimum of 14 days. The
treatment team is comprised of
active and retired police officers,
firefighters, SWAT medics,
EMT’s, military veterans and
mobile crisis personnel that
have 500 years of combined
public service experience and
125 years of combined personal
recovery and they are licensed
therapists, professional interventionists,
crisis negotiators