Thousands of takes on how to improve policing over the past 12 months have called for additions to the curriculum, like de-escalation or empathy training. Those certainly have value, but there is a larger concern not getting nearly as much (or the right kind of) attention. It’s time for a different, more productive approach to mental health.
Large agencies have psychological services personnel on staff or on-call, but they spend a good portion of their day trying to connect with people who, generally speaking, don’t want to see them. Additionally, some chiefs may be concerned about the presence of therapists or too great a focus on emotion, and there is often a negative association of seeing the therapist after an OIS. Officers and leaders walking the other way to avoid friendly conversation in the hall do not help create an environment where healthy relationships with mental health professionals are the norm.
According to Dr. Robert Sobo, director of the Chicago Police Department EAP, licensed clinicians must work hard to become familiar, trusted and embedded in the culture of their department. “Officer wellness should be built around a team approach where department members become responsible for the well-being of themselves, each other and their families,” Sobo explains. “Stigma is a cultural component, so ultimately, it’s the officers who make up the culture that have to change their daily shared habits for stigma to decline significantly.”
Some of the current methods to address policing’s mental health challenges include mandatory classes to increase awareness and post-incident debriefing with mental health professionals. Progressive agencies are also leaning in on robust wellness policies. These can all incrementally create better environments for officers, but the data shows they may not be significantly effective because police suicide is also on the incline. There is a problem, and the seemingly impenetrable stigma around mental health isn’t helping solve it.