Behavioral Health Trainings for
Law Enforcement: Current
Prevention Strategies and
Implications
Kristin Klimley, B.S., Estefania Masias, M.S.,
Vincent B. Van Hasselt, Ph.D., & Judy Couwels, M.A.
Learning
Objectives
 Highlight the need for behavioral health trainings for law
enforcement.
 Provide insight into the development of trainings
 Highlight areas of future research for behavioral health training for
law enforcement.
 Literature Review
 Overview of Previous Behavioral Health
Trainings
Presentation
Overview
 Emergency Dispatchers
 Law Enforcement Officers
 Current Behavioral Health Training Correctional Staff
 Future Directions
 Higher rates of:
Law
Enforcement
Officers &
Mental Health
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
Intimate-partner violence (IPV)
Job-related stress
Stress-related health problems
Substance abuse
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Job-related Depression
Suicide
 Fear of being stigmatized may deter officers from seeking help
Anderson, Sisask, & Varnik, 2011; Chen et al., 2006; Collin & Gibbs, 2003; O’Hara & Violanti, 2009; West et al., 2008; Violanti, 2003
Correctional
Staff & Mental
Health
 Correctional officers experience high levels of:
 Stress
 Anxiety
 Depression
 Suicide
 Substance Abuse
 Posttraumatic Stress
 Detention deputies and staff have a higher suicide rate
(about twice as high) as police officers and the general
population
 Higher rate of suicide than those in other occupations
 The correctional setting itself can lead to high levels of stress
and anxious symptomatology
 Exposure to:
 Violent and non-violent populations
 Violence and Trauma
 Illness and infectious Diseases
2009 New Jersey State Police Task Force Study; 2013 U.S. Department of Justice’s Programs Diagnostic Center Study
 Experience:
 High levels of stress
Emergency
Dispatchers &
Mental Health




High levels of vicarious traumatization
Depression
Anxiety
Burnout
 Studies have found the prevalence of PTSD in Emergency Dispatchers to be
higher than those among police officers and the general population
 31% among Emergency Dispatchers
 8.3% among Police Officers
 3.5% among general population
Regehr et al., 2013; Bowler et al., 2010; Kessler et al., 2005
Mental Illness
& the Impact
on Physical
Health
 High levels of occupational and organizational stress leads to
various illnesses




Cardiovascular Disease
Lower Immune System
Gastrointestinal Problems
Changes in Brain Functioning
 Law enforcement officers are 25 times more likely die from
cardiovascular disease than from action of suspect
(Dowden & Tellier, 2004; Konturek et al., 2011; Law Enforcement Today; Morse, Warren, & Cherniack, 2011;Ramey et al., 2016)
 Exposure to violence
 Organizational Stressors
Occupational
Stressors
 Excessive overtime
 Shift work
 Lack of control in work
Situations
 Lack of recognition
 Dispatcher calls
 High call volumes
 Little closure to calls
 Difficult calls (e.g., pain,
suffering, death)
 Negative citizen contacts
 Immediate decision making
 Lack of breaks
 Police culture
 Work-related attributes
 Mental health taboo
 Maladaptive coping
strategies
 National Institute of Justice (2012)
 Medows, 1981; Stratton, 1984; Territo &Better, 1981;
Kirmeyer, 1988; Barrett, 1985; Forslund, Kihlgren, &
Kihlgren, 2004
 Mental illness is prominent in the community.
Research on
Behavioral
Health
Trainings
 Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S. experience serious mental
illness
 Exposure to mental illness within their occupation is inevitable as
many times first responders and law enforcement officers work as
mental health interventionists
 Trainings provide awareness of the prevalence of mental illness
and how to identify it
 Reduces negative views
 Provides effective response strategies to mental illness
 Provide tools and techniques that help to reduce negative effects
of stress and mental illness
(NIHM, 2015; Watson et al., 2014; Wood & Beierschmitt, 2014)
 Overview
 Provide information on mental health issues (i.e., substance
abuse, stress, depression, suicide, and sleep)
Behavioral
Health
Trainings
 Prevalence, characteristics, risk factors, symptoms
 Addresses occupational factors that may contribute to the development
of mental health issues
 Normalize experience
 Reduces stigma within themselves and the populations in which they
work
 Encourage peer support and referrals
 Provide internal/external resources
 Positive coping mechanisms
 Support from administration
 Tailored to first-responder audience
Population
Considerations

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
Multimedia
Interactive presenting style
Conversing with audience before/after
Dissemination of resources
 Providing cases or examples relevant to their occupation
Behavioral
HealthTraining Dispatchers
 Conducted during annual in-service training
Training
Format
 Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) Emergency Dispatchers
 120 minute presentations
 Included resource handouts for the various topics covered
 Stress
 Anxiety
 PTSD
 Depression
 Self Medication
Topics Covered
 Sleep
 Life & Work Balance
Training
Excerpt
Training
Excerpt
 Objective
 Provide dispatchers with techniques that could be used at work or at
home
 Broken down into three phases
“Breathing to
Relax"
 Room to breathe
 Progressive muscle relaxation
 Guided imagery
 Format
 10 minute presentation
 Presented at the beginning of each shift change (Alpha, Bravo,
and Charlie) for each of 3 dispatcher locations in Broward County, FL.
 Included break down of the technique and a role play with the
dispatchers
 Provided handouts of each technique with resources they could use
Training
Excerpt
Training
Excerpt
Results
&Feedback
Behavioral Health
Training – Law
Enforcement Officers
 120 minute presentation
 Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators (FAHN)
Training
Format
 Monthly training
 Annual Conference
 Plantation Police Department
 Annual officer training
General Information
Specific Information
 Risk Factors
 Stress
 Warning Signs
Training
Topics
 Resources
 Myths
 Fight or Flight Response
 Depression
 Suicide
 Substance Abuse
 Alcohol and Steroids
 Sleep
 Short-and long-term
problems
 Sleep hygiene
Training
Excerpt
Training
Excerpt
Results &
Feedback
Behavioral Health Training
Vera Klinoff and Hori Hakala
Presentation= 4.01
Usefulness= 3.89
Behavioral Health Training Presentations
Average Scores (n=11)
Presentation= 3.24
Usefulness= 3.58
Behavioral Health
Training – Correctional
Staff
 Presented during in-service training (year-long)
 Split up into three phases with each phase covering different topics
Format
 Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) Correctional Staff
 120 minute, weekly presentation
 Presentation covers different mental health areas
 Depression and Suicide
 Stress, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
 Substance Abuse and Positive Coping Skills
Topics
Covered
 Provide psychoeducation on each topic




Overview of topic
Symptoms
Risk/protective factors
Prevention and resources available
 Topics highlight important factors about corrections that
contribute to the development of mental health problems
Training
Excerpt
Training
Excerpt
How practical is the material for your performance
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
Preliminary
Results and
Feedback
20
10
0
Very Helpful
Helpful
Neutral
Somewhat
Not at all
Did you find this presentation helpful
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Did you find Very Helpful
this
presentation
helpful
Helpful
Neutral
Somewhat
Not at all
 Budget Restrictions
 Time Restrictions
Limitations &
Improvements
 Stigma
 More integrated with work
Conclusions &
Future
Directions
 Favorable feedback regarding presentation quality and
usefulness among various first responder groups
 Formal intervention evaluation warranted
 Continue with behavioral health trainings for BSO
Detention Deputies
Questions?
Contact
Information
 Kristin Klimley, B.S.
 Vincent B. Van Hasselt, Ph.D.
[email protected]
[email protected]
 Estefania Masias, M.S.
[email protected]
 Judy Couwels, M.A.
[email protected]
 Anderson, A., Sisask, M., & Värnik, A. (2011). Familicide and suicide in a case of gambling dependence. Journal of Forensic
Psychiatry & Psychology, 22, 156-168. doi: 10.4088/JCP.v69n01032009-02141-00310.4088/JCP.v69n0103
 Armstrong, G. S., & Griffin, M. L. (2004). Does the job matter? Comparing correlates of stress among treatment and
correctional staff in prisons. Journal of Criminal Justice, 32(6), 577-592.
 Chen, H., Chou, F., Chen, M., Shu-Fang, S., Shing-Yaw, W., Feng, W., & Chen, P. (2006). A survey of quality of life and
depression for police officers in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Quality of Life Research, 15, 925-932. doi: DOI 10.1007/s11136-0054829-9
References
 Collins, P. A., & Gibbs, A. C. (2003). Stress in police officers: A study of the origins, prevalence and severity of stress-related
symptoms within a county police force. Occupational Medicine, 53, 256-264.
 Konturek, P. C., Brzozowski, T., & Konturek, S. J. (2011). Stress and the gut: pathophysiology, clinical consequences,
diagnostic approach and treatment options. J Physiol Pharmacol, 62(6), 591-599.
 O'Hara, A. F., & Violanti, J. M. (2009). Police suicide: A web surveillance of national data. International Journal of
Emergency Mental Health, 11, 17-24.
 Ramey, S. L., Perkhounkova, Y., Hein, M., Chung, S. J., & Anderson, A. A. (2016). Evaluation of Stress Experienced by
Emergency Telecommunications Personnel Employed in a Large Metropolitan Police Department. Workplace Health &
Safety, 2165079916667736.
 Regehr, C., LeBlanc, V. R., Barath, I., Balch, J., & Birze, A. (2013). Predictors of physiological stress and psychological
distress in police communicators. Police Practice & Research, 14, 451-463.
 Serious Mental Illness (SMI) Among Adults. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2015,
from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/serious-mental-illness-smi-among-us-adults.shtml See more at: http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers#sthash.j1T4iaPA.dpuf
 Trounson, J. S., Pfeifer, J. E., & Critchley, C. (2016). CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS AND WORK-RELATED
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVERSITY: A CROSS-OCCUPATIONAL COMPARISON. Applied Psychology in Criminal
Justice, 12(1).
References
 Violanti, J. M. (2003). Suicide and the police culture Police suicide: Tactics for prevention. Springfield, IL: Charles
C. Thomas.
 West, C., Bernard, B., Mueller, C., Kitt, M., Driscoll, R., & Tak, S. (2008). Mental health outcomes in police
personnel after Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 50, 689-695.
 Wood, J. D., & Beierschmitt, L. (2014). Beyond police crisis intervention: Moving “upstream” to manage cases
and places of behavioral health vulnerability. International journal of law and psychiatry, 37(5), 439-447.