SPOUSES ACADEMY : Cutting-Edge Peer Support
By Sergeant James Terry , Pittsburg Police Department
Law enforcement has come a long way in tactical and officer development training ; over the last two decades most agencies have recognized the need to prepare our officers with a wide variety of skills needed to survive this career intact , both physically and emotionally .
Law enforcement involves a lifetime commitment to serving others . But , this determination to serve others , without the correct life balance , can result in neglect to your own well-being and to those you love . Agencies , and the leaders within them , have the responsibility to ensure our officers are taking care of themselves , and their families , and nurturing healthy relationships to thrive post retirement .
In 2014 , the Pittsburg Police Department started a Peer Support Team which consisted of sworn and nonsworn personnel that were selected by their peers and supervisors . This core group of personnel , along with Clinical Psychologist Elizabeth Dansie ( The Psychological Services Group ), were provided with ample training and developed a protocol to respond to the wellness needs of the department . Over the last five years this team has been utilized frequently to respond to critical incidents and an array of other departmental needs . As a result , the department has greatly improved in the area of officer wellness .
Over time , it became apparent that our agency would benefit from expanding the scope of the program . There was a recognition that the information possessed by this small group of officers and non-sworn staff needed to be disseminated to all of the officers , rather than just those involved in critical incidents . We now have formal training for all our staff emphasizing how to balance work and home life . For example , the Peer Support Team , along with Elizabeth Dansie , was utilized via in-service training where all officers were exposed to critical incident trauma , suicide prevention , resiliency and other tenants of officer wellness .
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We have educated the officers and improved the culture of our agency and continue to emphasize personal and professional balance .
At this point , our agency had created a team of specially trained officers to respond to traumatic incidents . We extended this training to all of our officers and thus nurtured personal wellbeing skills agency wide . But what else could be done to create a culture of wellness ? Our agency puts on a Citizen ’ s Academy and a Youth Academy so why not a Spouses Academy ?
A career in law enforcement has a momentous effect on our social lives . It causes us to neglect the very people we love the most : our children and our spouses . We learn about this in the police academy , we hear about it from our Peer Support Team members , but have we educated spouses of incoming or current officers on the potentially toxic effects of this career ? Do our spouses know about “ hypervigilance ” and how it is paramount in keeping us alive at work , and that it is absolutely necessary for officer safety ? After a long shift in a hypervigilant state , we return home and completely disengage and have trouble responding to normal conversations because our bodies are countering the hypervigilance we have been experiencing at work . Do our families truly understand that we may have dealt with some major catastrophe during our shift and in comparison , our family ’ s minor problem may seem insignificant ? The Spouses Academy is nurturing a culture the prioritizes the loved ones and families of our officers . Our goal is to ensure that the officers in our department , who do such selfless and noble work , don ’ t lose their families and identities in the process .
It became apparent that the success of the Spouses Academy would largely be dependent on the skill and credibility of the instructors . Asking your officers , without