And a child shall lead us
On June 13, the New Jersey attorney gener-
al and New Jersey Police Chaplains Associa-
tion came together to host a symposium with
more than 300 police chaplains, providers and
first responders in attendance to discuss law
enforcement wellness. Keynote lectures were
given on model spiritual interventions and
services, hot topics included mass disaster
supports and challenges, and the focus was
CHERIE
CASTELLANO consistently on supporting police officers.
Cop2Cop Based on the topic, I was asked to speak about
Cop2Cop Peer Support in a workshop dis-
cussing our Cop2Cop helpline, QPR suicide-
prevention training sessions and crisis debriefing groups
that are provided after officers are involved in traumatic in-
cidents. When I looked out into the audience, I saw eager,
often weathered, always kind faces poised to learn how they
could faithfully help more.
I found myself explaining my 20-year history as it relates
to helping cops with police chaplains both good and bad. I
talked about Father John from the PBA and my staff at Cop-
2Cop who were clergy, as well as the times post-9/11 when
I saw people who were looking for control, perhaps lost as
religious servants trying to fit into the police culture. The au-
dience was responsive. We all acknowledged that we learn
every day despite the number of years we have served, and
most poignantly, that it is a privilege to be trusted by a cop,
to be with a cop in a time of need, and that we were all grate-
ful for those moments when we offered comfort or solace. In
my work at Cop2Cop, when we train peers to provide Cop-
2Cop peer counseling and the clinicians who support them,
we emphasize that we must love and respect those we are
serving. No judgment, no power struggles, no assumptions
as we stay present in the moment. That moment is the “min-
istry of presence” that we hope will prompt healing in our
work in police psychology.
It was a day that I was in a hurry, upset about a crisis in
the law enforcement community and almost annoyed at the
sound of my own voice. So I asked this group of clergy if they
thought officers were facing some moral injury or skewed
worldview when they got suicidal. They had different an-
swers, but we all agreed we should pray for those in despair,
encourage civilians to thank them and appreciate their ef-
forts, and work harder to feed their spirits before they felt
depleted to the place where they could not go on.
My time ran out, and a line formed of attendees wanting
to get a card or ask a question about my presentation. The
last man in the line approached me with a determined look
and said, “From a 12-year-old boy who lost his dad in 1952,
a police officer to suicide, I want to thank you and all of the
team at Cop2Cop for what you do.” I burst into tears, and as
I looked back up at him, he consoled me and added, “There
was no help for my dad, like your program, in 1952, and
although I know we think about the suicide, please know
that the children of those who die by suicide remain forev-
er changed. I believe there would be many more like me if
programs to help cops did not exist. So again, thanks for the
kids.”
And a child shall lead us. Thank God for the day and the
blessing of this work.
Helping You Fulfill Your Potential
Individual Counseling for Issues Unique to
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Depression, PTSD and Trauma-related Stress
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Anastasia R. Pytal, PsyD
Northern NJ Counseling Center, LLC
39 E. Main St., 2nd Floor
Little Falls, NJ 07424
DrPytal@gmail.com
www.northernnjcounseling.com
Licensed Psychologist
NJ License #5288 / NY License #020326-1
northernnjcounseling
DrPytal
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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