Behind the Badge: A presentation that educates the community about Law Enforcement
This workshop is intended for professionals working with Law Enforcement, family, and community members. Law enforcement is a stressful and demanding profession. Law Enforcement Officers are at increased risk for a myriad of physical, emotional, and relational challenges. This workshop provides a compassionate and courageous examination of the Law Enforcement culture. It is a shift from the mindset of ‘what is wrong with you’ to a trauma-informed examination of ‘what is happening’ for Law Enforcement Officers.  This workshop is co-instructed by Law Enforcement and culturally competent Mental Health Clinicians. Participants are offered a compassionate examination of the struggles and challenges in Law Enforcement. Mental health risk factors, exposure to trauma, an overview of ACEs, ACEs specific to Law Enforcement, divorce rates, suicide rates, and a shortened life expectancy correlated with a Law Enforcement Career are examined.  Law Enforcement professionals and Mental Health Clinicians share personal stories, intertwined with evidenced-based research and statistics. Participants will hear and see presenters being vulnerable, giving a name and a story to their lived experience.  It’s real talk about the stressors of the job. Our hope is that participants will recognize that there is more that unites us as human beings than divides us when we connect to the common humanity, vulnerability, and resiliency in all of us.