by EllenK | May 26, 2023 | Counseling for cops
Can we agree on one thing? Perfection, however much we crave it, is impossible to achieve. I’d like my surgeon to be perfect; ditto for the pilot on my plane. What constitutes perfect or even good is open to opinion and the subject of a zillion lawsuits. Especially if...
by EllenK | Sep 12, 2022 | Counseling for cops
Police officers are twice as likely to kill themselves as to be killed in the line of duty. To prevent someone from killing themselves, don’t mince words. Two crucial ways to intervene with a suicidal officer are to separate them from their weapons and to buy...
by EllenK | Dec 23, 2021 | Counseling for cops, Law Enforcement
Traumatic stress is contagious. You can catch it from your mate. This has important implications for first responder families. Mouse studies suggest that males and females destress differently. Female mice destress in the company of an unstressed mouse. Males do not....
by EllenK | Jul 23, 2021 | Counseling for cops, Ellen Kirschman, Law Enforcement
A client will get more out of therapy if they are an active participant in their own treatment.Therapy takes time and patience. It doesn’t have to take forever, but, depending on one’s issues, it is often not a quick fix.One’s goals for therapy may...
by EllenK | Apr 24, 2021 | Counseling for cops, Ellen Kirschman, Law Enforcement, police psychology
There is a lot wrong with policing because there is a lot wrong with society.For communities of color, the Chauvin verdict is one winning skirmish in a centuries-old war that shows no signs of slowing.There will be no one-size-fits-all solution but several key changes...
by EllenK | Feb 17, 2021 | Counseling for cops
Therapy won’t make you perfect, but it will help you live a wiser, happier life. In my last post, I wrote that fear about confidentiality is high on the list of reasons cops don’t reach out for help. But there are other reasons like stigma, shame, or the...
