Counseling Cops What Clinicians Need to Know

Grounded in clinical research, extensive experience, and deep familiarity with police culture, this book offers highly practical guidance for psychotherapists and counselors. The authors vividly depict the pressures and challenges of police work and explain the impact that line-of-duty issues can have on officers and their loved ones. Numerous concrete examples and tips show how to build rapport with cops, use a range of effective intervention strategies, and avoid common missteps and misconceptions. Approaches to working with frequently encountered clinical problems--such as substance abuse, depression, trauma, and marital conflict--are discussed in detail. A new preface in the paperback and e-book editions highlights the book's relevance in the context of current events and concerns about police-community relations. See also Kirschman's related self-help guide I Love a Cop, Third Edition: What Police Families Need to Know, an ideal recommendation for clients and their family members.

Foreword, Ellen ScrivnerI. The Basics of Cultural Competency1. Working in the Law Enforcement Culture2. Managing the Therapeutic Alliance3. The Emergency Responder's Exhaustion Syndrome4. Growing Old in a Young Person's ProfessionII. Line-of-Duty Issues5. Death by 1,000 Cuts: Critical Incidents, Trauma, and Posttraumatic Stress Injuries6. Betrayal: The Hidden Critical Incident7. Shift Work and Sleep DeprivationIII. Treatment Tactics8. Reading Your Client: Assessment Strategies9. Treatment Strategies10. When Your Client Needs MedicationIV. Common Presenting Problems11. Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Other Addictions12. Depression and Suicide13. Somatization, Panic Attacks, and Stress ReductionV. Working with Police Families14. Resilience and the Police Family15. Givens and Paradoxes16. Why Didn't You Shoot Him in the Leg?: Police Family Communication17. The First Responder Relationship18. Infidelity, Divorce, and Domestic AbuseVI. Getting Started19. Special Considerations for Treating Other First Responders20. Breaking and EnteringAppendix: Residential Treatment/Group TherapyResources

Ellen Kirschman, PhD, is a police and public safety psychologist, volunteer clinician at the First Responder Support Network, and sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator. Dr. Kirschman is a recipient of the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Police and Public Safety Psychology from the Police and Public Safety Section of Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Service) of the American Psychological Association and the Distinguished Contribution to Psychology award from the California Psychological Association. She is coauthor of a book for mental health professionals, Counseling Cops, and author of the self-help guides I Love a Cop, Third Edition, and I Love a Fire Fighter, as well as the mystery novels Burying Ben, The Right Wrong Thing, and The Fifth Reflection. She lives in Redwood City, California. Her website is www.ellenkirschman.com. Mark Kamena, PhD, ABPP, is Director of Research and Co-Founder of the First Responder Support Network, a volunteer, nonprofit organization that operates the West Coast Post-Trauma Retreat and a separate program for first-responder spouses and significant others. He has a private practice in Marin County, California, where he specializes in first-responder posttraumatic stress injury. Dr. Kamena is a recipient of the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Police and Public Safety Psychology from APA Division 18. He is President of the CPA and serves on the CPA Foundation Board. Joel Fay, PsyD, ABPP, is a psychologist in private practice who works with emergency responders and provides crisis intervention training for numerous agencies throughout California. He served as a police officer for over 30 years before retiring in 2011. Dr. Fay is a recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the California Psychological Association and the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Police and Public Safety Psychology from APA Division 18. He serves on the Psychological Services Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, is Clinical Director of the First Responder Support Network, and teaches and presents workshops widely.