Law Enforcement Peer Support
A healthy balanced approach to mental health support in any law enforcement agency, ideally, would include a three-pronged approach (or three-legged stool) of: Chaplains, EAP/Counselors (Employee Assistance Program for counseling), and Peer Support.
· The peer support program is staffed with officers of various ranks and other staff in the agency who are Peers, trained to take their experiences in law enforcement and be available to mentor other officers through difficult times in their career.
· The EAP/CNS, or Employee Assistance Program/Counselors are clinically trained individuals in crisis and traumatic counseling.
· Chaplains, usually clergy, are trained in law enforcement life, crisis counseling, death notifications, ethics, confidentiality, performing ceremonies, etc. (which is also good to know for serving your flock as well).
With all three of these supports in place, any officer has at their disposal something they can utilize in order to seek help for any issue that may come up, whether it's an on the job, family, personal, or spiritual issue.
For some, regular rides with a chaplain allows officers to build relationship and trust so that when things start getting stressful, they have various opportunities to unburden themselves (sometimes while on the ride alongs - unless it's too deep to get into while having to keep one's head in the game with the calls coming through), otherwise we plan on another day and time, maybe right after work, to discuss the issues. Trained chaplains are also aware of their limitations and can feel out for when to refer the officer to different assistance and counsel, either a Peer Support person or a Counselor.
For some, they're not into the "spiritual/religious stuff" and don't build much relationship with their chaplains, so they have Peer Support and Counselors for them.
Some of the agencies that I work for have been building their Peer Support Programs for a few years now, while a couple of them are just beginning. I have the great pleasure of being able to assist and be on the teams of two agencies who are going through the trainings and learning how to start Peer Support Programs in their agencies. Along with a few of the officers and staff from Marinette PD and Marinette County, we attended the Wisconsin DOJ's sponsored "Peer Support Conferences" the last two years and I have been pleased that many of the presenters stressed the need to have their chaplains intimately involved in their Peer Support Programs as well. They also stress the idea that the chaplain and peer support personnel meet with their EAP/Counselor to "vet" them for their knowledge and expertise on critical incidents and trauma related to law enforcement duties, life and frequency.
One of the beauties of being a chaplain who is regularly available to the officers is that many times, to see a counselor, they have to wait 2-3 days-even a week, before one is available. I can usually be there within the hour or so. Also, even while an officer is seeing a counselor, they can call on me to be a sounding board on what they are processing with the counselor and can further help them process, assisting in the cooperation of the overall mental health and healing process along with the counselors and other peer support officers.
Stay tuned as we put policies and programs into place and start these things called Peer Support Programs.
Pray for my time with the officers and staff as we meet together to implement these programs, and for more relationship to be built among these teams. Pray for Gospel conversation opportunities to arise so I can share where real mental, emotional and spiritual healing comes from... the One who made us and loves us dearly.
Also pray for your opportunities to serve your local Law Enforcement. Fire and EMS in this capacity as well.
Contact me if you would desire to start this conversation:
Archer Leupp, aleupp@convergegreatlakes.org, 715-938-4375