October 2020 Edition Fraternal Order of Police Wellness Services 2020 National Fraternal Order of Police
September 2020 Edition 701 Marriott Dr Nashville TN 37214 615 399 0900 or 800 451 2711 Fax 615 399 0400 Sherri Martin Director of Wellness Services SherriMartin fop net National Executive Board Patrick Yoes President Joe Gamaldi Vice President Jimmy Holderfield Secretary Tom Penoza Treasurer Les Neri 2nd Vice President Keith Turney Sgt at Arms Rob Pride Chairman of Trustees 701 Marriott Dr Wellness Committee Nashville TN Sherri37214 Martin Chair Bourret 615 Darrin 399 0900 or Michael Haley 800 451 2711 Sean Harper Fax 615 399 0400 Brian Nanavaty Corey Nooner Mike Violette The key to reducing stigma is to present mental health care as a routine aspect of whole body health similar to getting an annual physical or a diagnostic test Consider mental wellness as you would physical wellness If suffering with physical ill health we visit our physician It is only normal that if suffering emotional or mental ill health we would visit a mental health professional www fop net
IN As the National Officer Wellness Committee builds the Power In Peers curriculum in law enforcement peer support we would like to hear from our members who will be served by this effort Let your voice be heard in this quick 4 question poll https www surveymonkey com r PowerInPeers www fop net
October 2020 Edition Emerging Research Moral Injury in Law Enforcement By Sherri Martin During a career in law enforcement we are oftentimes placed in precarious positions facing difficult and uncertain situations or circumstances With any time on the job it is almost a certainty that you will experience a situation where in doing your duty as a law enforcement officer you witness or must participate in action that ends tragically even if that tragic end could not be avoided Enter the possibility for moral injury Moral injury can be experienced when we are in high stakes situations things go wrong and harm results that challenges our deepest moral codes and ability to trust in others or ourselves The harm may be something we did something we witnessed or something that was done to us It may also come in the form of betrayal from leadership others in positions of power or peers Moral injury is the distressing psychological behavioral social and sometimes spiritual aftermath of exposure to such events In short moral injury can occur in response to acting or witnessing behaviors that go against our values and moral beliefs
October 2020 Edition Moral Injury So what causes moral injury There is no predictable set of causes but there are certain circumstances or situations that create a risk for moral injury high stakes situations where there is a high risk for failure no right or wrong answers and the possibility for harm to be done For moral injury to occur a person must feel that a transgression occurred and that they or someone else crossed the line with respect to their moral beliefs Some of the hallmarks of moral injury are guilt shame disgust anger outrage and even despair A person may lose trust in themselves or their moral foundations and they may lose the ability to forgive themselves even if the action that led to the injury was related to their own survival Personal relationships may be disrupted as the person may believe that others will judge them and social self isolation may follow Some may mask pain with alcohol or drugs Self sabotage may be a signal that moral injury is present but has not yet been realized identified or disclosed It is worth noting the overlap between moral injury and posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD Both begin with an event that is often life threatening or harmful to self or others Guilt and shame are core features of moral injury and PTSD The betrayal and loss of trust that could be experienced with moral injury are also common features of PTSD However while PTSD involves fear moral injury requires a working conscience Although the two share some symptoms there is no official diagnosis for moral injury Although the core features of moral injury overlap with symptoms and common features of PTSD it is possible to have moral injury and not meet criteria for PTSD www fop net
October 2020 Edition Moral Injury Although most research that has been conducted has focused on military Veterans moral injury can occur outside of the military context and is beginning to be observed and studied in the law enforcement realm Police officers often encounter situations of community violence and must at times observe tragedies and loss of life beyond their control Unfortunately recent research in a law enforcement population indicates that moral injury may be a precursor to the development of PTSD The key to begin dealing with moral injury is to acknowledge and identify it If you notice a partner or coworker has become distant angry or is drinking too much have the courage to ask them about it If you know of a colleague who has been in circumstances that could have produced moral injury as them if they have ever heard of the concept For recovery to happen people must speak about their moral injury to someone that they trust will not judge them This may possibly be the ideal place where a trained peer supporter can open the door to begin healing the injury Often the crux of healing from moral injury may lie in forgiving reaching an inner reconciliation where one acknowledges and accepts the circumstances of what produced the injury Progress begins with one step forward and is best taken with the support of trusted listening friend References Norman S B Maguen S 2020 Moral Injury U S Department of Veterans Affairs https www ptsd va gov professional treat cooccurring moral_injury asp Shay Moral Injury Center 2020 September What is moral injury Volunteers of America https www voa org moral injury war inside www fop net
Have you tried Burn Along I have Not just a site for workout programs Burn Along has programs for meditation healthy eating and more Check it out the first 30 days are free Sherri Martin FOP National Director of Wellness Services
October 2020 Edition THREE PILLARS OF OFFICER WELLNESS By Robert Michaels www fop net Continued
October 2020 Edition THREE PILLARS www fop net Continued
October 2020 Edition THREE PILLARS www fop net Continued
October 2020 Edition THREE PILLARS www fop net Continued
October 2020 Edition THREE PILLARS Robert Michaels is the founder and CEO of Serve and Protect www serveprotect org He is a former detective with Norfolk Police and was a MP with the229th Military Police Battalion of the Virginia Army National Guard Since 2011 Serve and Protect has placed more than 6000 first responders and medical personnel in treatment for trauma related issues Michaels is a 2017 recipient of the FBI Director s Community Leadership Award for the Memphis Division He is a member of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and serves as chaplain for two federal agencies and for the Brentwood TN Fire Department Rob received his Masters degree from Wheaton College and his undergraduate from Columbia International University He leads Serve Protect from Brentwood TN www fop net
COVID 19 SURVEY The National Fraternal Order of Police is committed to listening to the voices of our members In recent months the COVID 19 pandemic has affected the working conditions of law enforcement officers across this country and the world Because we recognize this impact we ask that members share their experiences in the following survey of Police Officer Experiences During the COVID 19 Pandemic We hope that this brief survey will help us further understand your experiences during the pandemic and will enable us to find avenues for providing support to our members https www surveymonkey com r FOPCOVID 19
October 2020 Edition Transformations Treatment Center an FOP Approved Provider Facility will present a town hall style webinar on coping with stress in challenging times for law enforcement Stay tuned for details Now online Check out the Police Resilience Symposium that took place virtually September 22 24 Featuring 40 speakers from 7 countries the Resilience Symposium is packed with information on law enforcement wellness www resiliencesymposium org Policing Under a Threat to Identity Hot off the press The Officer Wellness Committee and Dr Thomas Coghlan bring to you our most recent webinar titled Policing Under a Threat to Identity which took place on July 30th In this webinar Dr Coghlan provides education on how to cope during these stressful times www fop net
October 2020 Edition Dalai Lama www fop net
October 2020 Edition www fop net
October 2020 Edition Steps to Reduce Police Fatigue Given the current circumstances in our profession the workload of officers is not apt to soon decrease However there are things that officers can do Officers can control how they choose to react to stressful incidents acknowledge that fatigue plays a direct role on personal stress levels Officers will react as they have been trained when they are properly rested and alert In addition law enforcement officers can 1 Plan meals and make healthy eating choices and stop eating high calorie fast food 2 Plan vacation and downtime Write it down and stick to it 3 See your doctor regularly for checkups 4 Share the workload and reduce the amount of overtime 5 Live within your means so that moonlighting that second job is not necessary 6 Create a realistic exercise program and form healthy habits 7 Create a Patrol Buddy program and make time to check on each other 8 Keep your civilian friends and get away from the job no shop talk on downtime www fop net
October 2020 Edition Chateau Recovery First Responder Resiliency Program Midway UT www chateau com firstresponders FHE Health Inc Shatterproof Program Deerfield Beach FL https fherehab com services first responders Transformations Treatment Center Help For Our Heroes Program Delray Beach FL https helpforourheroes com Warrior s Heart Bandera TX www warriorsheart com www fop net
October 2020 Edition Happiness experts have long told us to tune out our negative emotions and focus instead on mindfulness positivity and optimism Researchers Todd Kashdan Ph D and Robert Biswas Diener Dr Philos disagree Positive emotions alone are not enough Anger makes us creative selfishness makes us brave and guilt is a powerful motivator The real key to success lies in emotional agility Showing the value in even negative emotions this book will give insight into how every emotion has a place and how tapping into them can make us stronger A great read for law enforcement spouses and all first responders www fop net
October 2020 Edition There is ALWAYS another option www fop net