Increasing Resilience in Police and Emergency Personnel

Increasing Resilience in Police and Emergency Personnel illuminates the psychological, emotional, behavioral, and spiritual impact of police work on police officers, administrators, emergency communicators, and their families. Author Stephanie Conn, a clinician and researcher as well as a former police officer and dispatcher, debunks myths about weakness and offers practical strategies in plain language for police employees and their families struggling with traumatic stress and burnout. Sections of each chapter also offer guidance for frequently overlooked roles such as police administrators and civilian police employees. Using real-world anecdotes and exercises, this book provides strengths-based guidance to help navigate the many complex and sometimes difficult effects of police and emergency work.

Stephanie M. Conn, PhD, is a former police officer, as well as the daughter and wife of police officers, and currently works as a therapist in private practice, specializing in police stress, trauma, work-life balance, coping, and resilience. She began as a dispatcher/call-taker before becoming an officer with the Fort Worth Police Department and then earning her doctorate in counseling psychology. She has presented widely to emergency responders, sharing wisdom gained from her police experience, research, and therapy practice.

1. Are Police Resilient? 2. Critical Police Incidents: Reactions and Recovery 3. Secondary Traumatic Stress: Uncomplicated Strategies for Complex Trauma 4. Non-Operational Stressors: Catching the Sneaky Resilience Thief 5. Building Resilience: Mental Armor for Police Employees 6. Help to Be Resilient