TREATING POLICE STRESS

Book excerpt: This is an important work that addresses a very timely issue: police stress and its treatment. Its authors both hold doctoral degrees in education and teach at the university level. In addition, both gentlemen have extensive experience treating police stress. The book begins by tracing the history of the treatment (or lack thereof) of police stress, specifically its treatment by peers. It describes the obstacles peer counselors face and their tactics for addressing them. It goes into detail regarding the types of stress that officers face on the job, and the ways in which these stresses make this work so very different from other jobs. It also provides statistics regarding the high rates of divorce, suicide, illness, and premature death that police are subject to. In these ways, it provides a strong argument supporting the establishment of stress-reduction programs for police. The book also makes it clear that peers are uniquely qualified to do this counseling work; they have “been there” and can gain the respect and trust more easily than an outsider. It recounts instances of successful peer counseling, and it recounts instances of sad failure. The book artfully presents the results of extensive surveys and interviews of the people involved in a large peer counseling program—from both the peers and those they counsel. Perhaps most important, departments and organizations wishing to emulate the work that is profiled will find this to be an invaluable guide.