Implementation Mental Health Training Program for Police Officers

The Living Well Mental Health Program
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The Living Well Mental Health Program
Who Will Be Trained?
The Living Well Mental Health Program targets to reach police officers. Their job exposes them to stress as they find themselves dealing with several stressful demands such as abused children, human misery, and instantaneous death or prompt life decisions (Violanti et al., 2017). Also, their working environment, which can be categorized into two groups job content and job context, subjects them to stress that can lead to mental problems such as PTSD and suicidal thoughts. Job content problems include long working hours, traumatic threats and events, and court work. On the other hand, job context involves co-worker relations and bureaucracy.
Why Is the Training Needed?
Over the past years, studies have shown that police officers face long-term stress issues that lead to mental disorders. Most of their work exposes them to both physical and psychological harm (Scantlebury et al., 2018). Therefore, giving them a mental training program would be significant to the officers in many ways. First, it will help them to deal with larger crises. Studies show that most of the biggest crises that police officers deal with are related to their job. They include active shooter response that requires to act very fast with no hesitation, such crises have robbed many officers’ lives while others have experienced severe injuries (Violanti et al., 2017). Attending this program will equip these officers with skills and knowledge that they can use while faced with such cases to avoid mental disorders afterward. Second, the program will equip them with knowledge of intervening on a distressing issue before they turn into an emergency. For instance, they will gain knowledge and skills that will make them recognize behaviors and symptoms related to mental vulnerability, and act immediately before the person causes more harm (McDaniel, 2018). Also, the program will help the police officers will learn to balance their work and family life. Studies indicate that most of the officers become physically and psychologically disturbed by their policing work. They disengage with their families leading to marital troubles that sometimes lead to death (Violanti et al., 2017). Therefore, offering these officers skills that allow them to exercise emotional support would be significant in enabling them to deal with their work and family life.
Objectives of the Training Program
The training program aims at reaching several objectives. First, it aims at increasing the recognition of mental disorders among police officers. Studies have indicated that mental illness among police officers has been turned down for a longer period (McDaniel, 2018). Most people have perceived them as strong people who should not be affected by ordinary issues. Using relevant materials during the program will help the trainees that have not experienced the problem realize that it is there and take the necessary precautions toward its prevention. Second, the training program aims at developing appropriate responses and referrals for the trainees. This is significant as it will give them contacts of pe...