Anyone that has heard me speak knows that I really don’t prefer the term “wellness” as it pertains to the law enforcement field. It is an overused concept in policing and is used interchangeably with mental health, physical health, resilience, and pretty much any other term that is meant to improve the mind or body of a police officer.
My issue with the word is it lacks specificity. It doesn’t imply an end state, nor the journey to achieve an end state.
Words matter.
Resilience is far better at describing the needs of a police officer that experiences traumatic events at an elevated level. Resilience has been academically researched. Here is an example of one study on fostering resilience in policing. I have even authored blog posts on the resilience gap in policing.
Consider the difference between a generic “wellness” initiative and a resilience-based approach. The former often becomes a box-checking exercise, offering blanket solutions that may sound good in theory but rarely hold up under the unique pressures of law enforcement.
Resilience, on the other hand, demands a more tailored framework…one that is rooted in academic research and real-world application. It’s about understanding that each officer’s journey is personal and that the path to strength is paved with concrete, measurable outcomes.
A resilient officer can experience traumatic incidents and still perform both mentally and physically.
There is a common misconception that people are either born with resilience, or without it. I believe resilience can be built over time. Here are a few ways to build resilience in yourself.
Therapy- Therapy is more than just fixing issues. Through the therapeutic process, an officer will work with a clinical professional to build the tools that both identify and regulate their emotions.
Emotional Self-Regulation- Regulating one’s emotions is a practice. What that means is you will never be perfect, however through the process of regulation, you will develop a more resilient mindset.
Specific Resilience Training- Similar to how critical incident training pertaining to active shooter incidents is imperative to creating a well-rounded tactical officer, resilience training for law enforcement is just as important for developing the proper mindset to perform during, and after, stressful situations.
Throughout most of my career as a police officer, I did not focus on building my own resilience. I chose to evade my own difficult emotions because I felt that I could shove them done deep inside and not feel anything. The tricky part about evading difficult emotions is that it works…...at first. I was able to continue with my career and life without experiencing the negative effects of not trying to process through my own trauma. There came a point in my life where the trauma had built up so much that I became numb. I had experienced so much trauma in both my professional and personal life that I couldn’t feel any emotions, good or bad, without becoming overwhelmed.
I was a robot. I was going through the motions of everyday life without feeling anything. No joy, no real sadness, just living.
I had to make a change. I started therapy and began working on myself. It wasn’t easy, nor was it immediately effective. It was, however, beginning to chip away at the years of damage I had done to myself by not confronting my trauma head on.
Now, five years into my mental health journey, I have experienced a lot of success. My success wasn’t linear like I was expecting. It felt like I was taking two steps forward, then one step back. A pattern that has repeated throughout my experience with therapy. But over time I have drastically changed my mental health.
Am I perfect? No.
Am I better than I was? Absolutely.
At the end of the day, if we truly care about the well-being of our officers, we need to move past the vague language of “wellness” and embrace the actionable, research-backed concept of resilience. It’s time to stop settling for empty buzzwords and start implementing strategies that truly make a difference in the lives of those who serve on the front lines.
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