OCT 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 10.1

Be Your Own Advocate.
Recently, John Salerno and I
had the pleasure of interviewing
a subject matter expert in the
area of post-traumatic stress.
The organization she is with
does a lot of research and connects
grassroots organizations
together to fill the gaps where
treatment for stress, post-traumatic
stress and mental health
might not be available for first
responders. During our discussions
we talked about the gaps
that still exist for law enforcement
officers; The size of the
agency, the willingness of the
command staff to provide support
to its officers, and budget.
We all agreed on one major
point. It is still up to us to ask
for the help when we realize we
need it or if another officer or
supervisor approaches us. We
must rid our vocabulary of the
word “FINE” and bust through the
stigma. There is a huge advantage
here that sometimes gets
overlooked. The reality is that
you are not trapped by your
command staff or organization.
You can go outside your agency
for assistance.
Over the years, the “control”
that our agencies exercised in
the area of mental health and
wellness or the outright “suck
it up” mentality influenced and
bolstered the stigma associated
with asking for help for stuff
going on in our heads. No one
wanted to risk being assigned to
“the rubber gun squad,” or have
other officers question our fitness
for duty. The solution - say
nothing, ever. As the suicide rate
increased, the need to provide
assistance of some kind was addressed
by some agencies. Those
agencies who took on the battle
to help officers with their mental
health sort of figured it out.
I say sort of because the stigma
continued to lurk in the shadows.
Officers were not going to ask
to “go to the department shrink”
or the in-house employee assistance
program. Why? Confidentiality.
Their “stuff” would be
known throughout the department.
Officers were left with a
no-win, no-way-out solution.
Again, say nothing, ever.
Over the years as some departments
saw command staff retirements,
it seemed to usher in
a new, younger, and more open
personnel. The discussion of a
budget for mental health and
the creation of a Mental Health
Liaison officer began. However,
most officers that we have spoken
to and departments we have
visited have that liaison officer in
an office right next to the Chief
or Assistant Chief. So, while the
open-door policy to get help
for mental health was there, we
were told that officers were not
going to go to that office simply
because of the proximity to the
command staff where a conversation
might be overheard or
where questions might linger
when the officer walked out of
the liaison’s office. The solution,
say nothing ever.
While these changes were
occurring, the grassroots programs
started. The realization
that while the departments were
trying, it was easier for an officer
to go outside his/ her agency
for assistance. The grassroots
program provided confidentiality,
which meant that the officer
could get the help without the
fear of reprisals or questions. In
fact, many of the officers I met
while I traveled to speak at conferences
confided in me that they
went outside their agency and
were on the path to healing, all
the while successfully maintaining
their jobs and family life.
As some departments continued
their awareness journey to
aid their officers, the grassroots
programs continued to grow.
Some of them with the ability
to offset department budgets
which meant the departments
could rely on them to help their
officers. The departments were
on a “need to know” information
stream. Only if an officer stated
they were going to hurt themselves
or someone else was the
department informed. Confidentiality,
anonymity, and a comfort
level were provided to the officer.
As a result, we started to see
dents in the stigma.
When departments created
Peer Support programs, those
that were successful saw a
decrease in suicides and an
increase in positive outcomes
for the officers. Supported from
the top, with an emphasis on
ZERO reprisals by the department,
officers could get the help
they asked for. The result. The
dents in the stigma grew larger.
As the command staff’s awareness
grew about the positive
outcomes for their officers, the
indicators showed that the department
functioned better. And
a good functioning department
means a healthy department.
Are these “successful” departments
the outliers? Maybe.
The hope is that the grassroots
programs and the departments
work together to continue to put
dents in the stigma, ultimately
smashing it completely one day.
What we still do know for sure
is you are your best advocate. As
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Please share with
all your friends and
co-workers.
hard as it may be, you must be
the one to reach out and ask for
help. The grassroots programs
like A Badge of Honor are here
to assist at every level. We allow
you to be in control of your
mental health journey, leaving
behind the one thing that still
hampers some requests from
within the department…STIGMA.
So, find the courage to be your
own advocate. And remember,
your journey may help to save
another brother, sister, and/or
BLUE family. You are not alone.
Samantha Horwitz is a regular
contributor to The Blues Police
Magazine. She is a 9/11 first responder,
former United States
Secret Service Agent, speaker,
and author. She and her business
partner, ret. NYPD detective
John Salerno created A Badge of
Honor, a 501(c)(3), post-traumatic
stress and suicide prevention
program for first responders.
John and Sam host MAD (Making
a Difference) Radio each Wednesday
7pm central live on FB @
Makingadifferencetx. For more
about Sam and the wellness and
resiliency workshops for first
responders, visit ABadgeofHonor.
com.
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