DEC 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 12

AROUND THE COUNTRY
Mental Wellness Check-ins
What they are and how they help.
By Marie Ridgeway,
Imagine you have a car you depend
on but don’t take care of. You
fill it with gas and drive it every day,
but never change the oil, rotate the
tires, or add coolant or other fluids.
When the “check engine” light illuminates,
you just keep driving. More
warning lights come on, but you
ignore them. After all, the car has
been going for years without any
serious problems. Why shouldn’t it
keep running forever?
Many of us treat our minds the
same way. We use them every day,
fill them up with experiences (both
positive and negative) but otherwise
take them for granted. We
actively ignore problem thoughts
and behaviors, assuming they’ll just
go away or somehow take care of
themselves. Unfortunately, like a
poorly maintained car, neglecting
your mental health can result in an
eventual breakdown.
The primary goal of mental wellness
check-ins is to provide public
safety employees with increased
quality of life as well as tools to
manage their response to stress and
trauma.
First responders deal with difficult
situations almost every day. They
see accidents, experience violence
and witness some of the worst
humanity has to offer. All those
images, incidents and experiences
can get internalized in their minds
as trauma.
Unfortunately, the stigma against
seeking help for this trauma can
cause the problems to multiply.
Many in public safety turn to alcohol
or other substances to dull
the pain. Some (as many as one
in four) consider taking their own
lives. In an effort to improve mental
health, reduce negative perceptions
of treatment and break the cycle
of neglect, my practice, Ridgeway
& Associates, has put together a
program that combines mandatory
mental wellness check-ins and
optional follow-up therapy sessions
in a package for law enforcement
agencies.
MENTAL WELLNESS CHECK-IN
PROGRAM
Going back to the hypothetical car
mentioned earlier, mental wellness
check-ins are a lot like checking
fluids and rotating tires. They provide
an opportunity for every person
in a law enforcement agency
to literally check in with a therapist
with no pressure or expectations
– at no cost to the participant and
with complete confidentiality.
If everything is fine … great! The
person has satisfied the requirement
and nothing else has to happen
until next year. If the participant
decides they could benefit from
therapy for any reason, they can
come back for follow-up counseling
(which is also completely confidential).
Also, if the person doing
the check-in has unresolved trauma
or other issues but is hesitant to
commit to therapy, at least they’ll
have established a relationship with
a therapist and know someone they
can call when they eventually decide
to seek help.
WHAT IS A CHECK-IN?
Some of the agencies we work
with refer to mental wellness
check-ins as “a checkup from the
neck up.” A check-in is an annual,
mandatory 50-minute session in
which someone sits down and talks
with a therapist.
Sounds straightforward, right? In
the case of law enforcement employees,
it’s a private conversation
between a public safety professional
and a mental health professional
who really understands public
safety and the challenges that go
along with the profession. Since
they’re mandatory, check-ins ensure
every department employee has a
chance, at least once a year, to talk
about any problems they might be
experiencing and determine whether
they might need additional help.
The primary goal of mental wellness
check-ins is to provide public
safety employees with increased
quality of life as well as tools to
manage their response to stress
and trauma. Check-ins help prevent
suicide by building positive relationships
between law enforcement
personnel and therapists certified
to work with them so that officers
understand there is always someone
who knows how to help and something
that can be done when stressors
become overwhelming. These
relationships might pay off now or
in the future, depending on each
person’s frame of mind and individual
needs.
WHAT A CHECK-IN ISN’T
Imagine going to your dentist for
a checkup and saying, “Hey, while
I’m here, can I get a quick root
canal?” That’s not how it works
– you’ll need to make a separate
appointment (or multiple appointments)
for that. Dental checkups
and mental wellness check-ins are
both about prevention, not treatment.
A mental wellness check-in is
not a therapy session. During the 50
minutes, the therapist will not evaluate
you or diagnose you. But that’s
not to say that a check-in can’t lead
to therapy. In fact, between 10% and
20% of the people who come to us
for annual check-ins end up scheduling
additional sessions. Like the
check-ins, the cost of those additional
voluntary counseling sessions
are included in the contract our
practice has with the agency so that
you can continue to see the person
you completed your check-in with,
if you choose. They’re also protected
by the same umbrella of confidentiality.
(Read more about this
below.)
WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT?
With mandatory annual checkins,
the baseline requirement is that
the employee make an appointment
and show up at the allotted time.
There is no expectation of what a
participant shares, nor that they
stay the full 50 minutes, but nearly
everyone does feel comfortable
enough to stay and to share.
In a typical check-in, the therapist
will take time to get a general
idea of how that individual is doing.
If the individual is open to some
coaching, the therapist may also
review some of the ways people
in law enforcement can maintain
mental wellness, including:
Physical factors like sleep, exercise,
hydration and nutrition Mental
factors like mindset, work-life
balance and coping strategies
Social factors like support structures
(family, friends, workplace
and coworkers) and group activities
How stress accumulation can impact
a person’s physical well-being,
mood and cognitive function
The benefits of receiving professional
mental health counseling and
therapy and how it works
If the person participating in the
check-in doesn’t want to talk about
any of this stuff, they might tell the
therapist about last weekend’s fishing
trip, or the lake house they love
to get away to. Most participants
are interested in talking about
wellness and their unique situation.
The important thing is the visit, the
touchpoint and the relationship. As
therapists, the one takeaway we
want every public safety employee
to leave with is that we’re here for
them when they need us – today,
tomorrow, 24/7 and on into the
future.
CHECK-IN CONFIDENTIALITY
Mental wellness check-ins are
not therapy, but the rules of confidentiality
that apply to therapy
sessions also apply to check-ins.
46 The BLUES The BLUES 47