Being a first responder often means checking your own natural emotions at the door. From overriding fight-or-flight impulses and running directly into a fire, to centering yourself during a high-speed chase, the mental stress of a public safety officer is no match for a civilian counselor. In fact, it is nearly impossible for anyone outside the public safety profession to thoroughly understand the psychological requirements of the job.
With a combined 45 years of experience as law enforcement officers, Harold J. Love & Associates approaches behavioral health from an insider’s perspective. We provide public safety agencies and professionals with culturally competent psychological services for consistent, comprehensive results.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY PROFESSIONALS
When done right, psychological evaluations are a critical part of hiring the right candidates for open positions, keeping your police officers healthy, and maintaining the character of your department as a whole.
Our examiners have more than just clinical counseling credentials; they have decades of experience – from cadet to captain – working in law enforcement. Add it up, and they know exactly what it takes to build a force for good.
Harold J. Love & Associates brings an insider’s perspective to:
- Pre-employment Psychological Evaluations (PEPE)
- Fitness for Duty Psychological Evaluation (FFDE)
In accordance with Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) and International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) guidelines, we gauge the psychological and emotional stability of each officer, from new recruits eager for their first day on the job, to veterans feeling ready to return to work after a traumatic event. As career law enforcement leaders, we are keenly tuned in to the aspects of mental health that may impair the performance of essential job functions or endanger lives – including the officer’s own.
CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS DEBRIEFING
If left unprocessed, traumatic incidents can lock into the minds of first responders with devastating long-term consequences to individual mental health and department unity. Harold J. Love & Associates provides effective Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) to help public safety professionals work through the psychological aftermath of intense on-the-job experiences.
CISD is a therapeutic social process used post-incident for the “communalization” of trauma. It is a structured, small-group crisis intervention, scheduled typically 2-14 days after a critical incident, and it typically lasts about two hours. It focuses on discussing traumatic events with emphasis on mitigating distress, facilitating psychological normalization, providing effective stress management education, identifying external coping resources, and restoring unit cohesion and performance.
COUNSELING
You’ve been a hero to others on their worst days. Now it’s your turn to get support.
To effectively help others, you must take time to keep yourself healthy. Through individual psychotherapy and counseling with Harold J. Love & Associates, you’ll meet one-on-one with a licensed therapist who has walked the thin blue line, a counselor with a full career in public safety under their belt. We’ll talk through your experiences to achieve balance and stability in all aspects of your life, from the squad room to your family room.
Therapy sessions are confidential and typically occur once a week for 45-50 minutes, and many insurance plans are accepted.
