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Alberta Association of Police Governance

Alberta Association of Police Governance. AAPG Spring Conference May 1, 2010. Alberta Association of Police Governance. “Best Practices in Police Governance”. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of our Police. Dr. Adriana Celser, R. Psych. Chief Psychologist/Manager

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Alberta Association of Police Governance

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  1. Alberta Association of Police Governance AAPG Spring Conference May 1, 2010 Dr. Adriana Celser, R. Psych. Chief Psychologist/Manager Psychological Services Division

  2. Alberta Association ofPolice Governance “Best Practices in Police Governance”

  3. Fit for DutyThe Mental Health of our Police Dr. Adriana Celser, R. Psych. Chief Psychologist/Manager Psychological Services Division Calgary Police Services

  4. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police Tenet (1) • Police occupation is one of the most stressful occupations.

  5. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police Tenet (2) • Police Officers are one of the most psychologically tested and psychologically evaluated group within the working community.

  6. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police Tenet (3) • Recruit applicants who are selected for the police career present with significant strengths in coping with stress (e.g.: emotional stability, mental toughness, low anxiety).

  7. Fit for DutyThe Mental Health of Our Police Tenet (4) • Increased stress can trigger mental health issues; • A member’s experience of mental health issues does not preclude him/her from functioning safely with conditions.

  8. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police Conditions: • He or she receives effective, ongoing, accessible, expert help; • He/she wants to work and finds it empowering and performs according to standards; • He/she demonstrates good judgment and commonsense.

  9. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police Effective expert support Psychological Services Division CPS • In-house • External

  10. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police Emerging Mental Health Trends • Health Checks as a prevention approach; • Competitions as a health promotion approach.

  11. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police • Psychological Health Checks Programs • A health check program is an organizational intervention facilitating the provision of psychological support to officers on an annual and consistent basis.

  12. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police • Competitions as Health Promotion Approach • psychological testing for a specialty area (e.g.: DUST, K-9, TAC, PCT, etc.); • Follow up meeting with the psychologist for review of test results, review of supports available, engagement in a working relationship for current and future benefit.

  13. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police Tenet (5) • Psychological support, psychological mental health promotion and psychological mental health prevention facilitate psychological fitness resulting in diminished formal requests by CPS Human Resources Section (HR) for psychological fitness.

  14. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police • There are circumstances (e.g.: shootings) when, as part of a regulatory procedure, a police officer will be requested in writing by HR to undergo a psychological fitness.

  15. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police • “ Psychological fit” means that the officer has the ability to function safely; • “Psychological fit with restrictions” means that the officer is able to function with identified limitation and the organization has to match his/her current limitations to a modified placement for a determined period of time;

  16. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police • “Psychological Not Fit” means that the officer is not ready to perform any police functions at the time of the evaluation.

  17. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police Tenet (6) • Psychological Fitness for Duty is a regulatory function that could be experienced by the member as adversarial depending on the dissonance between members’ expectations and the outcome of the evaluation; • Maintaining of clear boundaries (e.g.: informed and written consent, clear determination of who is the client) can diminish or prevent litigations.

  18. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police • Psychological Fitness can be experienced as stressful. It is important to refer the member to another psychologist for support.

  19. Fit for Duty The Mental Health of Our Police Tenet (7) • The interaction between credible psychological support, police officer’s good judgment and responsible behaviours, and respectful organizational approaches contribute to diminished requests for regulatory psychological fit for duty evaluations and increase officer’s and community safety.

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