“I don’t have a problem.” is a statement heard most often by those who work with counseling law enforcement officers. Why? Because to have a problem in law enforcement circles is to be deficient or inadequate in some way and this is simply not acceptable. Today’s law enforcement officer is under tremendous pressure not only to get it right, but rather to get it perfect!  There is tremendous pressure from the top down that yields a “one-down” position for many officers and when problems come, or the public complains, it all flows downhill like a mighty rushing river.

These difficulties at work are compounded by pressures met at home, especially if the officer is married and has children.  By and large, unless the spouse is in law enforcement as well, the officer feels as though he really cannot talk about his difficulties at work and be understood. This is only one reason why the divorce rate is so high among law enforcement personnel – add to this unscheduled overtime and long hours with stressful working conditions and no tolerance for errors and you have a real time-bomb waiting to happen. An officer finds themselves looking for an escape valve and /or someone to blame – unfortunately, the spouse becomes the ‘lightning rod’.  Other outlets seen are compulsive behaviors and various addictions which only serve to more fully enslave the officer.

The officers I work with know that their sessions are confidential and that they will not only find understanding, but also real solutions to help them cope with real world problems.  The only thing I would say to the officer who is considering asking for help is to do it sooner rather than later.  The front end is many times much easier to find solutions and answers for than the back end.  Do yourself a real favor and do what most professional officers would do when confronted with questionable odds and difficult situations- call for back-up!