One of the hardest things for any of us to do, especially for those of us who are usually taking care of everyone else in our lives, is to ask for emotional help. Since most dispatch centers have been traditionally housed in, and a part of police departments (whether city, county, or state), dispatchers adopted the old school paramilitary attitude about mental health counseling: "It's okay, if you're weak. But we are stronger than that!"
Fortunately, the law enforcement profession has come along way since those days. Now, most state and major city police departments have psychologists on staff to provide assistance to their officers. In addition, nearly all departments and dispatch authorities offer benefit packages that include employee assistance programs that pay for a certain amount of counseling per year. At every training course I have conducted we discuss the need to get counseling.
Let me encourage you to consider getting at least two sessions of EMDR treatment every two years. To learn more about this recommendation, please read my short article on EMDR in this website (under the same tab you just selected).
In the links to websites below you'll find directories
leading you to therapists throughout the United States. 911 Training Institute cannot guarantee the quality and outcomes of therapy
provided by the clinicians listed on the links below. We offer these
links to make it easier for you to get good information about available
services. You are responsible for choosing your provider wisely.
(Before you search for a therapist see the Questions for Therapists below.)
Jim Marshall has chosen to list his services with Psychology Today's
Therapist Finder but is also a member of each of the other three
organizations:
Links to Therapists
EMDRIA Therapist Directory (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing International Association)
Pychology Today Therapist Finder
Christian Association for Psychological Studies
American Association of Christian Counselors
Questions for Therapists:
Here are a few questions wise consumers should ask of any therapist before choosing and that any qualified therapist should be happy to answer:
1. After offering them a brief description of your counseling need,
ask: "What is your training and experience in helping people with needs
like mine?
2. "Is this an area of passion and specialty for you?"
3. "Briefly, what would your treatment approach be to helping me with
this?" (that is, behavioral, cognitive, EMDR, other "modalities")
4. If spirituality is a central issue to you, you'll want to
be sure there's a fit between you and the therapist so be clear in
explaining your faith orientation and ask him about how he integrates
faith into his therapy work.
5. "What are your credentials (education, licensure, affiliations with professional organizations)?
6. "What are your fees and do insurances cover your services?"
In talking with a therapist, you are looking for three things from and beyond these questions:
- The person's attitude: willingness to cooperate, answer your questions, humility, degree of caring, etc.
- Ability and competence to be effective in helping you
- Your sense of "fit" with the clinician as a person. That is, how comfortable you would be working with him.
