Psychological Services for Law Enforcement
Therapy for alphas (male or female) who struggle with nightmares and insomnia, who want to fall asleep, function and enjoy life when it is not an emergency.
“3:00 am again...same as last night.”
Your body is exhausted but your thoughts race. Did you check the locks? Again?
You haven’t slept longer than 4 hours at a time for years.
Law enforcement officers, sheriff deputies, highway patrol, and federal agents come to me thinking the nights of 5-6 hours of sleep are in the past and are surprised as sleep gradually improves as therapy starts to work.
The night before your Monday is the worst. The sense of doom starts in your stomach in the afternoon. Years ago, when you put on the uniform, you were excited – it was like a superhero cape. Which was shinier, the badge or pride in your eyes? The duty belt is technically lighter this year, but somehow your back hurts more these days. You think maybe it is just age.
“Why is it always 3:00 am?”
Maybe you worked in investigations when the nightmares began. You manage a quiet panic, and the one sleeping next to you breathes slowly and relaxed. You sweat and wonder if drinking would help quiet the demons.
Yes, someone else does understand; no, you are not ‘too far gone.’
“Why do the images of faces in crime scene photos appear superimposed on my family’s faces, in the daytime!?”
No, you are not crazy, and not the only one who experiences this phenomenon.
At least if the images happen at night, you know they aren’t real.
“I must be nuts to have these crazy dreams where my family is in the scene I investigated.”
There are normal cop dreams, and I help people learn the difference and develop strategies to reduce the intensity and frequency of nightmares or weird vivid dreams.
Is it possible that you have had your last nightmare?
Let’s find out together. Call my landline 510.797.4911 to schedule 1-3 visits to see if we are a good fit.
Helpful Videos
- How the death of a child during a call affects cops
Concern
What's the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist
EMDR certified
One approach to EMDR
Work in law enforcement
Helpful Books
After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner Has Been Unfaithful
By Janis Abrahms Spring, PhD with Michael Spring
Publisher HarperCollins, 292 pages, Copyright 1996
Badges & Budgets: Personal Finance from a Law Enforcement Perspective
By Jason Hoschouer
Publisher (self), 57 pages, Copyright 2016
Bloody Sunday: Surviving PTSD with EMDR
By T. Cooper Smith
Publisher (self), 130 pages, Copyright 2009
Deceived: Facing the Trauma of Sexual Betrayal
By Claudia Black, PhD
Publisher Central Recovery Press, 272 pages, Copyright 2019
Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families
By Kevin M Gilmartin, PhD
Publisher E-S Press, 142 pages, Copyright 2002
Establishing and Maintaining Peer Support Programs in the Workplace (Third Edition)
By Robyn Robinson & Patricia Murdoch
Publisher Chevron, 87 pages, Copyright 2003
Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness
By Dr. Fred Luskin
Publisher HarperOne, 220 pages, Copyright 2002
I Love a Cop: What Police Families Need to Know (Third Edition)
By Ellen Kirschman, PhD
Publisher The Guilford Press, 292 pages, Copyright 1997
Increasing Resilience in Police and Emergency Personnel: Strengthening Your Mental Armor
By Stephanie M. Conn
Publisher Routledge, 202 pages, Copyright 2018
International Handbook of Threat Assessment
Edited by J Reid Meloy and Jens Hoffmann
Publisher Oxford University Press, 398 pages, Copyright 2014
Into the Kill Zone: A Cop’s Eye View of Deadly Force
By David Klinger
Publisher Jossey Bass, 288 pages, Copyright 2004
Panic Free: The 10-Day Program to End Panic, Anxiety, and Claustrophobia
By Tom Bunn
Publisher New World Library, 232 pages, Copyright 2019
Reclaim Your Life: Acceptance & Commitment Therapy in 7 weeks
By Carissa Gustafson PsyD
Publisher Callisto, 188 pages, Copyright 2020
Shots Fired: The Misunderstandings, Misconceptions, and Myths about Police Shootings
By Joseph K. Loughlin
Publisher Skyhorse, 344 pages, Copyright 2017
Spiritual survival for law enforcement: Practical insights, practical tools
By Cary A. Friedman
Publisher Compass Books, 110 pages, Copyright 2005
The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
By Gary Chapman
Publisher Northfield Publishing, 203 pages, Copyright 2004
The Five Minute Journal: The Original Gratitude Journal
By Intelligent Change
Publisher Intelligent Change, 264 pages, Copyright 2022
The Gift of Fear, and other Survival Signals that protect us from Violence
By Gavin De Becker
Publisher Dell, 384 pages, Copyright 2021
The PTSD Workbook: Simple, Effective Techniques for Overcoming Traumatic Stress Symptoms
By Mary Beth Williams, PhD, LCSW, CTS., and Soili Poijula, PhD
Publisher New Harbinger Publications Inc., 237 pages, Copyright 2002
The Upside of Stress: Why Stress is Good for You, and How to Get Good at it
By Kelly McGonical, PhD
Publisher Avery, 279 pages, Copyright 2016
Threat Assessment: A Risk Management Approach
By James T Turner, PhD and Michael G Gelles, PsyD
Publisher Routledge, 166 pages, Copyright 2003
Threat Assessment and Management Strategies: Identifying the Howlers and Hunters (Second Edition)
By Frederick S Calhoun and Stephen W Weston
Publisher CRC Press, 250 pages, Copyright 2016
Traumatic Stress in Critical Occupations: Recognition, Consequences, and Treatment
By Douglas Paton and John M. Violanti
Publisher Charles C Thomas, 245 pages, Copyright 1996
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
By Matthew Walker, PhD
Publisher Scribner, 360 pages, Copyright 2017
Helpful Links
- Badge of Life
- Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS)
- Peace Officers Fellowship Meetings
- San Mateo County CISM Team
- CopLine
- International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
- How to find the right mental health trauma specialist
- West Coast Post-Trauma Retreat