The authors propose that police educators are an untapped resource, able to teach trainees at the start of their career about the health realities of chronic exposure to critical incidents and provide training about positive coping skills and resilience. Over the course of their career, officers often experience mental and physical health issues related to such exposures. The aims of this study were to (a) examine if a resilience training program was relevant and accepted by SWAT team officers and (b) assess participants' physiological stress responses (heart rate, respiration) during the resilience training sessions to note if there were improvements in stress responding over time.ĪBSTRACT Police officers face chronic stress and exposure to traumatic events in the line of duty. The resilience promotion training program included psychoeducation focused on police stress and resilience, and the practice of resilience promotion techniques (controlled breathing and imagery) while listening to audio-recorded critical incident scenarios. In this study, we tested the feasibility of applying Arnetz and colleagues' resilience promotion training that was developed for patrol officers to SWAT team officers (n = 18). special weapons and tactics ) officers are tasked with responding to the most critical situations, including incidents that require specialized skills and equipment beyond typical policing activities.

Yale child study center