NCJ Number
89940
Journal
Family Theraph Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: (1982) Pages: 189-200
Date Published
1982
Length
12 pages
Annotation
A therapeutic arts program with a marriage and family emphasis is important to prepare police officers to deal with job-related interpersonal conflicts as well as personal relationships outside the job that may influence job performance.
Abstract
Training and education relevant to police officers becoming skilled human relations specialists should deal with such subjects as human development psychopathology, personality theory, individual and group counseling and therapy, family systems and crisis intervention, and medical aspects of crisis. In addition to providing instruction and resource material, each of these areas should include an experiential dimension, including counseling and therapy for the police officer. The program might also include the development of a therapeutic resource directory for each officer, which would indicate resources for various types of crises likely to be encountered. The implementation of a therapeutic arts program for police officers might involve an orientation or introduction to the program; the involvement of the clinician-teacher in police experiences, preferably by accompanying officers on patrol; instruction in and discussion of the core content of the material; and the application of instructional material to actual officer situations where the instructor acts as participant observer. It should also include evaluation of the program through feedback from participants and a followup phase that would examine the impact of the program on officer performance and crime statistics. Thirty-four references are provided.