NCJ Number
193555
Date Published
2001
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses "postvention" strategies in cases of police officer suicides, including play therapy for child survivors, professional supportive counseling for the individuals most affected by the suicide, professional psychoeducational group counseling, and peer counseling.
Abstract
An officer's suicide sends shock waves of grief and guilt, not only to the immediate family members, but also to friends, partners, coworkers, and agency personnel. Survivors are often forgotten or unrecognized victims. Assistance can be rendered by professionals and peer counselors to decrease the detrimental effects of a suicide on survivors. The small children of a suicide victim are often unable to verbalize their sadness, sense of loss, confusion, and anger. Play is the primary means through which a child can express these feelings. Child survivors under the age of 8 years should be evaluated and treated through play therapy. Intervention with adolescent and adult family members and others close to the deceased can benefit from group counseling, which is an effective means of reflecting upon what has happened and working through grief and other powerful feelings surrounding the suicide. Peer counseling can be especially beneficial for suicide survivors in the law enforcement field, as they support one another in expressions of guilt and grief and an examination of possible causes of the suicide. An individual in the agency should be designated to oversee and coordinate the services for all survivors significantly impacted by the death. Attached suicide-tendency checklist and a services checklist