2019 LASD Peer Support Annual Conference: Emotional Body Armor (6 hours)

Course Purpose – The purpose of this course is to provide Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department peer supporters with information to better understand how trauma exposure and other job stressors can impact coping and help-seeking behaviors.

Learning Objectives – Students who complete this course will be able to identify, discuss, and provide positive coping skills, strategies, and resources to help law enforcement personnel deal with issues from trauma exposure and other stressors that result in unhealthy coping.  

Registration, Introduction, and Course Overview

1. The Challenges of Law Enforcement Work
   1. Mixed messages – Warrior vs. Guardian, politics, litigation, and liability
   2. Myths of Law Enforcement
2. How Do We Change?
   1. Train differently to change behavior
   2. The impact of everyday life: High risk and low frequency
   3. We can’t control trauma, but we can control how we react and respond
3. What is the Problem?
   1. Misconceptions about the impact of critical incident and trauma exposure on officer wellness
   2. The impact of unresolved trauma
4. Family of Origin
   1. Understanding pre-employment trauma
   2. Resolving pre-existing trauma to foster resilience
   3. The ego states and how we fail to properly train them – child, teenager, adult
5. Suicide Rates Among Law Enforcement
   1. Personal stories
   2. How does an officer get there?
   3. Self-sacrifice
   4. Perception of life
   5. Perseverance, determination, and resilience
6. Current Trends in Law Enforcement
   1. Alcohol and drug addiction through conditioning
   2. Overmedication
   3. Myths of PTSD

7. Confidential Resources
   1. LASD Psychological Services Bureau
   2. Safe Call Now and Armor Up
   3. Nationwide confidentiality laws
   4. Continuum of care

Course Conclusion, Review, and Student Evaluations