Page 48 - FOP May 2019 Magazine

Dr. Kroll provides one-on-one counseling as part of the wellness tune-ups she hopes officers will make regularly at the wellness center.
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trouble sleeping and the type of fear that officers are taught to keep inside. It is the same fear that has led other officers to im- mense cumulative stress, self-medicating or worse.
“A lot of the officers have a lot of fears about going back on to the street. It’s a lot to overcome,” confides Reyes, who was as- signed to the 10th District at the time of the incident. “That really brought me around to, ‘You know what, I can’t pack this in my locker anymore. I can’t just shut it away. I have to address it.’ I never really got the help I needed or should have gotten to get it off my chest.”
Many trials and tribulations could bring police officers into the wellness center. In addition to the groups and seminars, the wear and tear of the career on mental health creates a necessity for of- ficers of all ranks to have access to a police therapist.
If officers are feeling unfit in any way and want to get fit and make the choice about what direction to navigate their careers,
this is a place to do just that. Reyes notes how necessary it is to have the support from administration when trying to address the stress, and the trauma of feeling unsupported can add to the PTSD building up throughout a career.
Dr. Kroll has established this new facility to provide the support that can keep officers from packing that stress in their lockers.
“We can get them through a nice, long, enduring career and end it on their terms, rather than salty and burnt out,” Dr. Kroll explains. “It’s not uncommon for officers who have two years left to wonder, ‘How do I get through these?’ They need to realize that we have resources to deal with that.”
The inviting atmosphere of the Police and Public Safety Well- ness Center empowers officers to feel there is nothing wrong with asking for and getting help. After even just a wellness checkup or tune-up, they can walk away secure in the feeling that it only makes them stronger and better police officers.
The paradigm shift that takes place is exactly what the Depart- ment’s Professional Counseling Unit advocates: Seeking guid-
48 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2019