Page 39 - December 2019 FOP Magazine

Mental Health and Wellness Support
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REFERENCE # 244517 EAP - This holiday season General Message
To:
On Behalf of:
All Units
Dr. Robert Sobo
Director
128 - Professional Counseling Division
(312) 743-0378
During this holiday season, many of us will be in a very festive mood as we anticipate exchang- ing gifts, eating our fill of special holiday dishes, and spending quality time with our family and friends. But for some of us, the holiday season has the opposite effect. It may bring about an increased level of anxiety, stress, anger, depression, chemical imbalance or emotional instability. The memory of what the holiday season traditionally means can be adversely impacted due to a divorce, child custody issues, sickness, death, failed dating relationships, addictions, mental illness, abandonment, excessive alcohol usage or even substance abuse. This heightened anxi- ety can be just as real and powerful as the feelings of joy that the holiday season brings. If you are having difficulty coping during this holiday season, the Professional Counseling Division/ Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is here for you. Free, confidential services are available to all Department members (sworn and civilian) and their immediate families. EAP has professionally trained clinicians, sworn alcohol and substance abuse counselors, and over 290 sworn active peer support members departmentwide. EAP is just a phone call away at (312) 743-0378. If you are concerned about the well-being of one of your fellow officers, I strongly encourage you to make the phone call on their behalf. “If you see something - say something.” It just may turn out to be the most important phone call you make during your career. I also encourage all supervi- sors to be very vigilant during this holiday season. Keep a watchful eye out to be able to recog- nize an officer who may be in crisis, possibly needing some level of intervention. Promoting and ensuring officer wellness is a team effort that requires all of us to get involved. Let’s make a more concerted effort to be there for our officers in hopes they will no longer feel they have to suffer in silence. We need to all adopt the mantra “NOT ON MY WATCH.” Stay safe!
A message from EAP
Professional Counseling Division CPD Employee Assistance Program
312-743-0378
Widely trained clinicians and addiction counselors available 24/7/365
Peer Support Team
312-743-0378
The peer support team includes 300 officers who have taken a 40-hour training
Call for help
’Tis the season for mental well-being
Each month, the Professional Counseling Division of the Department’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides a mes- sage to promote better mental health for officers. This month, Dr. Robert Sobo, director of the Professional Counseling Divi- sion, discusses how to manage your mental health through the emotions and feelings that come with the holiday season.
Typically, we see an increase in calls to the Professional Counseling Division following the holidays. So let’s try some preventative measures to raise awareness that will make the holiday season a happy one.
Start by reading the memo displayed on this page. This is the message we sent out last year to remind all officers about what they can do to promote mental health and well-being through the holi- day challenges.
What might be most important is to make sure that you take care of one an-
o
other, yourself, your fam-
i
ly and your friends. Cele-
i
l
b
brate life in a healthy way.
Certainly, the job hasn’t become any easier this year. And with recent developments and the prospect of having to work a holiday and having to be away from your families, the bottle, drugs and other ways to deal
with the maladies might seem tempting. But it doesn’t have to be just doom and gloom. This season is also about hope. The new year brings hope and health that can be achieved by acquiring and main- taining well-being, both physically and
mentally.
Yes, this is a time when police officers
can feel more alone or stressed out. Or you might experience negative emotions related to things that happened during the year and have not been resolved. It can make for a difficult holiday season. Depression related to the realization that there are a lot of emotional issues that have not been adequately dealt with can set in.
During stressful times, if you’re feeling alone or depressed, seek some support from others around you or call EAP. Don’t
be too proud to seek support from the Professional Counseling Division or fam- ily and friends.
Take a little bit of stock of some of these issues. Take all necessary steps to start identifying and addressing these issues. Get some help to resolve these issues. There’s always opportunity to turn things around by addressing unresolved issues.
Officers certainly call EAP after the hol- idays because they feel they have been drinking too much. We see a lot of sub- stance and alcohol abuse after the hol- idays. They don’t want to stop the party
while the holidays are still going on. But then we hear, “The holidays are over and I can’t stop.” It’s a good thing that they rec- ognize it.
For this holiday season, here’s a mes- sage Chicago Police Officers can share in a greeting card to one another:
Here’s to a new year filled with wellbe- ing, good health and growth.
And here’s a message from EAP:
Don’t hesitate to reach for the phone and call EAP. Call peer support. Call the Chaplains Unit. Don’t be afraid to make the call.
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2019 39