Page 10 - May 2020

Mental Health and Wellness Support
A resource guide for Chicago Lodge 7 members
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
Making small talk can have a big impact
Each month, the Professional Counseling Division of the Department’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides a message to promote better mental health for officers. This month discusses the how the importance of communication and conversation to mental health and wellness as Chicago Police Officers battle the pandemic.
Looking for some must-see TV to help you get through the anxiety of sheltering in place, of not letting the COVID-19 pan- demic take a bite out of your mental health? Tune into a video that has been recently posted on the Department’s EAP website
(chicagopolice.org/information/employee-as- sistance-program-eap/) or the Chicago Police Chaplains Ministry website (https://www.chi- cagopcm.org/.)
Father Dan Brandt, directing chaplain, sits with Dr. Rob- ert Sobo shooting the breeze. Father Dan brings his legendary sense of humor to the chat, quipping, “One of the good parts of social distancing is that I don’t have to brush my teeth.” Dr. Sobo injects the message that every day, Chicago Police Officers must recuperate from the stress and anxiety they experience throughout every shift.
A simple conversation illustrates what Chicago Police Of- ficers must do now more than ever to promote their mental health and wellness. The CPD EAP and the Chaplain’s Unit pro- duced this video to show at roll calls and for as many officers as possible to see how a casual conversation with a buddy can go a long way to fortify or elevate mental health and wellness.
Dr. Sobo culminates the video with an interesting sound bite – a delectable bite, actually, that you must see – and comments how good it feels to be able to talk the talk.
The emphasis here is that you don’t need to be feeling bad to take such action. A simple conversation can wash away the ex- cess stress of the job these days, and communicating with one another might just be the quickest way to go from feeling OK to feeling even better. And, as another simple reminder, think about what you might be able to do for a partner, a friend, a spouse or a family member just by having that conversation.
A lot of the calls coming into the Professional Counseling Di- vision relate a common experience. On top of the chronic stress levels that already come with the job, officers are dealing with an uncommon fear – the concern about not just contracting the virus but the bigger one of bringing it home to your spouses, your significant others or your children. If you feel that piling on to the natural anxiety that comes from what you face on the job every day, then you are in the vast company of many other officers.
But because of that fear, some of you are going home and iso- lating yourselves from your families. And you are feeling more anxious. Know that as you isolate with those symptoms of de- pression, guilt and fear, your family members experience their
own sense of fear, anxiety and even rejection.
Officers who take advantage of the opportunity to speak
with clinicians in Professional Counseling will first be remind- ed to follow CDC guidelines. If they are feeling symptoms, they should speak to their family physicians about their situations.
But if they are currently healthy with no signs or symptoms, it’s important to go home and engage with the family. Have special times with your family members, whether it be movie night, game night or making pizza night. The best way to dis- pense with the excess stress is creating a sense of togetherness and safety, which, if you go to the video, can come with a simple conversation.
Don’t forget that your family needs you to be a source of strength and safety. That is a big burden, but the best way to carry that burden is to talk to one another. You will find that by talking to your spouse, your friends and your family members, what you are feeling and experiencing is quite normal. To strug- gle with it by yourself can be devastating.
Another simple way to alleviate isolation is by joining the rekindling of that age-old tradition known as taking a walk with the family. See what taking a two-mile hike with the kids through the neighborhood will do to reduce your stress levels. And as most officers know from firsthand experience, exercising is a great way to manage stress.
If you follow the lead from the video, communication with others is the easiest way to manage stress and anxiety. Com- munication provides a way to release the stress and calm your mind and body. It’s even easier these days with some of the elec- tronic connections available. The pandemic will no doubt be remembered as the proliferation of FaceTime, Zoom and other group chat forums used to keep in touch with friends, family and loved ones.
And that’s something positive. Focus, now more than ever, on the positive. It’s hard with what the news media is constantly reporting, but Chicago Police Officers are used to that.
Maybe stick with the old news. During those conversations, try reminiscing about happy times and happy places. It sounds simple, but it brings a sense of joy and happiness. And nothing offsets stress like feelings of joy and happiness.
So officers, please make this one commitment: Have a mean- ingful conversation with somebody every day. The connections will help maintain intimacy, which is a key component of good mental health.
10 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2020