This blog post is my personal horrific fascination with psychopathy. Psychopaths are ‘social predators who charm and manipulate’. Psychopaths that people think of are usually horrific serial killers and murderers- but there are psychopaths that adjust well to normal life and usually are very successful. We had discussed psychopaths in class and some famous ones […]
Many psychologists do not envision that they will encounter trauma in their practices, but most individuals in Western society will experience at least one potentially traumatic event during their lifetimes (Hall, Alas, Crespi-Hunt, & Khatchadourian, 2014). The two main types of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) experienced by police officers are harm/threat to self or witnessing […]
In the text, Inside the Criminal Justice Organization: An Anthology for Practitioners, O’Brien discusses how “occupational stress occurs when an employee’s work environment, such as the nature of job demands or physical or social situations, result in reactions that are detrimental to the person’s well-being (physical or mental health).” O’Brien goes on to discuss how elements […]
Criminal justice jobs are stressful for a number of reasons. Law enforcement personnel have to work long hours, often closer to eighty hours than to forty, and in many places, they have to experience violence and extreme trauma on a daily basis. Not only do police officers frequently get put in highly stressful situations, but […]
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was initially created to diminish the anguish associated with traumatic memories. It is an unconventional treatment that has sparked great debate and controversy over its effectiveness (Rousseau 2019). According to van der Kolk (2015) EMDR challenges the long time belief that severe emotional pain […]
It’s the near the end of the academic school year and most teens are looking forward to prom night, graduation bash, checking their mailbox for college acceptance letters, and the most important event of all…..commencement day which means the end of one chapter and the starting of the next. But for some teens their hopes […]
Trauma is an overwhelming emotional response experienced by an individual who has experienced a threatening event. The emotional response of trauma could have a long lasting effect and presence within an individual long after the threat is gone, leaving the individual to experience those high emotional responses in the absence of such threat where they […]
Before we begin on strategies for Self-Care, it is important to define Self-Care. Self-Care – the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health. (Oxford English Dictionary). Sounds simple enough right? Wrong. Many of us do not take the proper steps and time to take care of ourselves. We are often too […]
According to Rousseau (2019), trauma represents exposure to experiences or situations that are emotionally painful and distressing, that overwhelm a person’s ability to adapt or cope, and over which they feel powerless. One common anxiety disorder that results from trauma is Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Symptoms of PTSD include: flashbacks, nightmares, hostility, difficulty sleeping, etc. Some […]
Self-care is critical for all individuals in some form, but it is especially important for those in the criminal justice field. Self-care strategies are those things an individual does to reduce stress and ultimately rejuvenate ones self. This could be done through a combination of physical, mental, or even spiritual activities. Self-care could be as simple […]