The Somerville Police Department will start their Mindfulness Based Resiliency Training November 17 & 18, 2016.

The role and nature of policing are often stressful, whether the stress is brought on by witnessed trauma or organizational stress it can affect our wellbeing. We know that long-term chronic stress has biological and psychological consequences that reduce our capacity to process new information and make effective decisions. Research has shown us that although external factors play a role, stress is actually a perceived, internal process.

The military implemented a pilot study called Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training (M-FIT). The goal of the program was to improve operational effectiveness and build soldiers resilience to the stressors of deployment. Since this study, there have been a number of studies that confirm the benefits of mindfulness in increasing situational awareness, mental agility, and adaptability. 

We have planned a training session that will provide an overview and introduction to Mindfulness Based practices that we hope will improve our resiliency and health as well as organizational health and performance. As reported in the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, "the wellness and safety of law enforcement officers are a critical not only to themselves, their colleagues, and their agencies but also to public safety." Dr. Laurence Miller a member of task force pointed out the importance of taking care of an officer's most important resource, their brains. Below you can view a brief overview of both presentations.

 

Lt. Richard Goerling, Hillsboro Police Department, Hillsboro Oregon - Richard is a nationally recognized speaker on Mindfulness in Police work, speaking on the Warriors Ethos and Mindfulness training. Lt. Goerling will present the science behind Mindfulness, use case examples to demonstrate relevance to law enforcement connecting it to performance and then provide a mini-immersion in mindfulness-based practice.

Janice McCarthy, Care of Police Suicide Survivors (COPPS) - Janice is the spouse of an officer who died by suicide. She will discuss the real risk of Officer suicide and the importance of proactively addressing stress prevention strategies.