Date

11-13-2024

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Michael Howard

Keywords

Law Enforcement, Trauma, Mental Health

Disciplines

Counseling

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to better understand the emotional distress that Law Enforcement officers experience in a 12-hour shift of work in the southwest Virginia area. The emotional distress experienced can cause long term psychological and physical reactions. However, there is a stigma associated with the officers seeking mental health treatment which causes the likelihood of this stress to increase. If officers are open to nonjudgmental mental health support, there could be fewer mental health instabilities throughout the LEO career. This transformation could in turn help officers seek assistance during the course of their career as opposed to after the career ends. While many researchers have identified the lack of mental health support for law enforcement personnel, few have focused on how to intervene during the course of the LEO career as opposed to after the duration of their career. The goal of this research is to provide evidence for the emotional turmoil faced within just one 12-hour shift and explore how intervention during the career can offer mental stability and prevent the longstanding tendency toward debilitating coping mechanisms. The methodology utilized involves an epistemological approach, which will help determine the justification for the lack of mental health utilization and thus seeks to alter LEO perceptions of mental health practices. The civilian mindset can also develop and evolve into believing mental health assistance is a positive factor for the officer instead of using the knowledge of mental health support as a weapon against the officer.

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