A program in Snyder and Union counties aims to take care of the officers who take care of us.
SNYDER COUNTY, Pa. – Police officers respond to all types of incidents. As mental health cases increase, the way officers are trained also evolves. A new program in Snyder and Union counties supports mental health for law enforcement officers.
“We are just educating the departments on what this looks like. Who does this involve? What is the peer process?” explained Gina Riordan, director of the Access Employee Assistance Program.
Snyder and Union counties recently secured a two-year federal grant for the program, which provides mental health training and peer support to police officers. The program has been in the Harrisburg area for about 25 years.
Govan Martin is a coach for the show and says it gives the cops an escape route.
“Sometimes those stressors get overwhelming, so we want to have a place where they can actually talk to other officers, their peers in a sense, just to have a medium to talk,” Martin said.
Officers can also get professional advice.
“They get free visits through the employee assistance program, as well as that extensive training,” Riordan said.
“Law enforcement officers will talk more to their peers than to a mental health professional. However, what we do as peers is we want them to talk, and if we recognize the fact that they need more than just talking or venting, we want to refer them. to a mental health professional, “added Martin.
More than a dozen law enforcement agencies are involved in the program in Snyder and Union counties.
