Police Psychology : History, Practice, Research, and the Future

Explains vast and vital roles that the relatively new field of police psychology plays in choosing, training, and treating this nation's force of some 750,000 officers. This text describes the history of police psychology and provides insight into every skillset a police psychologist would need to be successful, from the pre-employment psychological evaluation to recognizing and treating critical incident stress and suicidal ideation.

The text also includes educational requirements for psychologists as well as licensed counselors. Author David Thomas, a past police officer and current professor as well as senior research fellow for the National Police Foundation, details each major area of police psychology and the role of the service providers.

Guidelines in the officer selection process, treatment of stress, recognizing critical incidents, and human resources law in regard to the limitations of psychological assessments are among the topics addressed.

Actual case studies describe problems that mental health providers have experienced when providing services to police.

Law enforcement, says Thomas, is a unique subculture that has remained closed to outsiders and demands insights to reach officers who often refuse services. Includes case studies that illustrate police pre-employment assessment, training, stressors, critical incidents, specialty units, and mental health issuesExplains the warrior mentality that makes treatment difficultIntroduces the history and components of police psychologyPresents guidelines and license requirements for psychotherapy and counseling providers