a description of one of my talks

[Cary Friedman]

I thought you might enjoy seeing this, a description of a talk I gave to NJ's Cop2Cop program. Under the very capable leadership of Cherie Castellano, Cop2Cop does amazing work. This memo was produced by the staff of Cop2Cop, to whom I extend my sincere gratitude and admiration.

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Re: "Nourishing the Spirit of Everyday Heroes"

On June 28, 2006 the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (University Behavioral Healthcare) hosted a training seminar at the Piscataway Radisson as an extension of services being offered through the For You New Jersey First program. Funding for this program is being provided by the New Jersey Division of Mental Health Services through a Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) sub-grant. The seminar "Nourishing the Spirit of Everyday Heroes," featured a presentation on spiritual survival for law enforcement given by Rabbi Cary A. Friedman. Rabbi Friedman is a consultant with the FBI Behavioral Science Unit and an author of several books including Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement.

A total of 19 Participants attended the training.

The program opened with a devotion by Cop 2 Cop staff member Shelia Hobson and introductions by the participants. The introductions revealed that the majority of the participants were involved with providing spiritual assistance and Chaplaincy services to the law enforcement community. After opening comments by Cherie Castellano, Rabbi Friedman spoke of the challenges faced by Police Officers and the prevalence of suicide among these officers.

Rabbi Friedman continued the seminar by covering the role of chaplains, talking about the "Bank Account Model of Spirituality" and discussing the characteristics of effective chaplains. After a brief break Rabbi Friedman returned to discuss "20 Tools for Spiritual Renewal." In this segment, Rabbi Friedman offered the participants the opportunity to consider a variety of approaches for enhancing or restoring spirituality.

The training concluded with the participants forming small groups and addressing spirituality case studies. This segment of the training allowed the participants to consider practical applications of the tools discussed earlier. It also afforded the participants the chance to share their own experiences with real life cases, that were similar to the case studies provided.

At the conclusion of the seminar, participants were asked to complete a survey that addressed topics covered during the presentation. A total of nine surveys were collected. The responses are summarized below:

Question 1: Why did you choose to become involved in the field of Law Enforcement?

4-Service to others
2-A calling
2-Career Opportunity
1-Transition from the military
1-Was asked to

Question 2: What role does Spirituality play in your work in the field of law enforcement?

3-Core Importance
2-Essence of being
2-Provides guidance to help others
1-Dealing with the total person
1-A major part of Critical Incident Stress Response

Question 3: How would you define the role of a Chaplain in the field of Law Enforcement?

4-General Support
1-Support in a crisis situation
1-Servant/Vehicle for healing
1-A guide, friend and provider of loving wisdom
1-Memorials and ceremonies

Question 4: Identify the two most stressful aspects of your work in the field of law enforcement.

4-Internal Politics/The "System"
2-Faulty leadership
1-Tragic events
1-Seeing others pain
1-Not having answers
1-Death notifications
1-Being present
1-N/A

Question 5: Describe any mental health or emotional support you have received relative to the work you do in the field of law enforcement.

4-Support from friends or peers
2-Critical Stress De-briefing
2-N/A
1-Family
1-Taking a psychology course

Question 6: Identify at least two positive coping skills you have used to deal with the stress of the job in the last 6 months.

8-Family/Friends
8-Spiritual Support
7-Laughter
6-Exercise
5-Reading
1-Other (Bible)
1-Other (Drawing from past experience)

Question 7: Identify at least two negative coping skills you have used to deal with the stress of the job in the last 6 months.

6-Withdrawl/Isolation
3-Excessive sleeping
2-Anger/Excessive Anger
1-Substance Abuse
1-Alcohol Abuse
1-N/A

Question 8: What support services would be helpful for you in regard to stresses/demands of your job?

4-A good support/peer group
3-Left blank
1-Critical stress debriefing
1-Retreats and seminars

Question 9: What training topics/skills would you like to see offered in the future that would be most helpful to you in effectively coping with the stresses/demands of your job?

6-Stress and relaxation training
6-Communication skills
4-Decision making and problem solving
3-Time management
2-Anger management

Question 10: What services would be most helpful after a critical incident?

9-Defusing/Debriefing
9-Police Chaplain
8-Peer Support
8-Crisis Management Briefing

Question 11: What service(s) or program(s) would be helpful to provide to your family members to support your efforts?

5-Employee Assistance Program services
4-Marraige Counseling
4-WebsiteLinks, Reading Material, Literature
2-Domestic Violence Information

General Program Feedback
Q1-The program was clear and informative
8-Strongly agree
1-Agree

Q2-I can use the information in my daily job.
7-Strongly agree
2-Agree

Q3-The session met my expectations
7-Strongly agree
2-Agree

Q4-I would recommend this session to others
8-Strongly agree
1-Agree

[end of memo]

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Thank you, Cherie, Shelia, and Bill!