Annual Mental Health Visits: Vital Knowledge

Sunday, October 15, 2023

1:45 PM – 3:00 PM PST

Location: Room: 4

Submitter & Moderator(s)

Sherri Martin

National Director of Wellness Services
Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
Nashville, Connecticut, United States

Speaker(s)

Thomas Coghlan, PsyD

Owner/Psychologist
Blue Line Psychological Services
Great Neck, New York, United States
Lewis Schlosser, PhD

Managing Partner
The Institute for Forensic Psychology
Oakland, New Jersey, United States
Jeremy Kommel-Bernstein

Policy Analyst
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Robert Martin

Sergeant
Berlin Police Department, Connecticut
Berlin, Connecticut, United States

Regular visits with a mental health clinician (annual wellness visits) are becoming increasingly mandated for law enforcement officers across the United States. As this practice increases, various procedures, standards, and rules are being applied, differing from agency to agency and from state to state, with no formal nationally standardized practice in place. Utilizing case studies, this panel discussion will call upon specific examples of potential issues with current practices. Sharing observations from real-world practice, experts in police labor, policy, and mental health will discuss best practices for instituting a program for regular visits between officers and mental health professionals, focusing on identifying practices that will produce positive results and honor officer privacy.