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Assessing for Trauma in Psychological Evaluations for Law Enforcement Candidates and Personnel

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Assessing Trauma in Forensic Contexts

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Abstract

Law enforcement assessment is a highly specialized area within the field of psychology. The psychologist’s main responsibilities within this domain are twofold: to assess potential police officer candidates and to assess and support officers during their careers. Given the nature of police work, trauma assessments are an integral component of this work. Officers are routinely exposed to life-threatening experiences, as well as vicarious trauma. Furthermore, they may have personal trauma histories. While these experiences may increase their empathy and ability to effectively respond to difficult situations, it can also be detrimental to their objectivity and ability to self-regulate and result in use of maladaptive coping skills. The following chapter describes the nature and function of pre-employment and fitness-for-duty evaluations, as well as best practices for conducting such evaluations. Furthermore, an in-depth discussion on the nature of trauma within law enforcement is provided, along with areas for consideration. In order to provide further context, there is an extensive discussion on the environment of police culture as it contributes to the experience of trauma. Finally, case examples, recommendations, and resources are provided.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Expert Forensic Psych Consulting, INC., New York City Police Department (NYPD), New York, NY, USA

    Michelle Casarella Psy.D.

  2. New York City Police Department (NYPD), New York, NY, USA

    Amy Beebe Psy.D.

Authors
  1. Michelle Casarella Psy.D.
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  2. Amy Beebe Psy.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michelle Casarella Psy.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology, St. John’s University, Queens, NY, USA

    Rafael Art. Javier

  2. Columbia University/Teachers College, New York, NY, USA

    Elizabeth A. Owen

  3. Lamb & Maddux, LLC, Hackensack, NJ, USA

    Jemour A. Maddux

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Casarella, M., Beebe, A. (2020). Assessing for Trauma in Psychological Evaluations for Law Enforcement Candidates and Personnel. In: Javier, R., Owen, E., Maddux, J. (eds) Assessing Trauma in Forensic Contexts. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33106-1_12

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