Why Training Police in Clinical Approaches to Trauma Matters, with Steven Marans

Psychoanalysis & You

What if police officers understood clinical concepts around traumatic stress? Would that change the way they respond in heightened circumstances?

What if they had the tools to identify people in need and refer them to the appropriate clinical resources?

Dr. Steven Marans, MSW, PhD, is a child and adult psychoanalyst at the Yale School of Medicine, where he serves as Harris Professor of Child Psychoanalysis, Professor of Psychiatry at the Child Study Center and Department of Psychiatry, and Director of the Yale Center for Traumatic Stress and Recovery.

Having devoted much of his career to developing psychoanalytically informed responses to children, families and communities traumatized by violent and catastrophic events, Dr. Marans is also Founder of the Child Development-Community Policing Program, a pioneering collaboration between mental health and law enforcement professionals.

On this episode of Psychoanalysis and You, Dr. Marans joins host Dr. Gail Saltz to discuss his work with the New Haven Police Department, describing what he’s learned from working with law enforcement and how it informs his clinical practice.

Dr. Marans explains how consistent exposure to traumatic events impacts police officers and explores how training in clinical concepts helps cops visualize themselves as helpers and apply safer, more effective strategies in high-stress situations.

Listen in to understand how Dr. Marans’ partnership with the New Haven PD inspired the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention and learn how we might scale the model of collaboration between clinicians and law enforcement in police departments across the country.

Topics Covered

· What inspired Dr. Marans’ work with the New Haven Police Department

· The potential police have to identify kids and families exposed to trauma and refer them to clinical resources

· How consistent exposure to traumatic events impacts police officers

· Dr. Marans’ insight around what clinicians and police officers can learn from each other

· How training in clinical concepts helps police visualize themselves as helpers

· How Dr. Marans’ work with police helps officers self-reflect on their responses and apply safer, more effective strategies moving forward

· What Dr. Marans has learned from working with police and how it informs his clinical practice

· How Dr. Marans’ collaboration with police birthed the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention

· How amenable police departments are to implementing programs similar to that of Dr. Marans’ curriculum for the New Haven PD

· Why we have yet to scale the model of collaboration between clinicians and police officers in departments across the country

Connect with Dr. Marans

Dr. Marans at the Yale School of Medicine

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