Regulus Counseling Consulting

Consulting: Peer Support, CISM, CIT, First Responder-Specific Workshops, Policy Review

In general, most departments do not have proactive mental health resources, particularly after traumatic incidents. During his 13-year career in law enforcement, our founder and clinical director saw the lack of mental health services for his peers, and felt there was a need for some type of service; he would have to invent options by pioneering his department’s Peer Support Team and the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team. The implementation of the Peer Support Team and CISM resulted in overall decrease in self-reported stress; increase in proactive dialogue about mental health; and decrease in behavioral issues, conduct complaints, and general negative functioning among law enforcement officers.

PEER SUPPORT

Peer Support was developed in response to the insufficient mental services available to First Responders. Although some departments may provide an institutional mental health resource, First Responders may have reluctance in seeking help from the institution within the department. The cited reason is the concern of lack of confidentiality within the department, both among peers and supervisors. A second concern is that the clinician recruited by the department may not comprehend the stresses, pressures, and traumas associated with the First Responder profession. Peer Support facilitates an open, honest dialogue among fellow First Responders who understand and empathize with these unique experiences and challenges.

CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT (CISM)

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) was designed to help First Responders normalize their experiences in stress reaction and response after critical incidents. This strategy helps to mitigate long-term mental health issues, with the aim of returning the First Responder involved to the pre-incident baseline, with the goal of deterring the onset of PTSD.

It is crucial that mandatory CISM debriefings are conducted within 72 hours of the critical incident. The trauma reaction can form within those 72 hours. Once the 72 hours have lapsed, any clinical intervention will no longer be effective, and can be viewed a punitive; mandatory attendance after that 72 hours can also be viewed as punitive.

In association, the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program was designed to provide LEOs mental health training and de-escalation training and how to interface with the mentally ill and provide alternatives to incarceration.

FIRST RESPONDER SPECIFIC WORKSHOPS

Basic and Advanced Peer Support Training

Organizational Stress and Reduction

Pro-Active Coping During Pandemic and COVID-19

First Responder Family Stress Reduction and Coping

POLICY REVIEW

Comprehensive policy review and assessment with state law and best practices.

ORGANIZATION

Progressively, we are all feeling an accelerated pace in life, especially in our careers, with pressures to perform; with this pressure, there is a rise of organizational stress, perceived betrayal, and psychological disengagement in our workplace, especially among fast-paced industries such as tech. Despite investments in wellness platforms and engagement tools, internal data and industry trends highlight a disconnect: burn out and attrition rising among top performers; organization betrayal; and employees report an increase in distrust of institutional promises. The absence of structed training on these invisible, yet incredibly impactful, issues leave the entire organization vulnerable. We can offer programs to address these issues, aiming to proactively respond, rebuild trust, and equip managers to navigate these challenges with clarity and care.

The goal is to build and maintain a resilient and equitable workplace environment, where our programs offer a necessary and evidence-driven approach to restore trust, retain talent, and sustain innovation. Investing in this type of training is an investment not only in the people within the organization, but also an investment in the organization as a whole— a strategic imperative to sustain long-term organizational integrity. 

Participants of this program will understand how high-functioning organizations unintentionally create betrayal scenarios, while learning to identify and mitigate stressors and trust ruptures. Further, participants will gain the necessary skills to engage with teams using trauma-informed, equity-conscious frameworks, as well as learning actionable strategies to co-create sustainable, humane workplaces.

BURN OUT

We work hard in our professions—for some of us, we are among an industry which is high-paced, with the pressure to be perfect and productive. The intense pressure can take its toll: cognitively, emotionally, and physically. What compounds to this pressure, is the lack, or perceived lack of, recognition, as we have given our all to the organization, which can lead to the “silent exit”—disengagement, presenteeism, or quiet quitting. The remedy is to value each employee for the work they have contributed, building a non-toxic ambition through purpose. 

ORGANIZATIONAL BETRAYAL

Organizational betrayal occurs when there is a breach of psychological contracts, unkept promises, misuse of DEI, and other unacknowledged systemic harms, resulting in moral injury, particularly among high-achieving employees. The high price of this betrayal: retention, trust, and brand, as organizational betrayal has been a growing concern in exit interviews. Some industries are incredibly competitive, including the tech industry or professional athletic organizations, where employees feel they must continually fight to keep their jobs, living in survival mode, rather than living in innovation. High-achieving employees can be exposed to toxic cultures, where the misuse of “resilience” in the toxic environment may result in psychological numbing. Middle managers play an integral role as culture amplifiers through active micro-acknowledgement, demonstrating integrity, and being open to having the difficult conversations.

DISTRUST OF INSTITUTIONAL PROMISES

In connection to organizational betrayal, employees may have a distrust in institutional promises, such as in mental health or other performance support. Organizations can cultivate an environment of trust through transparency and accountability, where apologies, reparation, and feedback loops after policy failures or DEI harm are integral. We all experience stress and high pressure, where access to mental health is key to maintaining balance. It is crucial for organizations to embed care into performance systems, augmenting to existing employee-assisted programs (EAPs). Healthy employees generate a healthy organization.