A Get Healthy, Stay Healthy Guide for Law Enforcement
Good Cop, Good Cop:
A Get Healthy, Stay Healthy Guide for Law Enforcement
by Brian Casey
268 pages
$19.95 paperback, $14.95 Audiobook
ISBN: 978-1-7325651-0-4
ASIN: B0865ZSJX9
Published by Alley Light Press
Publication date: September 2018
Special Announcement: Audibook is now available at Amazon or Apple.
Good Cop, Good Cop: A Get Healthy, Stay Healthy Guide for Law Enforcement gives every officer the pep talk and essential strategies to not only survive a career in public safety, but to live well.
Police officers’ health and wellbeing can be diminished as a result of personal neglect, lack of recovery from the flash-bang of psychological trauma, the slow burn of a steady diet of victim and victimizer, and intimate exposure to the suffering of others. An officer’s self-reliance, a problematic strength, can make them less willing to seek good help. And when they suffer, all of society suffers. Good Cop, Good Cop provides officers with the necessary skills and insights to help themselves and other officers.
Good Cop, Good Cop is a first of its kind health and wellness book specifically for law enforcement. Individual officers, supervisors and those who command an agency will benefit from a range of topics that include stress, fitness, sleep, alcohol misuse, cop think, peer support, purpose-centered policing, psychological trauma, and inner and outer life. Mental health professionals and officers’ loved ones will gain a better understanding of the wellness struggles officers face, and how best to support them.
Sergeant Casey’s decades of work in public safety and experience as a health educator enable him to describe in simple and relatable terms some of the most pressing mental and emotional issues officers encounter. Corrections officers, dispatchers, soldiers, paramedics, EMTs and firefighters wishing to get healthy and stay healthy will find Good Cop, Good Cop an invaluable guide. Good Cop, Good Cop can be used to build new or improve existing wellness programs with information scalable to agencies large and small.
Police work is not safe or comfortable work, and cops are better off for it. This most consequential work requires both armor and agility. Cops must survive by their wits. If they get their minds right and play their part well, undeniable good is their reward. Those rewards are gaining wisdom, developing self-control, participating in justice, and demonstrating courage. Sergeant Casey directs law enforcement officers to do good work and to be a force for good.
What Readers Are Saying
A Compassionate, Insightful Resource for First Responders, their families & all who work with them
I am a Psychologist in Private Practice in San Francisco, CA who works with First Responders in Police and Fire Departments, and specifically with those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress.
This book has been a wonderful resource for me and my clients, who report finding it very insightful and facilitating to opening their awareness of how to name and describe their difficulties with more understanding. It is a very dynamic and readable book that offers realistic compassionate insights about the Culture of Law Enforcement and gives clarity about barriers that prevent Officers from getting and receiving help.
Sergeant Casey writes about difficult issues that can occur with wisdom and transparency. He gives many examples for all to identify with and learn from, as well as to explain what guides Officers thinking and behavior both at work and in their personal lives. He explains the Life Changes Officers can experience and how to find it acceptable to get support and develop strong emotional resilience.
I highly recommend this book to all who work in the field of Law Enforcement, and to all the Clinicians who are fortunate to work with them. I currently encourage all my Clients and their Families to read this book to gain self understanding and live a more healthy and rewarding life.
— Linda B, Psychologist
Incredibly helpful perspective on law enforcement and wellness
I am a mental health professional and therapist, and this book has been a tremendous resource for me in navigating the therapeutic process while working with law enforcement personnel.
Good Cop, Good Cop is aimed at helping police officers to develop a well-rounded, stigma-free perspective on health and wellness, and also serves as a invaluable tool for anyone seeking to better understand the pressures faced by police officers, as well as their unique adaptations to the various environmental stressors inherent to their job. This book has been very helpful in allowing me to join officers more effectively as a clinician, by getting a much deeper sense of their day-to-day experiences and appreciation for their inner sources of resiliency.
I think this book would be excellent for various audiences- for police officers, it offers great strategies for attaining balance and maintaining well-being; for mental health professional, it gives a framework for supporting officers in a non-pathologizing and strengths-based perspective; and for the general public, it's an education around the misconceptions and misunderstandings that we often have towards police officers and how they serve our communities.
I highly recommend this book!
— K.M. Keller, Psychotherapist
Great resource for law enforcement officers, family, and therapist who work with them.
Sergeant Casey’s experience as a department EAP provider, former paramedic, and background in health education shine through in Good Cop, Good Cop. He outlines the risks law enforcement officers face as a result of the job and highlights the many protective factors for officers to not just “survive,” but to thrive in a career in law enforcement.
As a current LEO and licensed therapist working with LEOs, I highly recommend Good Cop, Good Cop. It is valuable for all LEOs and their families to help understand how the job effects officers and what resources are available. This book is also a great resource for department supervisors and managers in development of agency resources, EAP, and peer support. Finally, for therapists seeking to work with LEOs, Good Cop, Good Cop provides insight into the complex world, culture, and systems of law enforcement.
— Scott Marks, current LEO and licensed therapist working with LEOs
A Must Read For First Responders!!!
This book is extremely informational and pertinent to every officer as well as any first responders facing the challenges of these careers. I took something out of every section of this book that I will carry with me throughout my career. I am thankful this book was written and highly recommend it!
— Jennifer Hale
A must-have resource for law enforcement personnel and their families
I so appreciate this author's writing voice, speaking with experience from decades of work in public safety. He has a relatable style and pragmatic approach to staying healthy in a challenging profession. As an EAP professional, I highly recommend this book for new recruits, officers, leadership, dispatchers, police chaplains, wardens, correctional officers and family members…it’s excellent. Published in 2018, it is current and well-researched. Brian Casey is also a presenter if you are looking for one to deliver this information in person. Love someone in law enforcement? Get them a copy of this book.
— Susan Kay, Employee Assistance Program professional