Officer Mental Health

Kenneth is co-principal investigator with Dr. Hung-En Sung of John Jay College on another research project funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (click here to learn more about this agency’s efforts to keep Americans safe by countering crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad). The purpose of this project is to improve the mental health and resiliency of police officers in El Salvador. Kenneth is about to commence a needs assessment and gap analysis by visiting El Salvador, interviewing key informants, such as police psychologists, and conducting site visits to various facilities.

Once the initial assessment is complete, Ken will work with Dr. Jeff Thompson of Columbia University Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, to tailor his existing mental health and resiliency program, Warr;or 21, to specifically address the needs of the national police force in El Salvador. Ken and Dr. Thompson will train key members of the police department to deliver the program to officers agency-wide. When the training is complete, Ken will conduct a post-intervention assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.