Ethical social and psychological problems which police officers may face

Some challenges arise in the course of psychological therapy and lead to some of the decisions made by the psychologists as they perform their duties. Case scenario Introduction Police officers face challenges in their day to day operations and some may have health effects arising from the challenges. Exposure to different activities that may lead to stress and trauma also contribute to reasons why the police officers suffer in the course of their duties. There is the need for a police psychologist who understands the type of work they do and the nature of challenges as well as the negative impacts this might have on their daily lives. Some of the police officers have not managed to survive due to the distress and psychological problems where in most cases they do not have people to talk to or share with their problems.

Below are some of the issues arising from the case scenario; Social issues Based on the nature of his job, the officer does not seem to trust any person a reason why he takes long before opening up. Police officers have to operate in a way that makes them effective and efficient in their different roles. However, the officer does not seem to have any friends with whom he can share his experiences and the problems which he faces in the course of performing his duties. Lack of social life has made it hard for him to express his thoughts and state the cause of his problems. It is for this reason that he may have developed psychological problems because he does not have people he trusts and who he can share his experiences at work (Andersen & Papazoglou, 2015).

Sometimes, officers face death in different ways and once they are safe, they may lack words to communicate or state their experiences (Chopko, Palmieri & Adams, 2017). Due to the tormenting experiences, police officers pile up stress in their minds and this leads to their inability to create and maintain lasting relationships. The officer, in this case, does not also want any of his workmates to know about his fears and worries because this will have a negative impact on his life and his career. The PTSD may have contributed to the officer's inability to create and maintain social relationships and it may also have resulted in the inability to trust people. Psychological issues The officer already suffers from PTSD and this could have resulted in the development of other psychological problems.

The officer is also affected by the way in which his workmates will take his case once they get to know his thoughts and broken relationships. These are some of the factors that may have triggered more psychological problems because the officer feels that he has failed in life because he cannot solve things in his mind (Shore & Lavoie, 2018). Even after opening up, there is a high probability that the officer does not disclose all the information that might help through the therapy. This is common among the officers who feel that they can deal with some challenges in their lives if not all. However, the suicidal thoughts clearly indicate that the officer cannot handle any more stress and anxiety as he may end up putting his life to an end.

As a counselor, it is important to report any threat which may affect the way in which the healthcare facility operates. The officer does not want his case known to the workmates but it is important because he might remain a threat to the operations of the department. As a way of ensuring that the department is not affected by the actions of the officer, there is the need to let the workmates know about his status but he does not want any person knowing about it (Violanti et al. On the other hand, it is unethical for the officer to have gone through the different stages of psychological problems. This is because he may have acted in a way that has affected the success of the operations of the department.

Interventions The police officer needs more assistance to ensure that he maintains mental stability when handling his duties. One of the ways through which the officer might receive the right assistance is through cognitive behavioral therapy and individual counseling. Behavioral therapy will look into the social and psychological issues affecting the officer. This form of therapy is effective in designing the best strategy to take care of the officer and how to get him back on the right track in his life. Behavioral therapy enables an individual to understand that some of their ways of handling things is not right and may expose them to more challenges in their lives (Chopko, Palmieri & Adams, 2017). The use of different drugs that help in dealing with the psychological challenges will positively impact on the life of the officer.

The officer will also have to incorporate people close to him in his life and let them understand the challenges and health issues he faces. For example, his family should understand the different ways in which he suffers and implements the right measures to help him through the challenge. Encouragement and support from the workmates and his family will have a positive impact on his life because he might overcome the psychological issues (Shore & Lavoie, 2018). In most cases, people facing psychological problems need the encouragement from people around them at all time so that they do not have to live in fear, stress or anxiety because of the different problems which they encounter in life. This ethical issue will affect the way in which the psychologist handle the clients and provide them with an opportunity to go through the recovery process successfully.

When taking care of the clients it is important to consider their needs and those of the people living and working with them. Another ethical issue that revolves around the case is the consideration of the way in which the officer makes his decisions in life. The officer already has suicidal thoughts which means that he does not deserve the position he holds in the department. However, since he does not want the workmates to know about it, it is hard to let them know that he does not fit the position. When the clients need the assistance of the family members and their workmates, there is the need to incorporate them in the intervention strategies that will have a positive impact on the lives of the clients.

Recommendations The Employee Assistance Program, EAP, is supposed to solve the challenges facing the workers in their different workplaces. As a psychologist, I would have to inform the leadership of the department on the need to implement strategies that will give the client some period off his job with the aim of creating time for his recovery process. The implementation of this policy will also make sure that the officer does not become intimidated because of his status. The leadership will have to provide a leave period for the client to ensure that he has enough time to reset his mind and make the right decisions that will have a positive impact on his life (Chopko, Palmieri & Adams, 2017). Balancing between the profession code of conduct and the needs of the clients might become hard because most of the clients feel that any information related to their health issues should not be disclosed to different groups of people in the society (Shore & Lavoie, 2018).

Some also make it hard for the psychologists to take care of their needs because they do not want their families and other members to get involved. Some cases require the intervention of different groups of people to ensure that clients have a better way of handling their lives. The different ways of handling clients are dependent on their needs and the long-term focus of their operations. The use of different strategies and measures in taking care of the needs of the client is also dependent on the expected outcomes. , Palmieri, P. A. , & Adams, R. E. Relationships among traumatic experiences, PTSD, and posttraumatic growth for police officers: A path analysis. , Bulgiba, A. , Chinna, K. , Darus, A. , Shathanapriya, K. , & Koh, D. , Ma, C.