BENGALURU: From now on, police personnel facing increased levels of “destructive stress” and damage in “interpersonal relationships” caused by work pressure need not look further than their own department for help. For the Police Department has roped in experts from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) to administer a comprehensive wellness programme to help its personnel.
This means that the department will soon have a go-to person, no matter which district the personnel are posted to. Nearly 40 ‘well-being officers’ — qualified psychologists — have been hired on a contract basis for one year.The Department of Clinical Psychology in Nimhans has been given the task to train the well-being officers in theoretical as well as practical skills such as interviewing techniques, micro-counselling skills, identification of common mental disorders, stress management, life skills training and different types of counselling among others.
“About six staffers and 20 clinical psychologists are involved in the training programme. The police department has appointed the well-being officers themselves and we are providing training for them on how to be that “go-to” person to help our police,” said Prof L N Suman, HoD, Department of Psychology.
The programme will cover police personnel in five police commissionerates, 30 districts and all State Special Police battalions and units, reaching out to the 1.02 lakh-strong police force.
Dr Himani Kashyap, Assistant Professor, Nimhans, said, “Identifying and working with effect of trauma is very important because the police officers often deal with traumatic situation but don’t have the opportunity to debrief like it happens in Western countries.” The programme, which kicked off in September, co-ordinated by Dr Devvarta Kumar, will cover the entire police force, from the constable to the DGP.