Fredericksburg Leader

Regional Law Enforcement Agencies will Receive Mental Health and Resilience Training 

Recently, the Fredericksburg Police Department was one of 49 agencies nationwide to be awarded limited funding through the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act. Over the next two years, the 42 member agencies that comprise the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy will receive access to trauma and resilience workshops from mental health providers specializing in helping first responders and their families. 

The $174,000 grant secured Dr. Tania Glenn and Associates, PA, to provide mental health training to first responders. Tania Glenn and Associates, PA practice is solely dedicated to providing the best possible care and restoring the resilience of first responders, veterans, and their family members. The training educates participants on the types and effects of stress that confront professionals who serve in stressful occupations. Participants will learn to recognize and understand the signs and symptoms of stress/anxiety, the types of incidents needing follow-up care, and effective ways to manage stress. In addition to the training, the grant will allow law enforcement officers struggling with trauma and stress to have confidential counseling sessions with mental health professionals. 

     “It is essential for first responders to have good mental health to perform their duties effectively, keep our communities safe, and maintain relationships with those they serve. I am thrilled dozens of law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth will now have access to training crucial to the line of work. This will benefit first responders and everyone they interact with,” said Police Chief Brian Layton.

 “The training of our law enforcement officers includes an in-depth study of the law, responding to calls, tactics to keep communities and officers safe, and how their biases may impact their interaction with the public they serve. However, there is little training to help officers cope and heal from the psychological traumas they will experience in this profession. The Law Enforcement Mental Health grant will do a great deal of good in providing our officers the tools they need to keep themselves psychologically healthy,” said Mike Harvey, Executive Director of the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy.  

 Fredericksburg Public Safety first developed a relationship with Tania Glenn and Associates, PA in 2018 when the Fire Department hired them to instruct the Law Enforcement Trauma and Resilience Workshop to regional police, fire, and EMS professionals. They returned to the City of Fredericksburg in the spring of 2022 and provided the same course to regional law enforcement agencies. “Every day, first responders put their lives on the line to care for people experiencing some the most traumatic moments of their lives. In return, we should ensure that these brave individuals have the resources they need to cope with the mental and emotional stressors that are so common in this line of work. I was proud to support this request for funding, and am glad to know that first responders in Fredericksburg will be better able to seek the help they need thanks to these federal dollars,” said U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA). The Fredericksburg Police Department would like to thank Senator Warner’s Office for its assistance and support for the grant proposal.

About the Dept. of Justice Grant Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) funds are used to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement through the implementation of peer support, training, family resources, suicide prevention, and other promising practices for wellness programs. The 2022 LEMHWA program funded projects that develop knowledge, increase awareness of effective mental health and wellness strategies, increase the skills and abilities of law enforcement, and increase the number of law enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders using peer support, training, family resources, suicide prevention, and other promising practices for wellness programs.

 In FY 2022, the COPS Office awarded more than $6.5 million under the LEMHWA Implementation Projects solicitation and $550,000 for the LEMHWA National Level Training and Technical Assistance solicitation. 

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