This book brings together scholars and practitioners to examine research, training, and clinical practice aimed at improving first responders’ mental health. Police officers, firefighters, correctional personnel, emergency dispatchers, and crime scene investigators face mental health challenges at rates far exceeding those of the general population. Continuous exposure to trauma, high-stakes decision-making, and organizational stressors contribute to elevated risks of anxiety, depression, substance use, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The book is organized into three major sections: Mental Health Research, presenting recent studies on occupational stress, help-seeking behaviors, and innovative interventions such as Virtual Reality therapy and specialized assessment tools; First Responder Training, detailing evidence-based programs including Crisis Intervention Teams, Co-Responder models, and specialized curricula for responding to individuals with severe mental illness, dementia, or communication barriers; and Clinical Practice, offering guidance on culturally competent care, technology-enhanced wellness strategies, and ethical considerations in therapeutic work with first responders.

By integrating empirical findings with practical applications, Advances in First Responder Mental Health: Volume 1 will serve as an essential resource for psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, public safety administrators, and policy makers committed to safeguarding the mental health of those who protect our communities.

Vincent B. Van Hasselt, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology, President’s Distinguished Professor, and Director of the First Responder Research and Training Program in the College of Psychology, Nova Southeastern University.  He has served as a consultant to numerous law enforcement agencies, such as the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Behavioral Science and Crisis Negotiation Units of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Over the past three decades, Dr. Van Hasselt has conducted research and training efforts concerning mental health of first responders, including police, firefighters, correctional officers, emergency communication operators, and crime scene investigators.  He is also a Certified Law Enforcement Officer in the State of Florida.

Michael Bourke is a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist and retired U.S. federal law enforcement officer.  He spent eight years interviewing, evaluating, polygraphing, treating, and researching sex offenders at a federal prison, and then served for the next 13 years as the Chief Psychologist for the United States Marshals Service (USMS), where he created and ran the USMS Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU).  He co-authored the “Butner Study” and published seminal work on the use of tactical polygraph with sex offenders.  He has also conducted studies in the area of resilience and employee wellness, and has co-edited several books addressing behavioral criminology and first responder mental health. He has been a member of the forensic psychology faculty at The George Washington University since 2016.