• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Wounded Florida deputy leaves hospital after being shot three times...
        Michigan police officer and bystanders hailed as heroes after...
        Florida police officers recount heroic rescue of 3-year-old boy...
        Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter...
        Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after...
    • Labor
      • LAPD “accidentally” leaks personal information of undercover...
        LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
        Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
        Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
        New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
    • Tech
      • New Jersey turns to license plate reader technology to address rise...
        One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested...
        Crypto crime investigations
        Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
        iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
    • Training
      • New N.J. emergency service officers ready to respond in times of...
        Working effectively in low light
        Realism and stress inoculation in training
        Avoiding conflict and escalation
        U.S. trails in police training
    • Policy
      • Wisconsin Assembly votes to require “high-risk” schools to keep...
        Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized...
        Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
        Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
        Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Thinking of pulling the pin on retirement?
        Expanding your identity
        Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
        A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
        Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
    • Community
      • “Tennis brings us all together”: NYPD officers bond with youth...
        First responders share love of reading with children for Read Across...
        Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond...
        “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to...
        Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
    • Offbeat
      • Ohio police rescue man from brutal zebra attack
        Motorist stranded in Oregon wilderness without cell phone reception...
        Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat...
        Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
        Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
    • We Remember
      • Uncovering history: Railroad police officer murdered a century ago to...
        New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes...
        Law enforcement from across the country join seventh annual Fallen...
        Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
        Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
  • On the Job
    • Wounded Florida deputy leaves hospital after being shot three times...
      Michigan police officer and bystanders hailed as heroes after...
      Florida police officers recount heroic rescue of 3-year-old boy...
      Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter...
      Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after...
  • Labor
    • LAPD “accidentally” leaks personal information of undercover...
      LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
      Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
      Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
      New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
  • Tech
    • New Jersey turns to license plate reader technology to address rise...
      One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested...
      Crypto crime investigations
      Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
      iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
  • Training
    • New N.J. emergency service officers ready to respond in times of...
      Working effectively in low light
      Realism and stress inoculation in training
      Avoiding conflict and escalation
      U.S. trails in police training
  • Policy
    • Wisconsin Assembly votes to require “high-risk” schools to keep...
      Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized...
      Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
      Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
      Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Thinking of pulling the pin on retirement?
      Expanding your identity
      Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
      A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
      Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
  • Community
    • “Tennis brings us all together”: NYPD officers bond with youth...
      First responders share love of reading with children for Read Across...
      Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond...
      “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to...
      Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
  • Offbeat
    • Ohio police rescue man from brutal zebra attack
      Motorist stranded in Oregon wilderness without cell phone reception...
      Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat...
      Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
      Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
  • We Remember
    • Uncovering history: Railroad police officer murdered a century ago to...
      New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes...
      Law enforcement from across the country join seventh annual Fallen...
      Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
      Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
  • Between the Lines
    • The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
      The rule of law is worthless without order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Health/Wellness

Developing multiple identities

A key to wellness that could save your life

Dr. Mariya Dvoskina Published September 24, 2021 @ 9:00 am PDT

iStock.com/ChiccoDodiFC

Everyone knows that cop. The one who lives and breathes police work and everything that is the job. This cop has alienated himself from civilian friends and only spends time with work buddies. His hobbies include target shooting and further isolating himself from his family and spouse. He may rely on overtime in order to support a mortgage that would otherwise be less affordable. This cop, let’s call him Joe, has his whole identity wrapped up in policing. 

Now, instead, take the case of Dave. Dave loves his job but tries to leave work at work. Dave sees himself as a father and husband just as much as he is a cop and enjoys taking family trips. Dave has many close work friends, but he has also kept up his relationships with friends outside of work. Dave has a variety of hobbies and works as an assistant coach on a little league team. You can see that Dave has focused on having multiple identities. 

You’ll be relieved to hear that when I say “multiple identities,” I am not talking about what you may have seen in the movie Identity (a film in which the main character suffers from dissociative identity disorder or what was formerly known as split personality disorder). Thankfully, instead, what is meant here is the importance of creating balance and building on other values that you may have in life outside of work. Why is this so important? Firstly, because your overall state of wellness depends on it. Wellness is the state of a healthy body and mind. While there are many definitions of wellness, the consensus among experts is that wellness is a multidimensional and active goal-driven process. If you picture wellness as a wheel, it relies on many spokes, all of which need to be functional in order for the wheel to be stable. Neglecting one spoke or area may lead to a sense of imbalance and affect the entirety of your health. Developing healthy identities in the realm of family, stress management, finances and others all lead to better mental health. 

Yet, there is another reason why I urge officers to develop multiple identities outside of work. Let’s take another case example. An officer struggling with depression decides to drive while drunk and is pulled over. He is issued a DUI. Now, consider Joe and Dave again. Which one would you be more worried about? Joe has everything to lose if he loses his job. Dave has a strong support system outside of work and knows that even if he loses his job, ultimately, that does not define him, his happiness or what is still meaningful in life. While I wish that this was just a hypothetical example, tragically, I hear too many cases of those officers like Joe, who, in the midst of a crisis of potentially losing their job, take their own life. So, if in reading this you recognize a little of yourself in Joe, or you know a cop like him, I hope you consider taking a page out of Dave’s book.

How do you invest in your identities outside of work? To help with this task, I recommend writing a list of your priorities. In one column, rank the list from the most to least important priority. In another column, rank the list in terms of the time you invest or spend with that priority. Now, compare the two columns. Are the columns congruent? In other words, do you spend the most time in the areas that are most important to you? Or did you find some incongruencies? Maybe you listed travel as a priority that’s third on the list after family and work, yet you spend little or no time in planning toward trips. This list can help you not only rediscover some things that you may have forgotten are important to you but also help to start in making shifts to live in a way that is more aligned with your own values.

Dr. Mariya Dvoskina is a police and public safety psychologist working with Nicoletti-Flater Associates in Colorado. She provides consultation, training, counseling, peer support supervision and critical incident response services to local and federal agencies. 

Dr. Mariya Dvoskina

Dr. Mariya Dvoskina

Dr. Mariya Dvoskina is a police and public safety psychologist working with Nicoletti-Flater Associates in Colorado. She provides consultation, training, counseling, peer support supervision and critical incident response services to local and federal agencies.

View articles by Dr. Mariya Dvoskina

As seen in the September 2021 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: Health/Wellness

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Uncovering history: Railroad police officer murdered a century ago to be honored in D.C. memorial thanks to North Carolina museum’s research
  • Wisconsin Assembly votes to require “high-risk” schools to keep armed school resource officers on campus
  • Wounded Florida deputy leaves hospital after being shot three times in ambush
  • Michigan police officer and bystanders hailed as heroes after rescuing victims in fiery car crash
  • LAPD “accidentally” leaks personal information of undercover officers to watch-dog group
  • Florida police officers recount heroic rescue of 3-year-old boy trapped in sinking car
  • Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter storm
  • Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after toddler almost drowns
  • NYPD officer rappels down skyscraper to save man from jumping to his death
  • New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes program

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.