Over the past year, mental health and wellness services for the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office’s command staff and deputies have been provided by a licensed psychologist and organizational consultant based in Colorado .
The Carroll County Board of Commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a new $45,000 contract for continued services with Kimberly A. Miller & Associates.
“A hot topic for us is resilience and wellness,” Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees said during Thursday’s meeting. “Dr. Miller is very valuable to the law enforcement field, working on deputy resiliency, for the organization, and overall well-being. Generally speaking, helping the organization function optimally and efficiently. Just a great resource for us.
Commissioners made few comments and quickly approved the funding, which will come from several grants.
District 5 Commissioner Ed Rothstein, who spent more than 30 years in the military, said that when he was garrison commander at the U.S. Army installation of Fort George G. Meade in County ‘Anne Arundel, he saw many service members face domestic violence and violence. , drugs and suicide and need mental health support. Rothsetin has also spoken openly about his own mental health struggles.
“You know how I feel about this,” Rothstein said before making the motion to approve.
DeWees said Miller’s service has been an eye-opener for the department’s leaders, “working with us as a team to help us understand how we can work more optimally and be better leaders for the people who work for us.” , did he declare.
Miller, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she is a police and public safety psychologist who provides individual and organizational services. Its programs and services are designed to improve not only individual employee skills, but also the organization as a whole.
DeWees said in an interview after the meeting that the $45,000 in funding was used in part to pay for Miller to fly from Colorado to Carroll County to work with his department. Virtual meetings are also organized.
“She has been a great resource for my organization when it comes to resilience and efficiency,” he said. “She met with me and my staff to discuss how we can work better together as an organization. »
Miller works with sheriff’s office and detention center employees, including deputies, who deal with the daily challenges and stresses of being a police officer, DeWees said. Miller provides deputies with the tools to leave the stress of work behind them when they are off duty, he said.
“It’s a stressful job, and it’s how you deal with that stress that it depends,” DeWees said. “That’s how you deal with stress when you park your police car and turn off your phone. When you’re gone, you’re gone.
“She’s worth every penny,” he said.
