Tactical professionals, such as police officers and firefighters, have very demanding jobs that affect their psychological well-being.
For professionals facing a long recovery, mental health care plays an important role in the speed and outcome of their rehab.
According to Ruderman Organization, police officers and firefighters are five times more likely to develop depression or PTSD than civilians.
Because of this, two retired athletes are giving police and firefighters a new way to access mental health services.
ProTeam Tactical Performance
Jim Sorgi, the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback, and Joey Vandever, the former St. Louis Cardinals right fielders, are the co-owners of ProTeam Tactical Performance or PTP.
PTP has offered physical therapy to local police officers and firefighters since 2018, and the company recently announced the launch of its new behavioral health platform called SHIELD.
Also Read: Are You Using Mental Health Apps? They Might Be Sharing Your Data
What is SHIELD?
SHIELD is a confidential app and website approved by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA that allows users to self-evaluate for anxiety, depression, PTSD, stress, and other mental health issues through the use of questionnaires.
The platform also provides the users with the resources that they need.
Sorgi stated that everything that the policemen and firefighters have seen over their careers, from car accidents and fires to crimes and dead bodies, is traumatizing.
Sorgi pointed out that the old way of thinking about what they go through is to bury everything down deep, but the problem with that is when it explodes, it can be too late.
Vandever added that what the company wants to give the departments and unions is a snapshot of where they will fall collectively or holistically at that moment in time, so they can see if it is depression, stress, or anxiety that they are going through and mental health professionals can intervene.
Sorgi and Vandever said that the feedback they gathered was positive, and the launch of SHIELD has been tremendously successful.
They also added that, even though they focus on public safety, the SHIELD model can be used by professionals in any industry.
What Does SHIELD Do?
According to Pro Team Tactical, SHIELD is customizable and allows you to pick and choose which appraisals you want your team to take to better understand the needs of your department.
You can choose from the following assessments: Substance Abuse or DSM-5, Stress or PSS, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PD-5, Anxiety or GAD-7, or Depression or PHQ-9.
After the initial appraisal, a user is given a score ranked on a scale that shows their risk level connected to a specific behavioral health concern.
After a traumatic call or a stressful situation, the users are encouraged to retake the appraisal and see where the scale lands, according to WishTV.
Through this score tracking, the department leads can better assess the status of their professionals and provide them with the important resources needed to help improve their overall mental well-being.
Through SHIELD, your department can complete appraisals that assess a professional's current well-being, report stressors related to their job, and have direct access to crisis hotlines and websites that will give the professionals the right resources they need when they have immediate concerns and it is all done anonymously.
For years, there have been several mental health apps and programs that were launched to help people who are struggling.
In 2021, Sonde launched an app that detects signs of mental health issues through a user's voice.
Related Article: TikTok Introduces New Features for Users Struggling with Mental Health Issues
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Written by Sophie Webster
