Do you want to know why your diet isn’t working…how to survive psychologically as a cop…what clues may signal mental illness in a fellow officer…how to use the right self-talk to improve performance…or answers to a growing list of other health and fitness questions relevant to law enforcement?
Now, there’s an app for that, thanks to the creative energy of Force Science instructor Dr. John Azar-Dickens.
A practicing clinical psychologist, college professor and sworn police officer, Azar-Dickens recently launched the free app for smartphones and tablets after more than six months of preparation.
“Enforce Health” is the app devoted to practical information on maintaining wellness, presented in short, but substantial, articles, study reports and podcasts designed for time limited officers who want sensible guidance for healthy living. “EnforceHealth” can be downloaded from Google Play™ or the iTunes® Store.
“I realized there wasn’t much available and easily accessible on wellness specifically for cops, outside of a formal counseling relationship. So an app became a way to reach them where they are – in their cars or off duty. When they have a few minutes, they can check their phone and get no-nonsense information in plain language which they can readily apply to their lives in practical ways.”
Its offerings included topics such as psychological antidotes to today’s negative storms about the police; new findings on why dieters fail to meet their goals – and how to meet yours; how to craft self-talk which maximizes improvement in personal performance; what meals are healthiest in the fast-food chains on your beat; the dangers of excessive sitting; factors which protect against police suicide; the risk factors which make you more vulnerable to PTSD; and seven ways to overcome the dangerous aftermath of a critical incident, to name just a few.
Azar-Dickens’ goal is to update the app at least once or twice daily and to maintain an active, ever growing archive of posted materials. Although he writes most of the reports and conducts the podcast interviews, as an associate professor of psychology at Rome’s Berry College, he plans to use student interns to assist with research.
If you have ideas for future topics or specific questions you’d like answered, Azar-Dickens welcomes feedback at drazar@comcast.net.