S5 E1 Dr. Cherylynn Lee: From Stress to Strength

In the Season 5 premiere of the Officer Health and Wellness podcast, Dr. Cherylynn Lee, a police psychologist, joins the discussion. Dr. Lee, who manages the behavioral science unit for the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office and Police Department, delves into her journey into police psychology, which began by accident. She shares how she developed crisis intervention training and ultimately secured a full-time role to better support law enforcement officers' mental health. 

Dr. Lee emphasizes the importance of passion and competency in police psychology, the need for continuous mental health assessments beyond pre-employment evaluations, and the effectiveness of mandatory wellness checks. She also discusses strategies for integrating mental health support within police departments and the importance of building trust between officers and mental health professionals.