This article reports on the implementation of a stress management program for French police Special Forces units. A stressor analysis was conducted to identify stress sources and understand how mental skills could help the Special Forces to cope and function more effectively. An initial difficulty had to be overcome to allow this population to talk about stress and emotions without being afraid of losing their "virility." The program was then organized around three levels (organizational, group, and individual) and around three periods of time (an initial four-day meeting, a two-day follow-up meeting one month later, and a final one-day meeting held after six months). One hundred and fifty male police officers were involved in the program. Results revealed that the psychological training was very well received and led the police management to consider factors and manifestations of stress in a more extensive way. Stress management training soon will be initiated for all the police forces working on the street. Moreover, other groups asked for the training to be adapted to their specific work characteristics, such as the intelligence service and bodyguard detachments.
Reprints and Corporate Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:
Academic Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:
If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.
Related research
People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.
Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.
Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.