Multi-Agency Police Peer Support (MAPPS) Program

Date Range

2021-03-17 to 2021-03-19

Event Location / Date(s)

/

Presentation Date

3-17-2021

Document Type

Symposium

Presenter(s)/Author(s)

William D. Walsh, Voorhees Police Department
Jennifer Kelly, ABPP, Private Practice
Samantha N. Rodriguez, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Vincent B. Van Hasselt, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Description

In early 2020, Lt. Bill Walsh and Dr. Jennifer Kelly conceptualized a Multi-Agency Police Peer Support (MAPPS) team. The goal was to allow peer support personnel from similar agencies to be available to assist employees at their own agency and others through training, critical incident response, family support, and proactive engagement. The approach allowed for a reduction in anxiety surrounding speaking with a peer about sensitive events. Additional benefits included shared costs and a larger and more diverse applicant pool. Through a partnership with Nova Southeastern University, training and research components complimented the rollout and implementation of the program and allowed for ongoing evaluation. MAPPS consists of employees from Voorhees, Cherry Hill, and Gloucester Township, New Jersey.

NSUWorks Citation

Walsh, W. D., Kelly, J., Rodriguez, S. N., Van Hasselt, V. B. (2021). Multi-Agency Police Peer Support (MAPPS) Program. .
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facpresentations/5073