1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Building a Career in Police & Public Safety Psychology is presented by Heather McElroy, PhD, ABPP in partnership with the American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP) 

The American Board of Professional Psychology recognizes police and public safety psychology as a specialty area of psychological practice. This program provides an overview of the specialty area of psychology, describing its key domains, including assessment, operations, and consultation. Dr. Heather McElroy, a board-certified specialist in police and public safety psychology, built a career and a business in this specialty area of practice. She describes her career path from graduate school through board certification and the development of her own business. Learn about this niche area of practice and how you can prepare to become a specialist in this increasingly-needed domain.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe the steps involved in pursuing a career as a police and public safety psychologist
  • 2 Identify 3 different domains of police and public safety psychology and their primary components
  • 3 Describe the relevant considerations for this specialty, including which organizations to join based on your specific interests
Presented By

Heather McElroy, PhD, ABPP

Dr. Heather McElroy is a Board Certified Police and Public Safety Psychologist with over 15 years of experience working exclusively with public safety agencies conducting psychological pre-employment screening, fitness for duty evaluations, critical incident debriefing, hostage negotiation, and wellness training. She has been POST certified as a Peace Officer since 2011, and she served as chair of the International Association of Chiefs Of Police Psychological Services Section. She is currently the Education Chair of the Police and Public Safety Section of the Public Service Division of the American Psychological Association and currently serves on the Ethics Committee of the IACP. She serves as a mentor in the early career minority police psychology mentorship group to encourage minority development into leadership positions within the field of police psychology. Her course instruction experience includes training for the National Internal Affairs Investigator’s Association, Georgia Internal Affairs Investigator’s Association, the Georgia Association of Chief’s of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police. She has also published articles in Police Chief magazine related to psychological fitness for duty and co-authored a book chapter titled, Social Climate Change and the Modern Police Department: Millennials, Marijuana, and Mass Media.

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for mental health and allied professionals interested in police and public safety psychology, particularly those specializing in areas such as forensic psychology, clinical psychology with a focus on law enforcement, or public safety consultation. It is suitable for individuals who work with or support law enforcement and public safety personnel, providing psychological services, consultation, or specialized expertise related to police and public safety operations.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Mental Health Professionals (psychologists, counselors, social workers)
    • Forensic Psychologists
    • Clinical Psychologists with a focus on law enforcement or public safety
    • Public Safety Consultants
    • Allied professionals supporting law enforcement and public safety personnel

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of familiarity with police and public safety psychology.


    • Beginner: Participants are new to police and public safety psychology and seek foundational knowledge about the specialty, its domains, and career pathways.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some experience or prior exposure to police and public safety psychology and wish to deepen their understanding of specific domains, professional organizations, and steps toward specialization.

  • Practice Setting

    Practice occurs in operational, high-stakes public safety environments embedded within or alongside law enforcement and allied agencies, delivering assessment, consultation, and psychological services across pre-employment, fitness-for-duty, and critical incident response domains.

    Professionals work in interdisciplinary, confidential settings that blend office-based care with on-call field support and organizational consultation in this ABPP-recognized specialty.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • Police departments and sheriff’s offices
    • State/federal law enforcement agencies
    • Fire/EMS and 911 dispatch centers
    • Training academies and regional public safety centers
    • Critical incident/peer support and crisis response teams
    • Employee assistance programs serving public safety personnel
    • Hospital or health-system first responder programs
    • Private practices contracted with public safety agencies
    • Correctional, probation, and parole agencies
We are proud to partner with

American Board of Police & Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP)

<center>American Board of Police & Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP)

We are proud to partner with The American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP) for this training. ABPPSP became a fully affiliated specialty board of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) on October 21, 2011. Police and Public Safety Psychology is concerned with assisting law enforcement and other public safety personnel and agencies in carrying out their missions and societal functions with optimal effectiveness, safety, health, and conformity to laws and ethics. It consists of the application of the science and profession of psychology in four primary domains of practice: assessment, clinical intervention, operational support, and organizational consultation.

Learn More About Our Partner

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).


Sponsorship Approval Statements

Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Palo Alto University maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073.