1 Hour | 1 CE

This on-demand professional training program on The Specialty of Police and Public Safety Psychology: A Passion for Public Service is presented by Philip Trompetter, Ph.D., ABPP, Jaime Brower, PsyD, ABPP, and Michelle Hoy-Watkins, PsyD, ABPP, in partnership with The American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology.

This program describes the psychological specialty of Police & Public Safety Psychology, including essential milestones in the history of modern police and public safety psychology, the various domains and activities involved in this specialty, the various work settings and employment opportunities for this specialty, the primary professional organizations and sources of continuing professional education in this specialty, as well as several of the activities in which police and public safety psychology professionals engage. 

Presented By

Philip Trompetter, PhD, ABPP

Philip Trompetter earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (1970) from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Trompetter is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Modesto, CA who has specialized in police and forensic psychology since 1978. He is a board-certified specialist in Police and Public Safety Psychology through ABPP. Until he sold his police psychology practice, Dr. Trompetter specialized in providing intervention, assessment, and operational consultation to multiple northern California public safety agencies for more than 35 years. He provided pre-employment screenings for nearly 60 public safety agencies, and fitness for duty evaluations for more than 50 private industry and public safety agencies. He has published more than a dozen articles related to police psychology and authored the history of police psychology chapter in a recently edited book about the specialty. He has chaired the Officer-Involved Shooting Guideline Revision Committees twice for the Police Psychological Services Section of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and has testified as an expert in deadly force confrontations throughout the country. He was the guest editor of a special issue of the Police Chief which contained six articles devoted to police psychological operations, assessment, intervention, peer support, consultation, and board certification. Dr. Trompetter is a past General Chair of the IACP Police Psychological Services Section. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Police and Public Safety Psychology (AAPPSP), was the American Board of Police and Public Safety (ABPPSP) National Chair of Examinations (NCE) for the between 2010 and 2014, and was the ABPPSP Board President in 2016-2017. He continues to provide forensic psychological evaluations and testimony, but confines his police psychology practice to mentoring early career police psychologists of color and organizing webinars and workshops for the American Academy of Police and Public Safety Psychology.

Michelle Hoy-Watkins, PsyD, ABPP

Dr. Michelle Hoy-Watkins is a licensed clinical psychologist with nearly 20 years of experience providing clinical, forensic, and police and public safety psychological services. She is licensed in the State of Illinois and is board certified in Police & Public Safety Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). As President of HWS PsychLaw Services, a forensic and police psychology practice, Dr. Hoy-Watkins has conducted threat assessments, violence risk assessments, pre-employment screenings, and fitness for duty evaluations for various law enforcement agencies, and forensic evaluations for the Department of Immigration, Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, and the Elgin Mental Health Center – Forensic Treatment Program. She has also served as a medical consultant for the Social Security Administration Regional Office where she conducted mental health disability quality reviews. Until recently, Dr. Michelle Hoy-Watkins was with Northwestern University’s Police Department starting in January 2016 as the department’s inaugural Director of Threat Assessment. In her role, she led and coordinated case management for NU’s Behavioral Consultation team by assessing threats to the personal safety of students and other community members. She also provided psychological consultative services to the Northwestern University Police Department. Prior to her role with Northwestern University, Michelle served in a number of positions at The Chicago School of Psychology including as Chair of Department of Forensic Psychology and as an associate professor in that department. Through her work at The Chicago School’s Forensic Center, she developed and implemented a school-based violence prevention program for students at risk for delinquency in Chicago Public Schools and alternative schools. In 2015, the SOS program was awarded a grant from Get In Chicago (http://getinchicago.org/feel-good-friday-chicago-school-of-professional-psychology/). Dr. Hoy-Watkins holds a faculty appointment at Northwestern University’s Department of Psychiatry, Forensic Division. She previously served an adjunct faculty at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy. She received both a Doctorate and master’s degree in Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in Alameda, California and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Xavier University in New Orleans.

Jaime Brower, PsyD

Dr. Jaime Brower is a licensed clinical psychologist working out of Denver, Colorado. She is American Board Certified as a specialist in the area of Police & Public Safety Psychology. Dr. Brower has devoted her career to working with those in law enforcement, corrections, detentions, fire, military, and other high stress occupations, as well as ensuring the health and wellbeing of their family members. She further specializes in risk and threat assessment, school violence and hostile workplace investigations. Dr. Brower is particularly passionate about training and consulting with agencies regarding best practices for enhancing resiliency and wellness.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this program you will be able to:

  • Describe important milestones in the history of modern police and public safety psychology (PPSP)

  • Describe the domains and activities/proficiencies of police and public safety psychology

  • Describe several work settings and employment opportunities in police and public safety psychology

  • Describe the primary professional organizations and sources of continuing professional education in police and public safety psychology

  • Describe several PPSP activities (e.g., threat assessment, critical incident intervention, crisis intervention in a police setting)

  • Intended Audience

    This on-demand professional training program is intended for mental health and other allied professionals.

  • Experience Level

    This on-demand professional training program is appropriate for beginner, intermediate, and advanced level clinicians.

  • CE / CPD Credit

    APA, ASWB, CPA, NBCC Click here for state and other regional board approvals.

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The American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology

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.