Ex-police officer who suffered burnout goes back to help colleagues

An ex-police officer who retrained as a psychotherapist after suffering with burnout, PTSD and cancer is now helping former colleagues with their mental health.

Warwickshire-based Hannah Bailey has teamed up with Warwickshire Police to support officers with their health and wellbeing.

Following her recovery from burnout, PTSD and cancer, Hannah retrained as a psychotherapist in Brain Working Recursive Therapy (BWRT) and now dedicates her career to helping other Emergency Services personnel struggling with their mental health.

Over a series of workshops and training videos, Hannah is teaching officers how to recognise when colleagues may be struggling and explain how to support them. 

The sessions are part of Warwickshire Police’s workforce promise to put health and wellbeing first.

There will also be a special session working with senior detectives involved in serious complex crimes such as murder, rape and knife and gun crime and how they can support colleagues. Serious crimes was the area that Hannah worked in and has first-hand experience of how it can take a toll on officers.

Hannah, BWRT psychotherapist and Wellbeing coach says, “Working in the police force had many rewards but being in this environment every day can take its toll too. Your stress levels soar. It affects your sleeping and eating patterns, and it changes your relationships with friends and family.

“You are regularly exposed to human traumas and scenes that become increasingly hard to shrug off when you get home at the end of your shift. I simply didn’t realise the personal price I was paying for my career. The way I was living and working was making me sick - it was literally killing me.

“I chose to resign from the Police Force, to be able to focus on my own recovery and health. Over the following weeks, months and years I learnt how to reduce my stress load, pay attention to my thoughts and mindset, move my body more and yet listen to it when it needed to rest and repair.

“I retrained to enable me to dedicate my career to helping others who were struggling, particularly specialising in those working in our Emergency Services.

“I’m so happy to be able to give back to the police force and help those who may be struggling like I was several years ago.”

Head of Protective Services, Detective Chief Superintendent Suzanne Baker says, “Protecting the health and wellbeing of our people is a priority for Warwickshire Police. We recognise that a happy and healthy workforce delivers the quality-of-service communities in Warwickshire expect of us. Protecting health and wellbeing is becoming increasingly challenging as demand increases and the risk of being exposed to trauma increases with it.

“We are absolutely delighted to be working with Hannah as part of our effort to address these challenges. Hannah’s previous experience in the police gives her an important insight into the kind of risks we face, and the work she has done with us is already starting to have an impact in reducing the stigma attached to mental health and opening minds to different ways of protecting ourselves. I am confident Hannah will have such a positive impact on our workforce and am excited to see what we can achieve together.” 

Ends

Editors notes

Background information

Hannah Bailey is a Psychotherapist in Brain Working Recursive Therapy (BWRT) and a Wellbeing Life Coach offering therapy and support for those needing help with their emotional, mental and physical health.

Hannah works with anyone who may be struggling or needing help; however, she specialises in supporting those who work or have worked in Emergency Services. As a former police officer serving on the frontline in West Midlands Police, she understands the very unique culture and demands of working in the Emergency Services.

Hannah is a member of the Association for Coaching as a Wellbeing Life Coach and is a member of the Terence Watts BWRT Institute as a Psychotherapist in BWRT. She also holds qualifications in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Counselling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Reconnective Healing (energy healing).

BrainWorking Recursive Therapy

BWRT® was created in 2011 by Essex-based Terence Watts, a psychotherapist and Fellow with the Royal Society of Medicine and is based in neuroscience.

It works by ‘freezing’ unwanted behaviour and creating new neural pathways with a more positive response which is chosen by the individual.

Because it gets at the root of the problem, BWRT works faster and there is less likelihood of relapse which often happens with other therapies.

BWRT is currently used by 2,500+ psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists worldwide to treat a range of conditions such as anxiety, grief, phobias, fears, depression, trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and now social media addiction.

To find out more about BWRT - www.bwrt-professionals.com