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Dr.
James T. Reese is an internationally recognized
author, lecturer, and consultant in the areas
of stress management, motivation, threat and
risk assessments, and workplace violence. He
has authored and co-edited seven books and is
an editor for the new Journal of Threat Assessment.
He has addressed representatives of more than
300 Fortune 500 companies, law enforcement agencies,
hospitals, and other businesses. A former Lieutenant
and decorated combat veteran of Vietnam, he
served as an FBI Agent for 25 years retiring
in 1995 as the Assistant Unit Chief of the Behavioral
Science Unit, FBI Academy. For 18 years he taught
stress management, criminology, abnormal psychology
and profiling and was adjunct faculty with the
University of Virginia. During his assignment
to the FBI Academy, he also profiled criminal
matters (a "Mind Hunter" as portrayed
by Psychology Today). Dr. Reese has provided
expert testimony before the United States Congress
on Stress and addressed President George Bush's
Council on Integrity and Efficiency. He serves
as the Director of Violence Prevention for the
Crisis Care Network, Inc. He is president of
James T. Reese and Associates, an international
behavioral sciences and management-consulting
firm headquartered in Lake Ridge, Virginia,
USA. He has addressed audiences and consulted
throughout the world. He is Board Certified
in Domestic Violence, Stress Management, School
Crisis Response, Emergency Crisis Response,
and Traumatic Stress. His video is entitled
"Dr. Jim Reese on Integrity and Courage"
and his audiocassette series is entitled "Six
Keys to Stress-Free Living™". Dr. Reese
is a Fellow of The American Academy of Experts
in Traumatic Stress and the Academy is privileged
to have him serve on the Board of Scientific
& Professional Advisors.
JSV: You keep quite busy as a lecturer, consultant
and author. Can you tell me about the various
roles and/or positions that you currently hold?
JTR: Yes, fortunately I do keep very busy. As
you may recall, I returned your call about this
interview from the Hawaiian Islands. Last year
also took my company to Hong Kong, Japan, Canada,
and Europe as well as more than 25 states. I
am the sole proprietor of James T. Reese and
Associates and James T. Reese European Associates.
We are an international behavioral sciences
and management consulting firm serving both
government and private industry on a wide array
of topics including workplace violence, stress
management, executive stress, ethics-based leadership,
motivational keynotes and more. Aside from keynote
presentations, criminal profiling, and corporate
and law enforcement training, my time is spent
consulting with organizations and corporations
regarding workplace violence issues, from policy
and procedure development to assisting in the
termination of employees. Time is also spent
doing assessments, or profiles, of employees
whose behavior is threatening, harassing, or
violent. I have spoken to audiences on a wide
range of topics, to include school violence
at state superintendents conferences, domestic
violence at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden
Grove, California, "Six Keys to Stress
Free Living"
at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and the Tropicana
in Atlantic City. I have also provided expert
testimony on law enforcement stress before the
United States Congress, and addressed President
George Bush's Council on Integrity and efficiency.
In addition to this, James T. Reese and Associates
was chosen by the Crisis Care Network, Inc.,
Grand Rapids, Michigan (888-736-0911) to direct
their violence prevention program. Lyle Labardee,
A.A.E.T.S., their CEO, has created the country's
leading, nationwide private sector provider
of on-site response to violence and traumatic
workplace incidents, currently serving over
2,500 companies. In that capacity, I share a
24 hours a day, 7 days a week call center (hot
line), answered by Masters level clinicians.
I am also in the process of contracting with
additional corporations regarding an ongoing
consulting relationship with regards to stress
management, threat assessments and workplace
violence issues. All of the above grew out of
experiences and knowledge I was able to gain
during my 25 years as an FBI Agent.
JSV: I understand that you are a founding member
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
National Center for the Analysis of Violent
Crime. How did this program develop?
JTR: I was an Agent in the Behavioral Science
Unit and was therefore invited to be one of
the founders of the FBI's National Center for
the Analysis of Violent Crime. This was a team
effort put together by the professional support
persons and Agents assigned to the Behavioral
Science Unit at the FBI's Academy in Quantico,
VA. For years we had been accepting "qualified"
homicide cases, serial rapes, and other crimes
from law enforcement for the purposes of "profiling."
Among the purposes for the National Center was
to provide order and structure to the process
and insure that we gained the maximum benefits
from the information obtained. It is still in
place and the men and women of the FBI are still
in the trenches, working day in and day out
to solve the most bizarre crimes of the century,
as well as the every day homicides that plague
this nation. These are really talented and dedicated
people, both agents and professional support
personnel, who endure the images of death daily
in an effort to solve crimes and put criminals
where they can no longer harm anyone. I was
pleased to have co-authored the first article
on profiling in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin
entitled "A Psychological Assessment of
Crime: Profiling" (Ault and Reese, 1980).
This was an attempt to let people know what
profiling was all about. The process has become
much more sophisticated and now there are people
in the FBI whose job is dedicated solely to
receiving these unsolved crimes from law enforcement
and attempting to profile them. These are typically
serial crimes, bizarre homicide cases, child
abductions, and the like. There are requirements
concerning the cases the FBI will accept for
profiling. This is due to the volume of crime
that exists. The FBI's Training Division at
Quantico is in the best position to provide
details concerning that criterion.
JSV: For 25 years, you served as a Special Agent
of the FBI and ultimately became the Assistant
Unit Chief of the prestigious Behavioral Science
Unit at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
How did you become involved with the FBI?
JTR: It was 1971. Vietnam was behind me. I had
graduated from Arkansas State University in
1968 with a Bachelors Degree in Social Science.
My first set of military orders following my
graduation and subsequent commission as an officer
in the Army made it clear that I would be spending
a year in Vietnam. I arrived in Vietnam in April
of 1969 and served in the Mekong Delta. Little
did I know that this would be my first encounter
in a long line of stress-related encounters
that would shape my professional career and
my life. More than 100 ambushes and dozens of
helicopter assaults later, I left the Republic
of South Vietnam. Upon my return to the United
States, I was determined to never work again
for anyone who told me what to do, what to wear,
or how to act. That determination didn't last
long. The country, and J. Edgar Hoover, needed
FBI Agents! My brother, Ron, had just ended
his tour as an officer in the United States
Navy and was accepted by the FBI as an Agent.
He encouraged me to apply prior to my discharge
from the Army. I applied and the rest is history.
The FBI, like any job, had its ups and downs.
One of the more humorous, and subsequently memorable,
events during my early career involved efforts
to respond to my first bank robbery. The Bureau
car radio squawked "All units, we have
a bank robbery in progress", and the address
was given. My first FBI car was a 1968, two-toned
green, Rambler. It was equipped with a portable,
hand-held magnetic "Kojak" light.
In attempting to get to the bank quickly, I
was unable to get it to stay on top of the vinyl
roof. I thought I was in a cartoon. I questioned
the Bureau's attention to details.
As early as 1974 I knew that I wanted to be
a faculty member at the FBI Academy; to have
a voice in training this nation's law enforcement
elite; to learn the skills of a profiler and
make a difference in the world. I earned a Masters
Degree in 1976 at American International College
as I worked as an FBI Resident Agent in Springfield,
Massachusetts and was transferred to the FBI
Academy as an instructor in the Behavioral Science
Unit in 1978. I would remain there for 18 years
until my retirement in 1995. During that time,
I was accepted into the doctoral program at
The American University and, going to school
at night, earned a Ph.D. in 1987.
JSV: What is a Criminal Personality Profiler?
In that capacity, are there any cases that stand
out in your memory? What were your connections
with the film The Silence of the Lambs and the
title "Mind Hunter"?
JTR: On the latter point, the movie The Silence
of the Lambs was filmed, in part, in the Behavioral
Sciences Unit and other locations at the FBI
Academy. The writers, producers, and directors
apparently sought information, academy props,
and advice to make the movie realistic. It was
based on what criminal profilers were doing.
That is where the behavioral science unit portion
of the film was developed with "Hannibal
Lechter" as the focus. The name "Mind
Hunters" was given to us by Psychology
Today magazine. They had written an article
about those of us who made up the profiling
section at the time. The article featured a
"centerfold" photograph and it featured
me and the other profilers. We were all sitting
around a desk as if we were examining photographs
of a crime scene. Across the top of the picture
was the title "Mind Hunters." The
article was about those of us in the Behavioral
Science Unit who were doing profiling. The FBI
has made great strides in their knowledge of
criminal behavior and criminal profiling since
that article, and since I left in 1995.
With regard to profiling, there are certain
clues at a crime scene, which, by their very
nature, do not lend themselves to being collected
or examined. How does one collect love, rage,
hatred, fear, jealousy, irrationality, or other
intangibles? Clues left at a crime scene may
be of inestimable value in leading to the solution
of a crime; however, they are not necessarily
items of physical evidence, per se. While these
items may be present at a crime scene, the untrained
eye will inevitably miss them. Nothing can take
the place of a well-executed investigation;
however, the use of psychology to assist in
the assessment of a crime is an additional tool,
which the law enforcement officer should use
in solving crimes. The purpose of the psychological
assessment of a crime scene is to produce a
profile; that is, to identify and interpret
certain items of evidence at the crime scene
which would be indicative of the personality
type of the individual or individuals committing
the crime. As Webster would say, "It is
a short, vivid biography briefly outlining the
most outstanding characteristics of the subject."
The goal of the profiler is to provide enough
information to investigators to enable them
to limit or better direct their investigations.
For example, in one case, a profile provided
enough information that officers recalled an
individual whom they had already questioned
that fit the profile description. When they
returned to the individual, he confessed. It
should be noted that, in this particular case,
we assisted in providing interview techniques.
During one particular summer, a woman in a suburban
city on the east coast reported to the police
that she had been raped. After learning the
facts of this case, the investigating officer
realized this was the seventh rape within the
past two years wherein the same modus operandi
was used. There were no investigative leads
remaining and no suspects. The incidents reports
of each of the rapes, together with transcripts
of the interviews of the victims were brought
to the Behavioral Science Unit where I looked
them over. Between what I discovered in the
reports and the assistance of others in the
unit, it was determined that the rapes were
probably committed by the same person and described
him as a white male, 25 to 35 years of age,
divorced or separated and working at a marginally
skilled job, high school education, poor self-image,
living in the immediate area of the rapes, and
as being involved in acts of voyeurism ("Peeping
Tom"). It was likely that the police had
spoken to this man in that many times these
types of "prowlers" are questioned
by police and released. Based upon the FBI information,
40 suspects were developed in the neighborhood.
They narrowed their investigation to one and
focused on him. He was arrested within the week.
You can't look at an entire population. We try
to narrow the suspects down. Lives can be saved.
During 1979, I was assigned to teach a homicide/profiling
school near Newport News, VA. After teaching
all-day and retiring for the night, the phone
rang about 11:00pm. It was the deputy chief
of the Newport News Police Department, a man
who had, ironically, been a student in my class
that day. He reported that the body of a young
woman had been found in a motel room in Newport
News. She had been shot in the stomach with
a high-powered rifle. The body was handcuffed
(apparently post-mortem) and the door to the
motel room where she was found was barricaded
from the inside. There appeared to be no evidence
of robbery, sexual assault, or other motive.
She was a manager in housekeeping and apparently
surprised the murderer when she entered the
room. The murderer had escaped through a rear
bathroom window and fled into the woods behind
the motel. Prior to my involvement in the case,
a police officer and his police dog were sent
into the woods to flush out the murderer. The
murderer confronted them at gunpoint and ordered
them out of the woods. They immediately left
the woods and are lucky to be with us today.
I was taken to the scene and asked to do a profile
or assessment of the subject. I had been teaching
the Deputy Chief that day about homicides and
people who keep diaries and the like. The subject
had left a diary and a sea bag full of clothes
at the motel room. The diaries provided psycholinguistic
clues concerning the subject's personality.
I decided that it was not a good idea to go
into the woods at night. The subject either
is or was a Marine and probably mentally ill.
While not qualified to diagnose, we believed
him to be paranoid schizophrenic based upon
the writings found in the diaries in his sea
bag. We learned early on however, to not label
people with mental health terms. Therefore,
our profiles simply described the individuals
and their expected behavior. I suggested to
the police to wait for the first light of the
morning to enter the woods. I emphasized that
they should continue during the night to call
him out with bullhorns but that he would not
surrender. He did not. Someone suggested lighting
up the area with helicopters. I recommended
that they not do that due to his paranoia and
delusional thinking about Vietnam. At approximately
5:45am, a SWAT team entered the woods. They
got within 50 feet of the subject who stood
up and fired on them. The subject was shot and
died after about 30 days hospitalization. He
was a former marine, he had dug about 6 foxholes,
had 351 rounds of ammunition for his rifle,
and was in full marine corps gear; helmet, flack
jacket, web belt, canteen, the works. The profile
worked and perhaps some officers are alive today
because of it.
JSV: I know, Jim, that personality profiling
has gained a presence in many school districts
around the country.
JTR: Yes, Joe, and I have had the pleasure of
addressing many of the school systems. I try,
as many others do, to help teachers, administrators,
and students understand the phenomena of violence,
the appropriate policies to put in place and
the procedures to deal with violent, or potential
violent, acts. Unfortunately, more security
cameras cannot solve the problem. While the
idea of surveillance is important, it may simply
be a means to document that which occurs rather
than prevent the occurrence. A combination of
physical security and mental preparedness is
essential. It is important to note, however,
that many students match any given "profile"
at any given time. The key is to not pigeonhole
or categorically suspect someone of wrongdoing
simply because of a profile. A profile, historically,
has been a set of characteristics and behaviors
of someone who is unknown, versus an "assessment"
of someone who is known. Much in the same way
investigative hypnosis can be used as an investigative
tool, so too, profiling should be used as only
a tool and considered in light of other pieces
of information (especially in schools). Some
of the early warning signs of potential violence
in children, which would be added to any given
profile, may include continued problem behavior,
comments regarding problems in their family
or dysfunction within the family, implied and/or
verbal threats to other students and faculty,
continual tardiness and an increase of absences,
changes in "normal" behavior patterns,
withdrawal, and other indicators, to include
a perceived reduction in self worth. By the
way, I think that the Academy should be very
proud of the advancements made in the area of
school crisis response. The Academy is a leader
in the provision of information concerning school
crisis intervention from what I can see with
your publication (Dr. Reese is referring to
A Practical Guide for Crisis Response in Our
Schools: Fourth Edition recently published by
the Academy).
JSV: As you are aware, The American Academy
of Experts in Traumatic Stress is a multidisciplinary
network of professionals representing over 200
professions in the health-related fields, emergency
services, criminal justice, forensics, law,
business and education. Many of our organization's
members must respond on the "front lines"
of risk and danger as a part of their occupation.
Are there unique stressors associated with working
for the FBI?
JTR: Yes, there are unique stress factors working
for the FBI, or any emergency service provider
for that matter. While it has always been considered
one of the most stressful occupations in the
world, law enforcement doesn't hold the copyright
on stress, nor has it been universally and empirically
proven to be the most stressful occupation in
the world. The uniqueness of the stress in police
work, as well as in the FBI, revolves around
the responsibility for people, the dangers associated
with the job, the long, irregular hours, the
pressures placed upon the employees to perform
at their maximum capacity 24-hours a day, and
the need to control their emotions on a full-time
basis. I call this "Image Armor",
the need to always look in control. Among other
issues leading to stress is the uniqueness of
emergency service personnel. For example, we
are very authoritative, we are risk-takers,
we never make mistakes, we are hypervigilant,
cynical, suspicious, pessimistic, have negative
attitudes about people, rarely talk about our
feelings to others and are always looking for
action. Add to that the fact that we seem to
be less willing to socialize and one can readily
see how this impacts upon us as individuals
as well as our support system.
JSV: What factors led to your development of
the FBI's Stress Management Program and Psychological
Services Program?
JTR: I am pleased to say that I was chosen to
monitor the FBI Psychological Services Program
when it began in 1980. I piloted the program
when the FBI hired its first psychiatrist. Today,
the FBI has an Employee Assistance Unit with
trained Employee Assistance Coordinators (FBI
employees) in every field office in the FBI,
a Psychological Services Program and a Critical
Incident program where employees involved in
critical incidents go to the Academy at Quantico
to attend an in-service program, which offers
assistance to them. The attendees ultimately
can learn to assist others as peer support employees.
I am also proud to say that I was just asked
to speak at the next national meeting of the
FBI's Employee Assistance Program. I hope they
will always feel free to call on me. They have
really done more with that program than I ever
imagined. They should all be very proud of their
accomplishments. It ranks as one of the best
Employee Assistance Programs in the worldwide
law enforcement community. It should also be
recognized and understood that these people
are trying to provide emotional and psychological
support, not to just a city or a department,
but to thousands of employees, from our field
offices in the United States to the many legal
attaches located throughout the world. They
have the full support of the Director of the
FBI and that will help to insure the ongoing
success of the program. Any program without
that level of support is doomed to fail.
I assisted in developing the overall stress
management program as a result of my exposure
to seeing death and dying through profiling
on a day-to-day basis and experiencing the interruptions
this job presents to families. In August of
1979, I was to learn how important a support
system was to this profession. One particular
evening, my wife, Sandy and our (then two-and-a-half
year old) daughter, Jamie and I were preparing
to go out shopping. I can still picture my wife,
putting a jacket on my daughter, when our phone
rang. It was the office of an Executive Director
of the FBI. There had been a commercial airline
hijacking at SeaTac (Seattle Tacoma International
Airport). Headquarters wanted some behavioral
scientists, "profilers" to go to the
command center in Washington, DC to assist in
appraising the subject and the situation. It
was stated that he had a bomb in his briefcase
and was holding 55 people on the commercial
jet, hostage. The plane was on the tarmac. Two
other profilers were also called and met me
in Washington DC at FBI Headquarters. The hijacker's
demands were $100,000, a parachute and the jet.
We worked with Seattle PD SWAT, the Port Authority,
FBI SWAT, local and state police, and the FBI
negotiator throughout the night. It ended about
3am with the hijacker settling for a "rental
car and a cheeseburger". As he deplaned
to get the car he had demanded, FBI SWAT members,
hidden under the plane, apprehended him and
his briefcase. We had earlier predicted that
there was no bomb. There was no bomb found.
We went home to sleeping families. He went to
jail, only to be released at a later date to
be killed in the commission of another commercial
airline hijacking.
In 1980, I traveled to Jacksonville, Florida
with another agent to teach an advanced criminology
school. During the week we were there, we arranged
to interview Arthur Frederick Goode, III. Goode
was a convicted child abductor / killer who
was incarcerated at Raeford State Prison in
Starkville, Florida awaiting execution. We interviewed
him for six hours about his homosexual, homicidal
behaviors with his victims. He would kidnap
young, 12 years old or so, force them to engage
in sexual behaviors and then murder them. He
would then write disgustingly descriptive letters
to their parents, describing what he did to
their children. We were talking to him to try
to learn more about men who do these types of
crimes. While I didn't expect to see any remorse,
what I did see surprised me. A cold, calculated
response to even the most sensitive questions
regarding the murders. Upon leaving the cell,
Goode reinforced what we knew about psychopathic
behavior. In an effort to assert his ego and
recapture control at the last minute, he asked
us (with a grin on his face) as we left death
row, "Do you have any little boys at home?"
In law enforcement, sometimes the hardest thing
to do is to do nothing. Contrary to the thoughts
that were running through my head at the time,
all I could do was leave. That is the type of
stress you take home with you.
There was one particularly stressful occasion
when I was profiling a case in which all of
the children in a family were killed. Each was
shot gunned in the face in their beds. In an
effort to come up with a profile, I and a few
other agents spent an inordinate amount of time
staring at the photos of these "faceless"
children. A few nights later, I walked into
my daughter's room to tuck her in bed. She was
lying in bed with her back to me. I couldn't
leave the room. I had to walk around her bed
to make sure she was all right. In law enforcement,
this is referred to as "vicarious victimization."
It was based upon that type of occurrence, and
the stories told to me by other profilers and
police officers regarding stress, that encouraged
me to accept an invitation to write a chapter
in a book by another former FBI Agent / profiler,
Robert "Roy"' Hazelwood. His co-edited
book is entitled Practical Aspects of Rape Investigation:
A Multidisciplinary Approach, and my chapter
is entitled "Rape Investigators: Vicarious
Victims." Trauma response providers (e.g.,
many of the members of the A.A.E.T.S.) know
that one can only experience so much of this
stimuli without eventually incorporating some
of it into one's life. Such vicarious victimization
led me, and my colleagues, to develop the stress
management program. I ultimately helped develop
post-critical incident policies in England and
Northern Ireland, and I continue, today, to
build stress management programs for corporations,
law enforcement, and a variety of organizations.
JSV: I understand that you have lectured to
several hundred Fortune 500 companies. Some
of the topics that you have presented include
"6 Keys to Stress-free Living," "Stress
Management - Facing the Millennium," "Workplace
Violence/Wellness" and "The Greatest
Difficulty in Life - Choice." What made
you focus on these areas and how have they been
received by your audiences?
JTR: I believe that if you are not in control
of your life then something else is. These topics
you just spoke of are always received with the
same enthusiasm with which I deliver them. I
truly believe that these principles work. I
receive letters and emails almost on a daily
basis in which someone expresses gratitude for
the message. I try to emphasize the need for
balance. It is important for one to do one's
job well. Also, it is important to "get
a life." I emphasize the need for balance
in spiritual, familial, personal, and occupational
endeavors. I have lectured on executive stress
management to representatives of more than 300
Fortune 500 companies. I recently spoke to the
second most powerful executive in one of the
world's five largest corporations regarding
controlling corporate stress both among executives
and other employees. I have had the pleasure
of addressing members of the National Football
League as well as presenting at the NATO Advanced
Studies Institute in Sciathos, Greece, and the
Royal Ulster Constabulary in Belfast. From chief
executives, to plant foreman, to rank and file,
there is no audience on this planet that does
not relate to the stress of everyday existence.
I consider it my job, as well as a privilege,
to provide people with tools to cope with the
stress and remind them of the joys in life.
Without exception, corporate employees, firefighters,
and law enforcement officers alike report that
their job satisfaction improves, their production
increases and their home life takes on a new
and more meaningful purpose. It is a great message
for the corporate world as we tackle the challenges
of the new millennium and…it decreases workplace
violence!
JSV: You have become a Fellow of The American
Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress as well
as Board Certified by the Academy in Emergency
Crisis Response, Domestic Violence and Stress
Management. What made you pursue these credentials
offered through the Academy=s Board Certification
Programs in traumatic stress specialties?
JTR: I pursued earning the credentials of the
A.A.E.T.S. because it was the first, and perhaps
only, professional organization that was more
"inclusive" than "exclusive."
Most groups are trying to find reasons to keep
you out. This organization is quite obviously
the opposite. It seeks to find those who are
in the business of helping others and providing
them with credentials and support that they
could not find elsewhere. Also, my clients have
the right to believe that a competent authority
has examined my background and activities and
have decided my credentials demonstrate expertise
in a particular discipline. Anyone can call
himself or herself an expert. The A.A.E.T.S.
asks their membership to provide details to
support this claim and then they either agree
or disagree. It is not a rubber stamp process.
Fortunately, the Academy has examined my credentials
and approved several board certifications. I
enjoy the relationship with the A.A.E.T.S. and
have encouraged many to apply for membership.
JSV: Tell me about Worlds at War, Minds at Peace.
What motivated you to develop this publication?
JTR: My upcoming book, Worlds at War, Minds
at Peace, is still in the editing stage. Due
to the demands placed upon my company regarding
violence in the workplace and stress management,
I have not been able to bring it to a conclusion.
In that publication, I talk about stress and
stress management from things I had experienced
including combat in Vietnam and my FBI work.
Perhaps within this year it will be complete.
Aside from the book, there is currently a video
that is obtainable and being used in many law
enforcement agencies and critical incident stress
management teams. It is entitled "Dr. Jim
Reese on Integrity and Courage" (410) 740-0065.
However, my hopes of helping people manage stress
are riding high on the soon to be released audiocassette
signature series tapes and workbook entitled
"Six Keys to Stress-Free Living: A Guide
to Recapturing Control of Your Life™" (800)
425-0308. This is being produced by Shield International,
Provo, Utah and will be ready for release within
the next 60 days. My products and publications
will also eventually be available on my website
at www.jamestreese.com. In this new audiotape
series, I explore the unique challenges we face
each day in our jobs, families, and in our stress-filled
society. The six keys offer significant insights
into the causes and signs of stress and the
challenges associated with a stress-filled life.
In the tapes, I provide practical and motivational
strategies for combating stress, dealing effectively
with change and moving toward stress-free living.
The books that I had written or co-edited while
in the FBI are currently out of print. I am
hopeful that the FBI will see fit to continue
to make them available due to the wealth of
information which all of the authors of the
chapters provided. They have been the foundations
of law enforcement psychology since the first
was published in 1986. It seems wrong to keep
this information from those who could use it.
It would appear that the information was valuable
before, and is no less valuable now. I am continually
asked how copies can be obtained. Perhaps at
some point the government will see fit to continue
to provide the information in these books to
those who could use it. For those who are interested,
the books are Psychological Services for Law
Enforcement (Reese & Goldstein, 1986); Police
Psychology: Operational Assistance (Reese and
Horn, 1988); Critical Incidents in Policing
(Reese, Horn, & Dunning, 1991); Law Enforcement
Families: Issues and Answers (Reese & Scrivner,
1994); and Organizational Issues (Reese &
Solomon, 1995). I also wrote the first and most
complete History of Psychological Services in
Law Enforcement Organizations in the United
States, (Reese, 1987).
JSV: As you are aware, The American Academy
of Experts in Traumatic Stress recognizes that
traumatic events are an unfortunate part of
the human experience that professionals and
workers from many fields work with on a regular
basis. What do you see as the major advantage
of an organization such as the Academy that
is dedicated to increasing awareness and, ultimately,
improving the quality of intervention with survivors
of such events across such an eclectic group?
JTR: I asked myself that question when I joined
A.A.E.T.S. When you, Joe, first approached me
some years ago, to become a member of this fine
organization, I realized that there needed to
be some standardization. There has to be some
place to go to obtain information, share information
and network with others in a multidisciplinary
fashion. When I look at your board of advisors
and your membership, the only word that comes
to mind is "eclectic" and the organization
has certainly covered all the bases. Based upon
the unfortunate trauma that humans experience,
the organization has increased awareness (this
can be seen by the academy's growing, diverse
membership). The membership genuinely shows
concern for victims and because of this, victim
providers benefit on an international level.
Also, your publication, Trauma Response®
is outstanding and I believe that every one
of your members always looks forward to receiving
it in the mail.
JSV: As an esteemed member of the Board of Scientific
and Professional Advisors of The American Academy
of Experts in Traumatic Stress, are there any
suggestions or concluding comments that you
could offer with regard to helping survivors
of traumatic stress?
JTR: The greatest assets of any trauma response
provider seem to be those of understanding,
caring, relating on a realistic level and availability.
I have found that in the emergency services,
especially law enforcement since that is my
background, the one item they must have in their
lives is control. Traumatic incidents tend to
take that control from them. Responders can't
control events or many of the outcomes of events
but they absolutely must control their emotions.
I try to let survivors know exactly why I am
there, what the purpose of our time together
is, what they can expect, and a fairly good
idea of what I will be asking them about. Many
have told me that this approach has given them
a sense of immediate control and has helped
stabilize them. They do not want to be examined
or studied. They do not want to sit, patiently
waiting for a "loaded" question about
their feelings. They simply want to be able
to express their feelings in a confidential
environment where they are not ashamed or embarrassed
and in a setting where they do not risk losing
status. This may be the most important qualifier
for many who seek help. Add to this their need
to believe that you are actually in a position
to help them, not just another person to tell
their story to. Here, the Six Keys to Stress-Free
Living™ are alive and well: challenge, choice,
change, courage, control, and commitment. Together,
these six keys are some of the greatest tools
available to assist survivors of traumatic stress.
JSV: Tell me about the international behavioral
sciences and management consulting firm, "James
T. Reese and Associates" and the Professional
Speaker's Consortium. Can you provide contact
information for our members?
JTR: James T. Reese and Associates can be contacted
at 3262 Chancellor Drive, Lake Ridge, VA USA
22192-3357 or via our website at www.jamestreese.com.
Our telephone number is 703-551-4101 or fax
us at 703-494-8934. We provide motivational
keynotes, lectures, and workshops together with
seminars on stress management, leadership, anger
management, burnout prevention, team building,
mentoring, workplace violence prevention and
more. Our services also range from walking a
potentially dangerous person or employee out
of a building following a threat, to assisting
in the assessment of behavior and the construction
of separation agreements. This type of assistance
was just provided to a Midwest Fortune 500 company
that employed a person who vowed to "come
back and kill all the women." I was contracted
to be on site and this matter was resolved safely
with all parties satisfied that justice had
been served (including the subject). We also
create custom-made, client-centered zero tolerance
policies for violence in the workplace, as well
as procedures to consistently and legally enforce
such a policies (as we recently prepared for
a government agency, to include its thousands
of employees and hundreds of buildings). Moreover,
James T. Reese and Associates has been in business
since 1995, incorporating 27 years of previous
experience. We enjoy what we do and believe
that we are helping increase the quality of
people's lives, while increasing the corporate
bottom line. I hope some of your readers will
contact us to discuss the possibility of serving
them. We are excited about the future and we
continue to provide additional services as our
clientele expands and their needs diversify.
The Professional Speaker's Consortium has been
in existence for about a year. It allows James
T. Reese and Associates to provide speakers,
presenters, seminar leaders, and consultants
on a wide range of topics. These are individuals
who have voiced an interest in working with
James T. Reese and Associates and who have demonstrated
the skills necessary to be the very best in
the business at what they do. Our experts include
corporate executives, former military leaders,
authors, police, firefighters, human resource
administrators, psychologists, psychiatrists,
nurses, employee assistance professionals, and
many other disciplines. If you're looking for
a speaker, call us.
JSV: Jim, you have given our members some very
interesting things to think about. The Academy
is glad to have you aboard.
JTR: Joe, the pleasure is mine. I am extremely
honored to have been interviewed for Trauma
Response® and am proud to be a member of
the Academy.
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