VicPD has a new addition to their team.
Dr. Lydia Vallieres is the organization’s first in-house psychologist who was hired to try to assist VicPD officers with improving their mental health as part of their Wellness and Support Program.
VicPD hired Dr. Vallieres to help bolster VicPD’s programs and initiatives that are already in place to support officers’ mental health.
She will work hand-in-hand with the Vancouver Island chapter of Beyond the Blue, a peer-led, non-profit organization established to help strengthen and support police officers and their families.
In addition to this, VicPD has set up a new Peer Support Team in which VicPD staff, officers and civilians alike, who have training in trauma resiliency and crisis de-escalation can offer support.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Vallieres to VicPD for the knowledge and experience she brings to our organization,” says Chief Del Manak.
“Our focus is on supporting our people, and her work will complement the programs and initiatives we already have in place to help keep people on the job or bring them back after an occupational stress injury.”
Police say that Dr. Vallieres is the perfect fit, as she has focused her prior experience in clinical practice on working with first responders and she has training in a variety therapy techniques and practices.
