For the past 40 years, when police officers in Aurora and around the metro area need someone to talk to, John Nicoletti has been the number they dial. The psychologist specializes in police therapy, and the couch in his Lakewood office has for years been a welcoming place for cops struggling with the often gut-wrenching side of police work.
On July 20, when he heard about the shooting inside an Aurora movie theater, Nicoletti didn’t wait for the officers to pick up the phone. He called first. The magnitude and the horror of the rampage were so big, the carnage in the theater that night so terrifying, Nicoletti knew plenty of first-responders would need help. So he and the other psychologists on his staff reached out to the officers. He snagged a list of all the cops who were there that night and talked to them, at least briefly, and made sure they knew they could call if they needed to talk.
“This was too much, too ugly, too different,” he said. “Just totally different. A lot of folks in their career never had anything like this.”
In the days and weeks after the massacre, many officers called. Nicoletti said he isn’t sure exactly how many first responders and city staff he and his team counseled, but he knows the bulk of the officers he reached out to in the immediate aftermath sought help.
He knew they would. While the public assumes stoic cops are the last people who would want to sit on a shrink’s couch and spill their thoughts, Nicoletti knows better.
“They are really good users of psych services, all of the different departments. That’s more of a myth thinking that they won’t talk to people,” he said.
Cops are a pragmatic bunch. When they see a problem, they look for a solution. Same goes for a mental health problem. And in Aurora, department leaders have long been advocates of therapy for their officers, making sure the department pays for the services, and that there’s no stigma attached to seeking help. That makes a big difference, Nicoletti said.
A trauma like the theater shooting carries a substantial emotional cost for cops. More so than other horrific crimes, Nicoletti said the “psychological foot print” left on the officers is severe, and it can last a long time. Cops may have to deal with flashbacks to that night, or memories that intrude into their daily life and make normal day-to-day living tough.
The trauma has to be purged, Nicoletti said, and the only way to do that is to talk about it or to write about it. Doing that makes the trauma a memory, one that will always be with the officers but one they only need to address when they choose to. n
brandon johanssonFor the past 40 years, when police officers in Aurora and around the metro area need someone to talk to, John Nicoletti has been the number they dial. The psychologist specializes in police therapy, and the couch in his Lakewood office has for years been a welcoming place for cops struggling with the often gut-wrenching side of police work.
On July 20, when he heard about the shooting inside an Aurora movie theater, Nicoletti didn’t wait for the officers to pick up the phone. He called first. The magnitude and the horror of the rampage were so big, the carnage in the theater that night so terrifying, Nicoletti knew plenty of first-responders would need help. So he and the other psychologists on his staff reached out to the officers. He snagged a list of all the cops who were there that night and talked to them, at least briefly, and made sure they knew they could call if they needed to talk.
“This was too much, too ugly, too different,” he said. “Just totally different. A lot of folks in their career never had anything like this.”
In the days and weeks after the massacre, many officers called. Nicoletti said he isn’t sure exactly how many first responders and city staff he and his team counseled, but he knows the bulk of the officers he reached out to in the immediate aftermath sought help.
He knew they would. While the public assumes stoic cops are the last people who would want to sit on a shrink’s couch and spill their thoughts, Nicoletti knows better.
“They are really good users of psych services, all of the different departments. That’s more of a myth thinking that they won’t talk to people,” he said.
Cops are a pragmatic bunch. When they see a problem, they look for a solution. Same goes for a mental health problem. And in Aurora, department leaders have long been advocates of therapy for their officers, making sure the department pays for the services, and that there’s no stigma attached to seeking help. That makes a big difference, Nicoletti said.
A trauma like the theater shooting carries a substantial emotional cost for cops. More so than other horrific crimes, Nicoletti said the “psychological foot print” left on the officers is severe, and it can last a long time. Cops may have to deal with flashbacks to that night, or memories that intrude into their daily life and make normal day-to-day living tough.
The trauma has to be purged, Nicoletti said, and the only way to do that is to talk about it or to write about it. Doing that makes the trauma a memory, one that will always be with the officers but one they only need to address when they choose to.
7.20.2012 THE PRICE WE PAID: The personal toll
7.20.2012 THE PRICE WE PAID: The physical toll
7.20.2012 THE PRICE WE PAID: The emotional toll
7.20.2012 THE PRICE WE PAID: Our identity
7.20.2012 THE PRICE WE PAID: Our city
7.20.2012 THE PRICE WE PAID: Our children
7.20.2012 THE PRICE WE PAID: Our community
7.20.2012 THE PRICE WE PAID: Ourselves
7.20.2012 THE PRICE WE PAID: Message triggers a new attitude toward guns
7.20.2012 THE PRICE WE PAID: Q&A with Gov. John Hickenlooper
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