CopShock, Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

"This book is truly an outstanding contribution to those in law enforcement. It gives insurmountable insight on the stresses that impact officers daily and into the world of posttraumatic stress. This is a must read book for all."

-- Nancy K. Bohl, Ph.D., Director of The Counseling Team, Past Chair, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Psychological Services Section

"CopShock should become required reading for every member of every police department in the country, if not the world. The book can be as meaningful as a bulletproof vest, because PTSD is a greater cop killer than all the guns ever fired at police officers."

-- Lt. James F. Devine, (Ret.) CSW, CASAC, CEAP, Executive Director, Long Island Council on Alcohol & Drug Dependence, Director of NYPD Counseling Services (1980-85)

"Allen Kates is one of the first to dramatically expose the stresses on some of the most important people in our society: police officers. …we need to take better care of police officers, the people who are preserving our lives, if not for their sakes, for our own."

-- Aphrodite Matsakis, Ph.D., author of eight books on trauma including I Can’t Get Over It and Trust After Trauma

"Allen Kates has done a real service for cops. His stories are compelling and you won’t find a better, more complete listing of Internet references and support sources anywhere!"

-- Ellen Kirschman, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and consultant working with police officers and their families for over twenty years, author, I Love A Cop, What Police Families Need To Know

"CopShock is a powerful book! It's well written, fast paced, and reveals what is known by law enforcement's inner circle, but not discussed nor written. I was glued to each story. They are all real."

-- Peter Schweitzer, CEAP, Law Enforcement Coordinator, Seafield Center, Westhampton Beach, NY

"It is an original and striking manuscript dealing with groundbreaking material. This is a very stimulating book, eloquent and disturbing, but realistic in presentation of human struggles with psychological trauma."

-- Ebrahim Amanat, MD, Coordinator PTSD Clinical Team, Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic, City of Commerce, CA

"Well done. The book should help police a great deal. Police officer stories are intriguing and captivating. They do much to make concepts very real."

-- Jeffrey T. Mitchell, Ph.D., President, International Critical Incident Stress Foundation

"Allen Kates does an exemplary job of educating police officers about the nature of acute stress reactions - a crucial step in mitigating against the development of chronic stress disorders. I strongly recommend CopShock for all members of the police family."

-- Mark D. Lerner, Ph.D., President, American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress

"Congratulations! I do hope that your message gets a great reception."

-- Joseph Wambaugh, author of many books including The Onion Field, The Glitter Dome, The Choirboys

"I only wish that my Vietnam veteran/police officer clients and their families had had this book sooner. It would have saved a lot of valuable time. We could have cut to the chase and gotten on with the work of healing. I would recommend this book not only to police officers, but to anyone with PTSD, or anyone at high risk of developing symptoms of PTSD."

-- Bennett A. Jennings, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, PTSD Clinical Team, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tucson, AZ

"No different, in many ways, from our traumatic experiences as combat veterans, many of these cops went from wars outside our country to the wars in our country's streets. We didn't ask for PTSD, as veterans, police, or victims of any traumatic experience, but we can ask for a copy of this book for better understanding among all of us."

-- Rod "Doc" Kane, combat veteran, author of Veteran’s Day

"CopShock is a book that cries out to be heard at a time when violence against our law enforcement officers is accelerating with each new day. I would recommend this book to everyone in a police marriage or those soon to be involved in the police family."

-- Sue Woods, Executive Director, Spouses Of Police Officers (SOPO)

"I would recommend your book to anyone in the law enforcement profession or to anyone who lives with or works with law enforcement officers."

-- George S. Everly, Jr., Ph.D., F.A.P.M., International Critical Incident Stress Foundation

"In my police academy class, I utilized the book CopShock as a means to inoculate new recruits against trauma resulting from critical incident encounters, organizational stress and false expectations. This is a life and career saving book."

-- Captain Al Benner, Ph.D., former Director, San Francisco Police Department, Behavioral Science Unit

"CopShock tells it like it is. The thin blue line is not merely breaking, it is disintegrating, because no one wants to hear that it is that bad. We can do something, and CopShock is a beginning for those who care about cops."

-- Bill Genêt, thirty-two year NYPD veteran, Director, The Police Unions Membership Assistance Program

"CopShock is not only a great survival book for police officers who have survived critical incidents, but it also explains the dysfunction to the family members who bear the brunt of the abuse and other problems. You have written the book I always wanted to write. Congratulations on a job well done!!!"

-- Keith Bettinger, counselor

"I finished reading your book last night. You did a very good job. It triggered some things for me, but also helped put some things into words."

-- Jim Mock, Police Officers and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder web site

"The format of the book is great. It captures the reader’s interest to continue pursuing each chapter. The level of communication is easy and not clinical to distract the reader."

-- Teresa Tate, Survivors of Law Enforcement Suicide (SOLES)

"I found myself sitting on the living room floor with a highlighter making notes as I read. It was like looking in a mirror. Excellent source listing for police and emergency service workers in need of help for everything from PTSD to alcohol dependency and drug addiction. A super job."

-- Kevin Hale, Living With PTSD web site

"I am another that believes the book CopShock has saved my life. It’s written in a similar manner as the AA Book or the Al-anon Book, the sharing of experiences, strengths and hopes."

-- Dee Burns, crime victim

"CopShock is an important book that should be read by every police officer. It’s a well-written and informative work that not only illustrates several scenarios where officers have been traumatized, but it reveals how they took the right steps to begin healing. It also lists dozens of places where an officer can seek help. I highly recommend it."

-- Loren Christensen, co-author, Deadly Force Encounters

"CopShock is a series of compelling, often riveting true stories of officers who experienced trauma on the job and how it affected and consumed their entire life… It is written in an easily accessible, conversational style… every family who has a peace officer as a member could benefit…an invaluable resource tool for assisting in the understanding and management of PTSD for any peace officer oriented organization and family."

-- Department of Corrections, State of California

"Thank you for writing such a powerful book. Your insight into the day to day trauma of police work and its cumulative effect on every aspect of your life is nothing less than life saving. This book will be extremely valuable to our peer support members not only as a resource for others, but for themselves. I am confident CopShock will help every Law Enforcement Officer gain better understanding of how PTSD affects us all."

-- Deputy Jan Arbuckle, Peer Support, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department

"Allen Kates has put together a magnificent work on the dangers of subsequent shock from traumatic incidents. My own experience in use of deadly force and how stress can affect an officer give me the background to appreciate what a great tool this book is for instruction and preparation for the day we all hope does not arrive. If you go into harm's way, you should read this book."

-- Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D., former police officer, author of Managing Police Stress