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Ellen Kirschman Ph.D.

About

I am a clinical psychologist specializing in police and public safety psychology and the author of three non-fiction books and a semi-autobiographical mystery series told from the perspective of police psychologist, Dr. Dot Meyerhoff, who is too dedicated for her own good and should be counseling cops, not solving crimes.

I belong to a lot of organizations, too many in fact: The International Association of Chiefs of Police (psychological services sub-section), The American Psychological Association, Sisters-in-Crime, The Public Safety Writers Association, and Mystery Writers of America. I'm the recipient of the California Psychological Association's 2014 award for distinguished contribution to psychology as well as the American Psychological Association's 2010 award for outstanding contribution to the practice of police and public safety psychology.

When I'm not writing (hardly ever) or going to conferences, I travel world-wide giving workshops for police families, teaching self-care to cops, training peer supporters, and helping clinicians become culturally competent to treat first responders. I volunteer as a clinician for The First Responders Support Network (FRSN.org), an organization holding six-day retreats for first responders with post-traumatic stress injuries and for their significant others and spouses.

I live in Northern California with my husband, the photographer, S. Hollis Johnson. I don't have a lot of hobbies, unless you count exercise to stay healthy as a hobby. I read widely and always have a book in hand, even going from the bedroom to the kitchen. I dabble in cooking although my husband prepares most of our meals. I love to travel and to stay sane I regularly attend the Insight Meditation Center. Please visit my website where you can sign up for my occasional but always informative newsletter.

Books by Ellen Kirschman Ph.D.
Recent Posts
Cops and PTSD: When the Victim Is a Child

When police officers deal with child victims, their usual ways of coping don't work. Here's why they don't work and how to heal.

When police officers deal with child victims, their usual ways of coping don't work. Here's why they don't work and how to heal.

How Do You Live With Yourself When You'll Never Be Perfect?

Striving for perfection is a fool's errand driven by unrealistic beliefs we hold about ourselves. There is a cure. But it takes practice and the willingness to make mistakes.

Striving for perfection is a fool's errand driven by unrealistic beliefs we hold about ourselves. There is a cure. But it takes practice and the willingness to make mistakes.

How Family Retreats Can Help Law Enforcement Families Heal

Behind many cops is a spouse or significant other who is suffering in isolation and often filled with despair. There is a retreat setting designed to help.

Behind many cops is a spouse or significant other who is suffering in isolation and often filled with despair. There is a retreat setting designed to help.

Learning From the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

If you or someone you love is a cop, what regrets might you have at the end of your life? You can avoid or minimize some of them.

If you or someone you love is a cop, what regrets might you have at the end of your life? You can avoid or minimize some of them.