Justice Connection released a video today highlighting the mental health network available to current and recent Justice Department employees who need help recovering from the emotional and psychological harm they are experiencing.
“We hear from employees who are afraid – afraid of being fired, afraid of where to draw the line, afraid of going to anyone within the department for help,” said Stacey Young, executive director and founder of Justice Connection. “They’re feeling powerless, and they need a safe place to talk through their concerns with a trusted professional. The mental health network is that place.”
Administration officials promised to put federal employees in trauma, and, unfortunately, they are succeeding. Justice Connection recruited several Justice Department alumni who led large-scale programs addressing mental health, victimization, and trauma at the department to coordinate resources and recruit providers.
Among them was Dr. Alix McLearen, a licensed clinical psychologist and retired federal law enforcement officer whose portfolio included oversight of mental health services in all 122 federal prisons.
“DOJ employees are facing trauma every day,” Dr. McLearen says in the video. “Whether that’s from political attacks, job instability, public hostility. These firings have been random. They have been wholly unrelated to job performance. And so you are seeing people not know what’s coming, learn to be extremely helpless, and wonder when the other shoe is going to drop.”
The providers participating in the mental health network are eager to work with federal employees, and many provide free sessions, reduced fees, or immediate scheduling options. Several have experience treating employees from segments of the department’s workforce, including law-enforcement agencies.
Current or recent Justice Department employees can connect with these providers by emailing Justice Connection at help@thejusticeconnection.org from a non-government email address. They will be provided with a list of providers within the network, which has clinicians licensed to practice in the metropolitan D.C. region as well as many states outside the region. If an employee lives in an area that is not covered by a clinician within the network, Justice Connection will work with them to find a mental health professional who can help them.
The law enforcement agents, prosecutors, and staff who comprise the apolitical career staff at the Justice Department serve at the front lines ensuring the safety and security of our communities. They can’t do their job effectively if they are being made to endure trauma at the hands of their own department leadership. When we protect DOJ employees, we protect our country.
“It’s dangerous and stupid to be doing this to people at DOJ who provide such important services protecting our country,” Dr. McLearen says in the video. “If you are a DOJ employee who is experiencing distress, we are here for you.”
