The Body of Work.
Where the framework lives in print. The work below documents the clinical, philosophical, and operational ideas behind the Neuro-Rational-Command Framework and its application to law enforcement, military, fire and EMS, and high-stress leadership populations.
The piece that started the conversation.
What the Wall Cannot Heal: The Lasting Psychological Impact of Line-of-Duty Deaths
An essay published during National Police Week examining the psychological architecture of loss in public safety. Written in memory of Chief Deputy Jody Cash (Caldwell County, Calloway County, and Kentucky State Police), killed in the line of duty May 16, 2022.
The piece argues that the apparatus our country has built for grief (the funeral, the procession, the Wall) is necessary and good, but it cannot do the slower, private work of disputing the philosophical conclusions an officer reaches in the wake of catastrophe. That work is where Stoic philosophy, Albert Ellis’s REBT, and modern trauma-informed care converge.
Read the Full Essay →Why this work matters.
Galls Newsroom is the editorial platform of Galls, the largest public safety equipment supplier in the United States. Pieces appear alongside policy, culture, and field-experience writing from senior leaders across American law enforcement.
This essay opened a series of clinical pieces published at Galls — a body of work arguing that the field’s overcorrection toward Trauma-Informed Care has created Trauma-Confirming Care, and that what officers actually need is not softer therapy but more rigorous disputation of the beliefs they install under pressure. The companion piece, How to Close the Gap in First Responder Mental Health Support, extends the argument into the help-seeking infrastructure itself.
The work is becoming foundational source material for a planned book on the Neuro-Rational-Command Framework and forms the basis of keynote talks currently in development for the IACP Officer Safety and Wellness Conference and the C.O.P.S. National Conference on Law Enforcement Wellness and Trauma.
Trade and field publications.
Writing aimed at the operational reader — chiefs, command staff, peer support teams, agency wellness coordinators, and the clinicians who serve them.
What the Wall Cannot Heal
The Lasting Psychological Impact of Line-of-Duty Deaths. An essay on what the country’s grief apparatus can and cannot do for the officers and families left behind.
Read at Galls Newsroom →How to Close the Gap in First Responder Mental Health Support
An argument that the failure of officers to seek mental health support is not primarily stigma but architecture — the developmental belief system built before the badge and reinforced by the institution. Draws on attachment theory, SAMHSA and Ruderman Foundation data, and Violanti’s Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic study to propose proximity-based clinical infrastructure as the alternative to awareness campaigns.
Read at Galls Newsroom →The Real Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms
The case for PTSD treatment, written for the operational law enforcement reader. Reframes PTSD as a brain-perception problem that is fixable rather than a permanent identity, and argues for peer intervention as a turning point for struggling officers. Published by the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training in the issue’s dedicated mental health focus.
Read at KLE Magazine →The Real Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms
An earlier version of the PTSD reframe argument, written for the official magazine of the Kansas Highway Patrol troopers’ association. Adapted from clinical practice and over fifteen years of law enforcement experience prior to the doctoral work. Print only.
Clinical and academic research.
Peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and academic publications. Submissions to clinical and law enforcement research journals are ongoing as part of doctoral work.
Peer-reviewed publications coming in 2026-2027.
Manuscripts currently in development from doctoral research in Trauma-Informed Care, including work on the Neuro-Rational-Command Framework and its application to public safety populations. Specific journals targeted include the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, and the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.
Two doctorates. One mission.
Identifiable Demographics Related to the Levels of Law Enforcement Operational and Organizational Stress
A quantitative study identifying specific relationships between high levels of stress and the organizational and operational areas of law enforcement. Using the Operational and Organizational Police Stress Questionnaires across a multi-agency sample, the research produced several findings that directly inform clinical practice with public safety populations.
Key findings:
- Operational stress decreases across a 25-year career by an average of 24.74 points on a 120-point scale.
- Organizational stress increases across that same career by an average of 67.95 points on the same scale.
- Investigation assignments carry the highest operational stress; administrative assignments carry the highest organizational stress.
- The mere presence of mental health services at an agency does not significantly reduce either type of stress.
Committee: Dr. Gary Patton (UC School of Counseling), Dr. Larry Sexton (UC School of Counseling), Dr. Sara Bender (Central Washington University).
Download Full Dissertation (PDF) →Beyond Memory Processing: Examining the Effectiveness of a REBT-Centered Integrative Model for Trauma-Related Distress in Adult Outpatient Populations
The second doctoral program extends the empirical work of the first dissertation into the clinical question at the center of my practice: when memory-processing approaches alone are insufficient, what does an REBT-centered integrative model produce in adult outpatient populations carrying trauma-related distress?
The dissertation directly challenges the field’s overcorrection toward memory processing as the primary therapeutic mechanism. Drawing on Albert Ellis’s foundational REBT work, modern AIP and EMDR research, and Stoic philosophical sources, the study examines whether durable change in trauma-related distress is better predicted by belief disputation than by memory reprocessing alone. The clinical implication: feeling better is not the same as getting better, and the field has spent two decades optimizing for the wrong outcome.
Findings will inform the published version of the Neuro-Rational-Command Framework and the planned book extending this clinical line of work to law enforcement, military, and high-stress leadership populations.
Press and media appearances.
Interviews, features, and press coverage across mental health, law enforcement, and public safety publications.
Triumph Over Trauma
A long-form profile by KLE Magazine on the journey from active law enforcement officer to trauma-focused clinician. Examines the early experience with a counselor who refused to work with armed officers, the eventual founding of Thin Line Counseling, and the case for peer-to-peer intervention as a turning point in officer mental health.
Read at KLE Magazine →The Wounded Blue
Featured clinical interview in the national documentary on injured and disabled law enforcement officers produced by The Wounded Blue. Discusses the clinical realities of treating officers with cumulative trauma and the gap in mental health infrastructure for line-of-duty injury survivors.
Police Complaints and Critical Stress
On-camera clinical analysis for WKYT-TV (Lexington CBS affiliate) on the cumulative effect of administrative stress and citizen complaints on officer wellness and decision-making. The interview built on findings from the 2019 doctoral dissertation on operational versus organizational stress.
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Clinical interview on first responder suicide prevention for WKYT News in Lexington. Discussed the clinical drivers behind the elevated suicide rates in public safety populations and the institutional barriers to effective intervention.
The Tragic Reality of Police Suicide
Extended television interview on police suicide for True Blue, a national law enforcement television program. Examined the clinical and cultural factors driving officer suicide and the structural failures of the current mental health response.
COVID Mental Health
Guest interview on the syndicated television program The Doc Is In on the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on first responders, healthcare workers, and high-stress professionals.
Multiple Talk Radio Appearances
Recurring expert guest on WVLK Talk Radio (Lexington) covering topics including bullying, suicidal ideation, COVID and mental health, and law enforcement wellness. Multiple appearances from June 2018 through March 2021.
Triumph Over the Horrors of PTSD
National radio interview on the clinical realities of PTSD treatment in public safety populations, recorded prior to the completion of the first doctoral dissertation. Among the earliest national platform appearances of the work that became Thin Line Counseling.
Conversations in long form.
Guest appearances on podcasts in public safety, mental health, military, leadership, and personal development.
Street Cop Podcast
Bear Independent
University of Badassery
Spartan Leadership
The Squad Room
Alert Medic
Stoic Sentinel
No One Fights Alone
Acta Non Verba
Badge Boys
The Life Podcast
Mission Manhood
National Police Association
Click any podcast to listen · For booking inquiries, send a message below
On the stage.
Keynote presentations, training events, and panel appearances for law enforcement, military, fire/EMS, mental health, and leadership audiences.
National Keynotes & Major Conferences
State and Regional Conferences
Recurring Training Engagements
Department and Agency Training
Academic and Professional Organizations
What’s been earned.
Clinical fellowship, professional recognition, and commendations earned across two decades in uniform and at the clinical chair.
Associate Fellow
One of approximately eight Associate Fellows worldwide at the institute founded by Albert Ellis, the originator of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. The Fellowship is granted on the basis of advanced clinical training, demonstrated mastery of REBT methodology, and ongoing contribution to the field through teaching, supervision, and clinical work.
Line of Duty Commendations
Letter of Commendation
Commendation for Selfless Service
Captain’s Commendation for Bravery in the Line of Duty
Certificate for Meritorious Service for Bravery in the Line of Duty
Speaking. Writing. Consultation.
For media inquiries, speaking requests, podcast bookings, or research collaboration, send a direct message and a member of the team will respond within two business days.