About the Episode

Kwesi Millington welcomes Mark Bouchard to the program. They discuss policing mental health and the psychology of the use of force.

Policing Mental Health & the Psychology of Use of Force with Mark Bouchard

Mark Bouchard is a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who is assigned to the Williams Lake detachment in British Columbia. He also has a position on the Emergency Response Team, which is the SWAT team in Canada.

Mark also has a specialty profile as a medic on the team. Prior to joining the RCMP, Mark worked for the Delta Police Department for 14 years, which is a suburb of Vancouver.

Mark has a passion for mental health in policing, which is based on his experience as a cop and his education. He was diagnosed with PTSD in 2015 and was unable to work due to a psychological injury. Mark was able to heal from that injury and then began helping other officers as a peer support member and Road to Mental Readiness instructor.

This year Mark has completed a Master’s Degree in leadership from Royal Roads University, with a focus on police culture and police officer mental health. He has also spent the past 3 years writing a book about policing and mental health based on his experiences.

Stay in touch with Mark at http://www.markbouchard.ca