Part I: Train to resist, recover, adapt & Grow

The training begins with a two-day immersive, in-person experience where officers learn practical mindfulness skills tailored to the realities of law enforcement—skills that support situational awareness, emotional regulation, and decision-making under pressure. Through guided practice, movement, and small group discussion, officers explore tools to build resilience, reduce reactivity, and enhance overall performance and well-being. Four follow-up Zoom sessions provide continued support to integrate these habits into daily life and reinforce the benefits over time.

PART II: Explore Our Shared Humanity – A Mindfulness-Based Community Day

On November 15th, we invite you to a grassroots gathering where Black community leaders and law enforcement officers—each trained in mindfulness—come together to connect, listen, and explore our shared humanity. This is not a space for debating systems or getting stuck in politics. Instead, it’s a skillfully facilitated day focused on presence, respect, and relationship-building.

Drawing from The Perception Box concept developed by the Unlikely Collaborators Foundation, we’ll examine how our unique life experiences shape the way we see the world—and how those perspectives can both divide and connect us. With mindfulness as our foundation, we’ll cultivate non-judgment, open curiosity, and meaningful dialogue that honors the dignity of everyone in the room.

This is an opportunity to practice the skills we’ve learned, move beyond assumptions, and co-create a space where police officers and community members can see one another more clearly—with compassion and respect.

Richard and Trymaine Gaither will facilitate and be supported by other talented team members.

September 30 & October 1

9 am to 430 pm - City of Flint, Location TBD

On Zoom, Tuesdays, Noon to 1 pm - October 7 through November 4

*if you can’t join us on a Zoom session, we have a plan to work with schedule challenges.

Open to Law Enforcement Officers and other Public Safety professionals Serving in Flint & Genesee County

Sheriff’s Office, State Police, Municipal Police, Natural Resource/Park Service, Tribal Police, Dispatchers, Prosecutors, Medical Examiners, Parole & Probation, and others.

All training costs are funded through Brown University and a generous grant from the Unlikely Collaborators Foundation.

About the Course

This multi-week intensive training is designed to build both the knowledge and practical skills that support health, resilience, and human performance—on and off the job. Law enforcement officers will train in an evidence-based model known as Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training (MBRT). Co-created by psychologists, stress reduction experts, and members of the law enforcement community, MBRT is tailored specifically to the unique demands of policing.

Participants will:

• Normalize and better understand the impact of occupational stress and trauma

• Build capacity to skillfully navigate high-pressure and challenging situations

• Strengthen core skills in self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-regulation

• Explore the science of emotion and develop tools to work with any emotion, in any moment

• Learn how to integrate mindfulness into daily routines to support health and performance

• Improve cognitive flexibility and the ability to perform under stress

• Gain awareness of cognitive bias and its influence on decision-making and relationships

• Deepen relationships between Black community members and law enforcement officers

What the evidence says about mindfulness skills

Over the last decade, researchers at Pacific University, University of Wisconsin at Madison, University of New Mexico, Oregon Health Sciences University have been studying mindfulness training among police officers. Some of the outcomes include:

• reduced perceptions of occupational stress,

• reduced symptoms of PTSD,

• reduced alcohol use,

• reduced anger and aggression,

• improved self-awareness,

• improved emotion regulation,

• improved recovery of cortisol levels after a stressor,

• improved psychological resilience,

• improved stress mindset

A Message from Richard: Supporting Officer Health, Resilience & Performance

Hi, my name is Richard Goerling. I’m a training partner with the Crim Fitness Foundation and Brown University, a retired police lieutenant, a military veteran, and a certified mindfulness trainer. I also work as a researcher with the Mindful Health & Resilience Lab in Oregon.

I understand firsthand the complexity and demands of a policing career. This training is designed to equip officers with the skills to navigate those demands more skillfully—and with greater health—across the arc of their career. I’m a strong advocate for law enforcement, for the communities we serve, and for providing officers with evidence-based tools to meet the challenges of today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment—a concept drawn from the U.S. Army and one that resonates deeply in modern policing.

The resilience training model we’re using is grounded in research and has consistently shown positive outcomes for officer health and performance. I co-developed this curriculum alongside psychologists and health scientists, and over the past decade, we’ve built a strong foundation of research supporting its impact.

Officers who’ve completed the training have reported meaningful results, including: reduced occupational stress and PTSD symptoms, lower levels of anger, aggression, and alcohol use, and significant improvements in self-awareness, emotional regulation, and physiological recovery after stress.

We’d love your support in helping us share this opportunity with law enforcement professionals and community leaders in Flint and Genesee County.

You’ll find more information—including how to register—in the attached flyer. If you have any questions or want to talk further, feel free to reach out. My mobile is (503) 502-0661 and my email is richard@mindfulbadge.com.

Looking forward to connecting,

Richard

Study Procedures & Training Team - Brown University

Participation in the study is voluntary and offered at no cost. Officers will be asked to contact us to complete a phone pre-screening where they will be informed of the nature and requirements of the study. All data will be protected in strict confidentiality, and will not be linked to the participant’s name or any other personally identifying information.  

Richard Goerling, founder of Mindful Badge, is a Co-Investigator and Lead Interventionist of this study. If you’d like additional information before registering, please email at richard@mindfulbadge.com.

Also joining the training team is Trymaine Gaither, a mindfulness teacher and researcher from Washington State University.