Struggle Well Case Study: Tucson PD

Impact & Benefits

Explore this Case Study

The case study uncovered the following key findings experienced at Tucson Police Department. The research methodology included participant observation, one-on-one interviews, anecdotal analysis, and review of archival data.

​Better Retention and Longer Tenure

  • TPD reported a noticeable shift toward higher trust and improved satisfaction with department/job once 20% of staff completed the program
  • Multiple command staff reported Struggle Well is an effective way to invest in staff

​Trust, Connection, & Sense of Community

  • Established a greater sense of trust toward the agency and command team
  •  An ever-growing community of Struggle Well “buddies” established an atmosphere of cohesive camaraderie vs. individual isolation
  • There was a shift from “that individual’s struggle” to “our struggle as a team”

​​Normalized Struggle

  • Created a common language around struggle
  • Created an understanding and acceptance of the potential of struggle across all ranks
  • Gave permission to be vulnerable and taught empathy
  • Increased buddy checks and public wellness practices

Positive Culture Change

  • Both command staff and officers reported an atmosphere of improved camaraderie, willingness to share one’s needs and struggles, and trust in a supportive culture and work environment
  • Shifted culture from “us” -vs- “them” to a team mentality
  • Even skeptical officers found value
I absolutely think this changes how we deal with the public, each other, our families. I know that’s true in my own circumstance. I’ve talked to other people who feel that way about how this changes the way that you interact with people and the way you see people and your appreciation for the struggle that they might be engaged in.”
Struggle Well program participant, Tucson Police Department

​Improved Policing, Engagement, and Connection with Public

  • ​Participants reported wellness practices positively impacted their ability to approach their jobs with a healthier mindset
  • Improved officer engagement and connection with community

​Empowered Mental Health Services

  • Program normalized use of agency wellness services
  • Increased trust in and use of mental health clinicians inside and outside TPD
  • Created an environment of peer-to-peer accountability for use of wellness practices
TPD embedded elements of SW into all training platforms including basic training, community service training, annual advanced training. Thereby creating an atmosphere and where everywhere you look there is some sort of SW messaging to help keep that pilot light going. TPD command meetings also start with gratitude.
Struggle Well program participant, Tucson Police Department

​Officer-Driven Expansion of Wellness Opportunities

  • Adoption of Struggle Well permeated the agency and opened up opportunities for staff to take ownership of practices

​Mindset Shift

  • ​Renewed sense of pride in the job
  • ​Increased positive perceptions of leadership and agency overall
  • Recognition of the impact struggle has on people – from broader community faced on-the-job, to relationships in their personal lives
  • Balance of the narrative around PTSD and the possibility of growth and transformation as an outcome of struggle

Archival Data

Survey Reports

Struggle Well training surveys collected at the beginning and end of 5-day trainings at TPD indicate a 69.61% increase in Posttraumatic Growth (as measured by the PTGI) among individual participants from January 2022 – January 2024.

EIP Reports

Initial reports from the TPD’s Early Intervention Program (EIP, a system of tracking behavioral indicators of potentially dangerous levels of stress among officers) have shown a 20-25% lower EIP problem scores among officers who participated in SW training compared to those who have not yet participated. These data indicate that SW may act as a protective factor and improve first responders’ ability to respond to stressors more effectively.

Cantril Ladder

Participants reported increases in “positive outlook on life" after attending Struggle Well as measured by the Cantril Ladder