Hakes Wellness Solutions specializes in providing mental health services for law enforcement
The Chippewa HeraldApr 13, 2024
Apr. 12—Retired Eau Claire police officer
As part of his work on the staff at Hakes Wellness Solutions in
Law enforcement officials can struggle with frustration, sadness, anger and trauma after on-the-job incidents. Finding help to handle those emotions can be a daunting task.
"I was a law enforcement officer in
O'Neill provides peer support services through his work at Hakes Wellness Solutions.
Hakes Wellness Solutions recently expanded. The clinical practice exclusively serves law enforcement officers, first responders and their families and offers counseling, consulting, training, coaching and speaking engagements.
The business opened its doors in 2021. The small house where the business was originally was converted into an office located at
Law enforcement experience
Holly and her husband,
Lee is a retired law enforcement officer. Holly's mom, Susan, worked as a 911 dispatcher in
Holly spent part of her early professional career working as a 911 dispatcher and worked in the juvenile justice system as both a chief juvenile court intake worker and supervisor of a secured juvenile detention facility.
This experience fueled her passion for the emergency services profession.
"I don't know what took me so long to start thinking about supporting law enforcement, but it was probably about 2013 that I started to think, 'Wait a minute, I could use my counseling degree to help enforcement,'" Holly said. "Law enforcement health hasn't always been in the forefront of our minds, but it should be."
Hakes Wellness Solutions
Address:
Hours:
www.hakeswellnesssolutions.com, 715-861-3045
The couple opened the business in 2021.
"Lee had just retired, and I said, 'I think I should quit my job, and we should open up a private practice for law enforcement,'" she said.
Holly said she understands the unique burdens imposed upon emergency services families.
"There's so many different ways that the work that I do or that counselors do can support law enforcement. A lot of it is proactive. Many people are requiring their officers to see somebody like me once a year in a mandatory proactive check-in. Then there is post-incident work and also general counseling support for people and their families," she said.
Holly said she deals with a variety of issues with law enforcement officials and their families — everything from the recruitment and retention crises, to difficult hours and missed holidays, to therapy after difficult calls or investigations.
"I love law enforcement. I love helping law enforcement dispatchers, corrections officers, police and sheriff's department officials and first responders, because of course an incident impacts everybody on scene," she said. "That's my purpose. There's a shortage of mental health counselors. We wanted to specialize in this group because we need to make sure these people get seen so they can continue to protect and serve."
Help and healing
"I haven't lived in the area that long. I retired up here after working in dispatch outside of
Holly said Friday that in 2023 western
Holly said she decided to expand the business despite just opening in 2021 in light of those officers' deaths.
"Their deaths changed immediately my thinking about what I needed to do. I didn't need to just sit in a little property and make money. I needed to lean in and we needed to expand and get serious about providing help that could continue to support the law enforcement community," Holly said. "Hunter, Emily and Kaitie's brothers and sisters need help to cope with, not only the broken heart of their loss, but with the heaviness of the work that we do every day and of the broken hearts that are going to continue to come after their passing."
O'Neill said it's a rewarding experience to work alongside law enforcement now that he's a retired cop.
"We've done speaking engagements and guys come up to me afterward and say, 'I didn't know anyone else knew what I was going through.' We work to kind of normalize their feelings, which is an important part of staying healthy," he said.
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