National Police Association Podcast with Guest, Dr. Trevor Wilkins, PhD, Former LEO and Psychotherapist https://national-police-association.transistor.fm/21
Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith welcomes longtime friend and special guest Dr. Trevor Wilkins, also known as The Angry Viking Therapist. Once a high-performing state officer, Dr. Wilkins shares his transformative journey from the front lines of law enforcement to becoming a nationally recognized mental health advocate and trauma therapist for first responders.
Dr. Wilkins opens up about the cumulative toll of police work, his battle with anger and isolation, and the career-ending mental health crisis that ultimately set him on a new path. Together, he and Sgt. Smith discuss:
- 🚓 Why he really became a cop (spoiler: it wasn’t about saving the world)
- ⚠️ How trauma, burnout, and organizational stress nearly destroyed his life
- đź’ˇ The reality of feeling helpless, hopeless, and "not good enough"
- 🧠How he rebuilt his life and found purpose through counseling and trauma care
- 👊 What "The Angry Viking Therapist" represents—and why it resonates
- 🤝 The power of peer support and his work as Clinical Director with The Wounded Blue
- 🔍 New insights into operational vs. organizational stress from his groundbreaking research
