Women’s History Month: BSO’s Judy Couwels, Hostage Negotiator
Judy Couwels specializes in guiding individuals from troubled waters to stable ground.
As manager of BSO’s Employee Assistance Program, Judy helps employees and their families overcome a myriad of challenges they face professionally and personally, including marriage problems and stress.
Yet her background in psychology, with a specialization in marriage and family therapy, proves vitally important in her other role: mental health consultant on the Hostage Negotiation Team.
“On scene, I go wherever I am needed to assess the situation,” says Judy. “Oftentimes the situation involves mental health issues. More often than not we find barricaded subjects, sometimes dealing with marital issues, health issues or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
With lives on the line, Judy works cautiously, yet diligently, with the team to resolve situations without incident.
“The goal of negotiations is really developing a rapport with the individual to figure out the problem in that person’s life and to give them time to work through the issue,” she says.
While her work with the Employee Assistance Program and the Hostage Negation Team both present their challenges, she takes great pride in helping men and women at a dangerous crossroad find safety and security on the other side.
“There are a lot of great parts of my job,” she says. “When people call me up and thank me for helping them, it is an affirmation that what I am doing is noticed and effective.”
