The Conditional Bargain: A Field Guide for Working with Diverse Police Officers
This zine started as my capstone research paper for my Master of Counselling at City University. It’s 136 pages on homonormativity and belonging for queer and diverse police officers, drawing on 19 studies from 10 countries. Research like this usually stays locked in academic databases. I wanted it to reach the people it’s actually about, so I hand-drew it into something you can read in ten minutes.
Why it matters for clinicians
Diverse officers often come to counselling saying they’re burnt out, anxious, or “not cut out for this.” This guide helps you see what may be underneath that: minority stress, identity concealment and the cost of constantly performing to belong. It isn’t personal weakness. It offers ways to externalize the problem and make your room the first place they don’t have to earn their belonging.
Why it matters for clients
If you’ve ever had to leave part of yourself at the door to fit in, at work or anywhere else, this is for you. The exhaustion is real, and it isn’t a flaw in you. It comes from the terms you were handed. Naming the bargain is the first step to deciding whether it’s worth keeping.
Flip through it below. You can scan the QR code on the back cover to request the full paper or connect with me at 9 Lives Counselling.
