A good training scenario is designed to get a reaction. From a climbing heart rate to a narrowed field of attention, simulation training measures our response under pressure and therefore should activate the nervous system in all the same ways it will be activated in the field. But when the scenario ends and the debrief wraps up, that officer goes back to work.

When we talk with people who specialize in officer performance, one question keeps coming up: Do you have a way to help officers reset after a stressful or emotionally charged training scenario?

That question led us to build the MILO Wellness Folder, a growing set of guided exercises inside the MILO training system. We’ve spent 30+ years preparing officers for action. This is designed to prepare them for what comes after.

 

What’s in the Wellness Folder

The exercises are short, guided, and easy to run at the end of a training session. Guided exercises are available now, and we will be releasing new ones with each quarterly content update in 2027. As the folder grows, it will draw on evidence-based techniques including paced breathing, guided visualization, and other methods that help officers settle the body and refocus attention.

 

Why recovery belongs in training

Officers carry their experiences with them into the simulator. A scenario might involve an injured child, a suicidal subject, or an officer down, and for someone in the room, that scenario may closely resemble a call they actually took. Researchers at the University at Buffalo point out that officers are regularly exposed to these kinds of events, which raises their risk of PTSD.

Without a structured way to regulate and recover, an officer could leave the training room emotionally activated, when the goal was to leave better prepared.

This subject also came up at a recent MILO Cognitive Advisory Board meeting. Trauma and depression can both affect decision-making, though in different ways. Officers experiencing trauma-related symptoms may be more prone to impulsive decisions. With depression, we would expect the opposite: slower processing and delayed decisions. Either pattern can affect performance on a call, so agencies need tools that support both readiness and recovery.

 

How agencies can use it

Instructors can run an exercise right after a difficult scenario, so the officer has a chance to settle before returning to duty. Leadership can also add the content to an existing wellness initiative, which gives officers another way to use the system beyond scenario training. It also strengthens the case for the training budget, since one investment now supports both officer performance and officer wellness.

The folder is a training and self-regulation tool. It does not replace peer support, chaplains, employee assistance programs, or clinical care, and it should sit alongside those resources.

Wellness also continues to receive attention and funding. The COPS Office’s Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act program funds agency mental health and wellness efforts, and its fiscal year 2026 application window closed in August. Agencies planning for future rounds or other wellness grants should check each funding notice for eligibility and allowable costs.

 

“We dedicate countless hours to tactical training yet often overlook the most crucial tactic of all, mental well-being.” — Brian Uridge, Senior Director of Michigan Medicine Safety and Security at the University of Michigan

 

Supporting the officers who train with MILO

When the scenario ends and the debrief wraps up, officers should have a way to reset before returning to work. The MILO Wellness Folder gives agencies a practical way to build that into training. MILO training exists to help officers perform well in the field. We also want to support the health and resilience of the people who train on our systems.

 

MILO Customers: The MILO Wellness Folder is available now through our service portal. You can also contact our support team at 1.800.344.1717 for access.

Download the guide: Prioritizing Mental Health in Law Enforcement: Tools and Insights for Officers, Instructors, and Leaders.