Stone, McElroy & Associates is a psychological risk management firm based in Smyrna, Georgia providing psychological services to police and public safety agencies and private corporations throughout the United States. The team of individuals comprising SMA brings broad and in-depth experience within the field of public safety psychological evaluations, operational consulting and threat assessment. Members represent an ethnically diverse, highly-talented group of individuals, men and women, with years of experience in public safety psychological services.

As an overview, the background of SMA team members includes:

• The only psychologists in Georgia who are certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) in Police and Public Safety Psychology, members of International Association of Police (IACP), Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP), National Sheriff’s Association (NSA), Society of Police and Criminal Psychology (SPCP), and certified PEACE officers with specialized education and training in Police and Public Safety Psychology;
• More than sixty-five combined years of service to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies;
• More than forty-five thousand pre-employment psychological evaluations;
• More than two-thousand law enforcement fitness for duty evaluations;
• Expert testimony and consulting in legal cases involving law enforcement psychological services, including major national cases, and;
• Psychologists who have authored articles and book chapters relevant to the field of Police and Public Safety Psychology, and a book specific to fitness for duty evaluations.

History of Stone, McElroy & Associates

Dr. Anthony Stone began providing police psychological services in 1980, initially as a staff member and later as a partner in Psychological Resources, Inc. of Atlanta, where he worked until 1986. He was employed by the City of Atlanta Department of Public Safety from 1986 until 1991 during which period he engaged in a wide variety of activities, including evaluations of thousands of applicants to the City’s public safety agencies, fitness for duty evaluations, crisis management, and operational consulting and support to members of the department at all levels. Meanwhile, in 1988, Dr. Stone was asked to provide psychological services to several local Atlanta agencies on a consulting basis; this led to the establishment of Stone and Associates, a firm dedicated to the provision of specialized public safety psychological services in the Atlanta, Georgia area. By 1998, Stone and Associates had more than thirty public safety agencies as clients. The number of agencies served expanded to include a large number of counties and municipalities within the Atlanta metropolitan area. Dr. Heather McElroy was hired by Stone and Associates as a postdoctoral fellow in 2006 and became a partner of the firm in 2010, finally establishing the firm as Stone, McElroy & Associates. Dr. McElroy has now been a member of the professional staff for more than twelve years and continues serving as managing partner. As industry leaders, the firm of Stone, McElroy & Associates continues to grow after acquiring businesses and expanding into the states of New York and Colorado. The influence of a globally-thinking organization that began over 30 years ago can be seen nationwide as Stone, McElroy & Associates broadens its array of services to meet the needs of local and remote Public Safety Agencies and Private Organizations.

What is Police and Public Safety Psychology?

Police and Public Safety Psychologists assist public safety agencies with carrying out their missions and societal functions with optimal effectiveness, safety, health, and conformity to laws and ethics. This specialized field includes the application of the science and profession of psychology in four primary areas of practice: assessment, clinical intervention, operational support, and organizational consultation.

A Psychologist who is Certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) must have expertise in the following areas:

• Essential functions of police and public safety organizations and personnel,
• Knowledge of the working conditions unique to specific occupations,
• Common and novel stressors inherent in public safety work,
• Normal and abnormal adaptation to occupational stress and trauma,
• Research pertinent to resilience and recovery in public safety personnel, and
• The unique aspects of confidentiality and testimonial privilege when providing services to public safety personnel and/or agencies.

Board certification in Police and Public Safety Psychology is provided by the American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP), a specialty board of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). For more details, go to www.abpp.org.

Why Should My Agency Choose a Psychologist Certified in Police and Public Safety by the ABPP?

Psychological evaluation and consulting services for public safety agencies are highly specialized forensic activities that place substantial demands on the organizations seeking such services and the providers offering them. Opportunity lies within our ability, as the expert-contractor, to ensure your agency is equipped to navigate the confusing and complex landscape that surrounds employment, public safety, and risk management. Our certification ensures that our practices are in line with the most current laws, ethics and regulations related to this highly specialized field.