Vastly accomplished in the areas of mental health, forensic mental health, crisis intervention, and criminal justice, Kimberly W. Butler, PhD, believes part of the secret to her success is her flexibility. As the owner of Blue Line Wellness and the director of Health and Wellness for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in New York, she responds to critical incidents, oversees the peer support team, works to normalize mental health and wellness, and remains available at all hours if officers need to talk to her.
Throughout her career, Dr. Butler realized she wanted to support law enforcement and help officers perform their duties safely and effectively. To this end, she founded Blue Line Wellness, through which she contracts with police departments to conduct mandated wellness checks or respond to officers’ requests. In addition to these responsibilities, she facilitates training sessions and helps establish wellness programs. Among her many professional achievements, Dr. Butler is most proud of making the concept of wellness within Monroe County law enforcement an openly discussed subject. Noting the tragic prevalence of suicide in the law enforcement field, she is heartened that officers now feel comfortable reaching out to her at all hours for support, even in the middle of the night.
Dr. Butler studied at the University of Rochester, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1997 and a Master of Science in human development in 1998. Following these degrees, she continued her higher education at Nazareth University, obtaining a Master of Social Work in 2006. Later, in 2022, she graduated from Alliant International University with a Doctor of Philosophy in public policy and law. For her immense contributions to her field and the law enforcement community, Dr. Butler received a Distinguished Service Award from the FBI in 2016 and was honored with a Civilian of the Year Award from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in 2022. Earlier in her career, the National Institutes of Health recognized her with a Community Service Award.
Outside of working to improve the mental health and wellness of law enforcement professionals, Dr. Butler loves attending her son’s sporting events, walking her dog, and staying active through biking, swimming, running, and other exercises.
