Areas of Experience

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Dr. Stiehm received an Educational Doctorate from Argosy University, where the focus of his research was campus safety and security. Dr. Stiehm’s research focused on the less transit population of faculty, and their individual perceptions of safety/security as opposed to the transitional student population, which rotates every 9-12 months at least. Out of his research Dr. Stiehm has published articles and has been interviewed on topics related to campus safety, security and law enforcement. Dr. Stiehm holds a Masters of Art’s from Saint Mary’s University in Psychological Services and Counseling, which was conferred in the Spring of 2023. Prior to his graduation Dr. Stiehm spent time at Prairie Center treatment as an intern, working in a residential treatment facility. Dr. Stiehm also has a Master’s Degree of Criminal Justice from Central Missouri State University, and a Bachelor’s of Science from Wayne State College, Nebraska.  Dr. Stiehm has additional attended and received a CLS designation from the Americans for the Effectiveness of Law Enforcement a non-profit organization that focuses on the legal aspect of use of force. I have served as a police officer in three states (CA, MN and NE), and I keep current on law enforcement trends.  I review Policeone, Officer.com, Law Officer Magazine, FBI Bulletin and other magazines to maintain relevancy in law enforcement trends. I additionally attended regular law enforcement trainings to keep my skills current. Dr. Stiehm currently holds an valid/active Minnesota Peace Officer License and retired from service from the Clearbrook Police Department in July 2024. 

Dr. Stiehm has maintained employment with Nystrom and Associates now Sagent as an Out-Patient Clinical Trainee/Pre Licensed Therapist. In his capacity as a therapist (pre-licensed) Dr. Stiehm sees all manner of clients to include those who are on felon and misdemeanor probation, and parole. Dr. Stiehm is one of a handful of therapist with Nystrom and Associates that works with Sex Offenders, and Criminals. Since starting working at Nystrom and Associates Dr. Stiehm has had approximately 400+ clients come through his office door, and of those he is reviewing records to determine the amount of those who are connected in some capacity to a court matter (child protection/adult protection/civil commitment or criminal) to determine the percentage of clients that sees, as well as to have a statistical understand of those clients, diagnosis, and dispositions. Of the estimated 400+ clients, Dr. Stiehm (I) would estimate he has completed approximately 80% of the diagnostic assessments on the clients mentioned above. 

Dr. Stiehm is an advocate for mental health for and of law enforcement officers. Dr. Stiehm started a boutique mental therapy firm that works specifically with those working in law enforcement/criminal justice and corrections. The firm Minnesota Blue Line Therapy and Haberdashery is the third criminal justice related business Dr. Stiehm has started with the expressed interest of support those within the first responder community. Dr. Stiehm is listed on Pearson Assessments website as being able to get Level A, B and C assessments. Dr. Stiehm has gone through extensive research in the following juvenile areas; Mental Health as it relates to Probation Officers, Foundational Juvenile Mental Health Issues with Technology, Placement Issues and complete issues related to probation. Dr. Stiehm also keeps research into police related mental health issues using search terms using the following Boolean terms PTSD + Police, Police + PTSD + Treatment, Police + Substance Use, and Police + Suicide within the academic realms finding around 180 publications. Dr. Stiehm has conducted research using Clinical Trials the government research site, finding around 300 related studies under Drugs, Behavioral, Medical Device, and Other techniques measured, and monitored by the federal government, and the FDA and other trials. As part of his experiences with Minnesota Blue Line Therapy – he will be speaking on the following topics with the Justice Clearing House - Recorded Webinar Release Date: Monday, June 29: Understanding Moral Injury, Depression, and Cops,

Recorded Webinar Release Date: Monday, Aug 24:  Understanding PTSD and Officers, Live Webinar: Thurs, Oct 22, 3p ET: Anxiety and Force: The Consequences, Realities and Aftermath.

As of 01.12.2026, Dr. Stiehm has completed his Direct and In-direct contact hours as required by the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health. Dr. Stiehm has completed all his requirements for licensure, to include the National Licensing Exam which was taken and passed on 01.12.2026 background check and the only thing that is outstanding and the only part left is pending approval from the BBHT for a License Professional Clinical Counselor. Dr. Stiehm sees all types of clients; from borderline personality, anxiety, general anxiety, depression, substance abuse, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, potential sex offenders disorders, as well as family, and couples counseling.

Since being employed by Nystrom and Associates, now Sagent Behavioral Health, Dr. Stiehm has attended over 200 hrs of professional development commonly referred to as continuing education in areas related to therapy, law enforcement, criminal justice, threat assessment, and various other programs in 2025. Some of those programs have been through Sagent Behavioral Health, and others have been on his own accord, and expense to round out his pro-licensed professional education. Specifically and more pointily Dr. Stiehm has attended the following; What Makes Narcissistic Personalities Disorders and Their Partners Hard to Diagnosis, Internal Family Systems, Powerful Gottman Method Couples Training, Basic Accelerated Resolution Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, MACH-II Challenges in Assessing Complex Teens, Anxiety Disorders Look-Alikes: Understanding Symptoms of Anxiety, as We head Back to School, Master Differential Diagnosis with the DSM5 TR A Symptoms Based Approaching, Working with Clients in Family Court What you Need to Know, Clarifying the Confusing Truth About BPD and Depression, DBT Skills for non DBT Therapists, ACT Therapy Activating Psychological Flexibility, and other local level CEU’s.

Dr. Stiehm has served as a police officer in three states (CA, MN and NE), he keeps current on law enforcement trends he conducted an 8-month study with Columbia Heights Police Department (MN) on Community Policing. Dr. Stiehm and the CHPD published the study and wrote an article that was accepted into the International Association of Chiefs of Police Magazine. Dr. Stiehm was a former a member of ILEETA. Dr. Stiehm recently exited full time law enforcement working as Police Officer for the White Earth Tribal Police on the White Earth Indian Reservation. As part of that full time work, he was the lead trainer for the agency in Use of Force classroom, and hands on tactics (except firearms). Dr. Stiehm retired as after working part time for Clearbrook Police Department and formally retired from the agency in July 2024. Dr. Stiehm has worked full time as an Adult Protection Investigator assigned to Hennepin County Department of Social Services working during the transition of Minnesota State Statutes on Adult Protection Laws.

Dr. Stiehm had an internship with PrairieCare Residential which dealt with youths 10-18 who are dealing with a variety of clinical diagnosis to include PTSD, anxiety, depression, self injury and self harm. Dr. Stiehm currently works full time at Nystrom Counseling in Minnesota. In his position there he works with PTSD, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, and a host of other disorders. Dr. Stiehm completed a Prolonged Exposure Therapy Training taught under the model at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety. Dr. Stiehm has also attended and received training in Basic Accelerated Resolution Therapy. Dr. Stiehm has also attended Motivational Interviewing, Clarifying the Confusing Truth about BPD and Depression, Working with Clients in Family Court, DBT for Non-DBT Clinical Professionals.

Dr. Stiehm was a full time law enforcement program coordinator at a Minnesota Professional Peace Officer Education Provider. Dr. Stiehm also works part-time as a small town police officer in Northern Minnesota. Dr. Stiehm over sees curriculum development, recruitment, retention of faculty, and students. Dr. Stiehm keeps current on all trends pertaining to the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board learning objectives. In the capacity as a full time coordinator he has regular contact with law enforcement professionals, across Minnesota, the mid-west and the United States. Dr. Stiehm has presented in front of the Minnesota on at least three different occasion on various topics related to law enforcement training, accreditation and the creation of a law enforcement academic component. Dr. Stiehm in his capacity as the Law Enforcement Coordinator has provided for, and coordinated approximately 66 professionals development (law enforcement trainings) to be held on the campus where is full time employed. In calendar years 2017, through 2023, Dr. Stiehm has attended an approximate total of 2231 hours of law enforcement training, professional development and continuing education, this amount does not include the aforementioned approximately 200 hours. 

Dr. Stiehm has instructed police officers and other professionals in the areas of; peace officer rights, child abuse, use of force, leadership and interviewing for continuing education credit. He is recognized as a subject matter expert in tribal law enforcement where he focused on the disparity of Native American Officers versus Non-Native Officers serving tribal land; he also focused on general training issues in Indian Country Law Enforcement. Dr. Stiehm is also a recognized authority in use of force, corrections use of force, general police practices, training trends, and other standards. Dr. Stiehm has served as a police practices expert with local (MN) based law firms. Dr. Stiehm has also been retained in Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Indiana and New York to provide "expert" opinions for use of force in federal court. Dr. Stiehm has additionally provided reports in Kentucky. Dr. Stiehm also provided support to Saint Paul Union and Officer Matt Gorans termination. Dr. Stiehm also has submitted reports to federal court for various police use of force cases. Dr. Stiehm has reviewed cases for; also consulted on campus 1st Amendment/Protest Issues surrounding Palestine, corrections use of force, practices and protocol. Dr. Stiehm keeps up on issues facing the Minneapolis Police Department, and law enforcement trends impacting Minnesota. Dr. Stiehm provided the voice for Minnesota Law Enforcement for KSTP Channel Five for an hour-long session on Pattern and Practice related to Use of Force and City of Minneapolis. Dr. Stiehm spends his free time conducting research proactively into the Derek Chauvin use of force incident/event, mental issues and law enforcement, and overall law enforcement trends surrounding modern policing. In the coming 2026 year Dr. Stiehm will be presenting at the AELE Conference on Jail and Prisoner Operational and Legal Issues. Additionally Dr. Stiehm will be presenting in Appleton Wisconsin on the topic of Mental Health for a Courts Security Conference hosted by Fox Valley Technical College. For those interested in virtual sessions Dr. Stiehm will be doing at least three sessions with Justice Clearing House.

Dr. Stiehm has spoken at various conferences within the past two years purely addressing mental health issues, specifically the Minnesota Counseling Association Conference, the Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Conference, on topics related to therapist working with first responders. Dr. Stiehm also has presented webinars on Anxiety for the Justice Clearing House where over 1000+ people signed up for the session (virtual/recorded), Dr. Stiehm also spoke at the Fraternal Order of Police Wellness Conference ,and was invited to speak at the Minnesota Emergency Management Conference in the fall of 2025. 

To maintain professional competency within the past 12 months Dr. Stiehm has joined the following professional associations; Minnesota Psychological Association as an Associate Member, American Association of Suicidology, Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys Assoc. of Family and Conciliation Courts – Member Assoc. of Family -Conciliation Courts MN Chapter -Member, American Probation and Parole Association – Individual Member, Minnesota Juvenile Officers Association – Member, Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers – Member, Minnesota Corrections Association Member – Member, International Society of Accelerated Resolution Therapy – member, Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapists- Associate Member, and Minnesota Counseling Association – Member. I was a member of ILEETA, I have been an Associate Member of the IACP, Police Executive Research Forum Subscribing Member and former supporting Member of the MN Chiefs Association, and FBI LEEDA. Dr. Stiehm has sat as an advisory board member of the Clery Center.   Dr. Stiehm has been a member of Midwest Criminal Justice Association, Minnesota INFRAGard, and other organizations which support professional growth. 

Dr. Stiehm related to use of force training has attended and received instructor certification from the following; Axon Taser Instructor Certification, SPEAR Level II, Blue Shield Tactical Patrol Knife Course, Controlled FORCE Level I and II, LOCK-Up, ASP Handcuff/Batons, ASP Integrated Use of Force Instructor Class, PepperBall Use of Force Instructor, NLETC Use of Force Certifications, SABRE Use of Force Instructor, LOCKUP Managing, and Tracking Use of Force, FLETC Active Shooter Instructor Training Program, SPEAR LEVEL I, Pressure Point and Control Tactics, Minneapolis Community College Use of Force Instructor, RAD-Systems, FLETC Use of Force Instructor Program (16hrs), and AELE Lethal and Less Lethal Training Programs. Which resulted in Certified Litigation Specialist through AELE. Dr. Stiehm also recently attended the Federal Bureau of Investigations basic crisis negotiators course in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Dr. Stiehm was part of a small cadre of officers from around the region that were allowed to attend. Dr. Stiehm attended the 80hrs FLETC Use of Force Instructor Training Program in September 2022 in Pierre, South Dakota.

Dr. Stiehm also has worked as an adjunct instructor for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center out of Glynco, Georgia. Dr. Stiehm also held the distinction of holding the professional credentials CLS through AELE, he has attended numerous other force training programs. Dr. Stiehm has consulted with LAAW International on the use of force, body worn camera and other related model policies. Dr. Stiehm routinely provides feedback to this policy group on use of force model policies. Dr. Stiehm can be found on Linkedin.com. Dr. Stiehm has authored articles in POLICEONE, CORRECTIONSONE, Law Officer Magazine, ILEETA Journal, and the IACP Magazine. Dr. Stiehm was a contract instructor with Blue Shield Tactical in the topics of Corrections Use of Force and Management, and 21st Century Use of Force Investigations. Dr. Stiehm self publishes articles on Linkedin on a variety of topics. Dr. Stiehm spoke at the 2025 Fraternal Order of Police Wellness Summit on Anxiety. Dr. Stiehm has submitted courses to a variety of professional conferences on mental health to include the COPS Conference, and IACP.

Dr. Stiehm created, operated, coordinated, and funded the Minnesota Law Enforcement Wellness Summit in November 2024 and November 2025, planning for November 2026. Coordinating 3 national level keynote speakers, and 10 other plenary speakers on the topics related to mental health. Dr. Stiehm marketed the conference to all Minnesota law enforcement officer(s), agencies, and various therapists through a nine month period leading up to the event. Dr. Stiehm ran the budget, and was able to increase review, create sponsorships, as well a bring in a total sales of 16,000.00, and 3000.00 of marketing sponsorships. Dr. Stiehm also was able to get the entire training through each of the various licensing boards for continuing education credit. Dr. Stiehm related to the conference conducted a research project that is pending publication. Dr. Stiehm is hoping to have this be a yearly conference, he is currently in the planning process for 2025. The 2025 Minnesota Law Enforcement Wellness Summit has (1) keynote, and 9 other break out speakers/and guest lectures. Dr. Stiehm was able to get an increase of 20% enrollments from last year, as well as getting more sponsor. Dr. Stiehm is already planning for the conference 2026 year.

Historically Dr. Stiehm presented to the Park Law Enforcement Association on Use of Force, and also has presented at the College and University Police Investigators Conferences on Use of Force which is held in Washington D.C. Dr. Stiehm presented at the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators on the Implications of Force on a College Campus. As is specifically relates to ECW/ECD/Tasers – Dr. Stiehm has attended numerous hours of training hosted by AELE, Force Science, and Taser International on the weapons platform, and use. To include best practices, and preferred practices. Dr. Stiehm reviews ECD.info on a regular basis and is in contact with officials at Axon (Taser) International on updates related to the weapons system. Dr. Stiehm conducts regular academic, and scholar searches on projects/reports that deal with ECW’s. Dr. Stiehm has even taken a five second Taser deployment as part of his instructor training. Dr. Stiehm was one of two people whom volunteer for this exposure at his instructor level training. 

Dr. Stiehm was also interviewed at the 2012 ILEETA Conference by Sgt. Betsy Bartner Smith on the topic of Child Abuse Investigation which was made available on November 21st, 2012 on the Policeone Academy page.  He also authored a companion piece which was published on Policone.com. Dr. Stiehm is currently an expert contributor for Policeone. He has had an article with IACLEA Journal on Use of Force by Non-Sworn Personnel. Dr. Stiehm also wrote an article dealing with use of force by non-sworn park law enforcement agents which was published on two different websites. He also serves as a Co-Editor and contributor for the Journal of Law Enforcement. Dr. Stiehm had a featured article in the ILEETA Journal on Police Use of Force and Minnesota’s looking at best practices. Additionally, he is working on a second article for ILEETA on the topic of Tasers and appropriate application of the weapons system. As well as a variety of articles, and personal research relating to police practices, and use of force. He currently moderates two different professional groups on Linkedin.com the first is the Minnesota Law Enforcement Network and the second is Law Enforcement Experts. 

Dr. Stiehm has sent his dissertation which deals with Campus Safety and Security to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Minnesota Office of Higher Education Larry Pogemiller, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker for review to help make decisions on issues impacting campus safety and security.  Dr. Stiehm was interviewed by Policeone.com at the 2013 ILEETA Conference for Campus Security Use of Force, and review of complex child abuse cases using the Jerry Sandusky case as a case study. Dr. Stiehm was interviewed at the 2014 ILEEA Conference on Mentoring, Leadership, Use of Force Reporting, Campus Law Enforcement and Federal Oversight. Dr. Stiehm also was interviewed at the 2015 ILEETA Conference for Policeone on a variety of topics to include police use of force as a result of the high profile incident that have occurred in the past year. Dr. Stiehm in 2015 also taught approximately 50 Officers at the St. Louis County Police Academy in the wake of police accountability issues relating to use of force. 

Most notably and recently related to law enforcement/criminal justice training and education Dr. Stiehm has presented at the IACLEA International Conference, Montreal (2014), American Correctional Conference, (2009), International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Conference (2009, 2011 and 2012), MN IACLEA Conference (2011), and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (2011).  He has also presented at local conferences to include the Minnesota Career College Association (2008, 2010, and 2011), and a local conference of the Park Law Enforcement Association sponsored by Three Rivers Park District Police Department.  Dr. Stiehm is planning to speak at the FRALLC – Law Enforcement Risk Management Conference (2017), on Tasers and Use of Force. Dr. Stiehm was also invited to the United State Department of Justice Sentinel Events Initiative – Stakeholder Meeting – June 2017. As part of his contract experience with Blue Shield Tactical Dr. Stiehm has traveled to Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas to train correction officers on the use of force, and conducting investigations into the use of force.

Dr. Stiehm has provided written reports to the United States District Courts with courtrooms in Indianapolis, Minneapolis, New York, and North Dakota in support of civil actions for police use of force. Dr. Stiehm also provided support to the St. Paul Police Federation in support of an officer’s employment action against the city of St. Paul. Dr. Stiehm is conducting his own research into MN Use of Force policies, and correctional officers use of force. Dr. Stiehm also conducted research into the mental health of law enforcement officers in preparation for the 2024 Minnesota Law Enforcement Wellness Summit. Dr. Stiehm has provided written reports for other federal civil rights cases where Taser (ECD/ECW) was the primary weapons system used in the excessive force allegation/claim before the court. Dr. Stiehm has submitted the following documents as an police practices profession (aka Rule 26 Expert or consulting expert).