CIT TRAINING FOR TELECOMMUNICATORSJada Lee, Senior Operations Supervisor, VB911

Kathleen Boone, Senior Operations Supervisor, VB911Cheryl St John, LPC

MPO Andrea Bryk, VBPD

VB 911 OBJECTIVEImprove Coordination Among Resources

• Police Departments• Mental Health Resources• Hospital Systems• Jails• 911• Community Relations

PARTNERSHIPSPoliceSheriff’s DepartmentMental HealthIt is extremely important to build and

maintain relationships with these partners for the CIT program to be successful

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Virginia Beach CIT CoalitionCoalition of Agencies dedicated to assisting

people with mental illnesses comprised of: GovernmentLaw EnforcementJudiciaryAdvocatesCitizens and ConsumersHealth CareMental HealthLocal and Regional Resources

VB C I T HISTORYWhy and How CIT Concept BeganHow CIT for Telecommunicators Began

9-1-1 Point of Contact9-1-1 is routinely the point of contact for

consumers and their families when there is a crisis situation

Develop a guide for call takers to follow on what information is pertinent to obtain for CIT calls

Provide the same information to consumers and their families so they will know what information to provide to the call taker when calling 9-1-1

Creating a CIT ProgramDevelop Core Training Team for your 9-1-1

AgencyAssign Liaison to the CIT Leadership Team

for your jurisdictionInvite staff from Public Safety, Mental Health

and other subject matter experts to assist in the 9-1-1 training

Core Training Team Discuss with CIT Leadership Team the

current training in place or being developed for CIT Team Members

Core Training Team to begin gathering information used by Law Enforcement in your jurisdiction

Have Core Training Team attend Law Enforcement Training to assist in the development of 9-1-1 Training

Implementation of ProgramDevelop Curriculum with assistance of Public

Safety and Mental Health Partners Arrange with Public Safety Partners to attend

training and assist with presentationsOpen Communication with 9-1-1 Leadership

Team

AGENDA An 8 hour block of instruction includes 0800- 0815 Introductions0815-0930 Overview of CIT (VB911) 0930-0945 Break0945-1030 Suicide Prevention ( Guest Speaker)1030-1200 Hearing Voices Exercise (VB911 and Mental

Health)1200-1300 Lunch1300-1430 Overview of Clinical States (Mental Health) 1430-1445 Break1445-1545 PTSD (Guest Speaker)1545-1615 Guest Speakers from VBPD and NAMI1615-1700 Role Plays

VB 9-1-1 CIT Training Objectives Objectives of the VB9-1-1 CIT Training

Understand the need for the development and implementation of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), and define the goals and objectives of the Virginia Beach Crisis Intervention Team

Explain basic definitions and the fundamentals of CIT Training

Describe commonly encountered types of Serious Mental Illness (SMI)Identify symptoms and behaviors of SMI

VB 9-1-1 CIT Training Objectives Describe specific strategies to use when dealing

with a person experiencing a mental health crisis

Define how psychiatric and substance use disorders interact (Co-Occurring disorders)

Describe the role of psychotropic medications used in the treatment of SMI

Identify persons at risk for suicide, define specific areas of concern regarding the risk assessment of suicidal persons, and describe appropriate intervention techniques for dealing with suicidal persons

VB 9-1-1 CIT TrainingPost Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Define PTSD and recognize common symptoms.

Gain a better understanding of the thinking, emotions, and behavioral challenges of individuals with PTSD in crisis situations.

History, signs and symptoms, diagnostic criteria, resistance to seeking help, and treatment

PTSD is the most prevalent mental illness encountered among military members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan

VB 9-1-1 CIT TrainingCIT Fundamentals

9-1-1 routinely becomes the point of contact for consumers and their families when there is a crisis situation

The Telecommunicator will initially be the first responder with access to information that will be critical for successful intervention

SAFETY IS ALWAYS FIRST! Telecommunicators must maintain communication and identify safety concerns Safety of the responders Safety for the community Safety for the person in crisis

VB 9-1-1 CIT TrainingCIT Fundamentals

The CIT officer must make a close connection with the person in crisis in order to work effectively with them, but this connection comes second to officer safety

If what the Telecommunicator hears makes them believe that the person in crisis may cross a safety boundary, it is critical that the officer immediately be made aware of these concerns

VB 9-1-1 CIT TrainingRecommend use of the “Hearing Voices”

programRole Playing Stigma Exercise

VB 9-1-1 CIT TrainingIt may never have occurred to you that the words

LISTEN and SILENT are both spelled with the same letters

VB 9-1-1 CIT TrainingCommonly encountered types of Serious

Mental Illness (SMI)Psychotic Disorders

Overview of schizophrenia Mood Disorders

Overview of Bipolar Disorder Personality Disorders

Two main types of PD, anti-social/borderline Anxiety Disorders

Overview OCD, hoarding, panic disorder

Data Collection

Work with your Public Safety Partners to assist with Data Collection GrantsUse of Force ReportsProgram Success

Policy and ProcedurePolicy and Procedure for CIT call handling

Police9-1-1

VB 9-1-1 CIT ResourcesVirginia Beach Mental Health Substance Abuse

Emergency Services 385-0888National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-

TALK (8255)Norfolk – Crisis Link – a 24/7 crisis hot line 757-

622-1126Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center 757-627-LIFE

(5433)

Contact InformationJada Lee- Virginia Beach 9-1-1

jlee@vbgov.comKathleen Boone-Virginia Beach 9-1-1

klboone@vbgov.comCheryl St John- Emergency Services

cstjohn@vbgov.comAndrea Bryk-Virginia Beach Police Department

abryk@vbgov.com