Mental Health Matters: Crisis Intervention Training – A Community Program

Chief Hartrum, left, and Judge Nellis.

Mental Health Matters: Crisis Intervention Training – A Community Program

By Lori Schummer, Director of Public Relations and Customer Services at WMCMH

West Michigan Community Mental Health has expanded its partnership with law enforcement to include a second Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training group. CIT is a 40-hour specialized course of classroom study and scenario-based training that helps develop cohesive partnerships across systems to secure an effective response to people experiencing a behavioral health crisis and help increase safety of officers in the community. 

Local law enforcement from Mason, Lake and Oceana counties are currently training in a variety of topics, including: 

-De-escalation skills and strategies

-Reduce trauma that people experience during a mental health crisis

-Diversion to mental health care

-Increase connections to effective and timely mental health services

-Dispatching mental health services

Community mental health advocates such as Mason County Probate Court Judge Jeffrey Nellis, Pentwater Police Chief Laude Hartrum and representatives of Corewell Health recently joined as presenters for the training. Many thanks to all our mental health advocates who are helping break the stigma.