1. CIT: Tell Me What To Do! Deputy Vanessa Williams,
Berrien County Sheriff Dep
Gretchen Carlson, MA LLP,
Jail Diversion, Riverwood Center
Introduction-
Gretchen to introduce Vanessa

2. CIT Development from a Mental Health Perspective
Keep relevant?
Sell program to officers, community, and chiefs
Improve officers perspectives
Reduce Stigma
Improve safety
Community
Officer
The answer?.... Develop Narratives
One officers narrative journey through CIT
Gretchen-
2015 Grant
Challenges of selling mental health approach to police training
April- team to Chicago 40 hr training 5 dep 1 dispatch supervisor
So what do we do? (The answer- swipe officer narratives)
Define Narratives- consumer panel
family panel
officer experience

3. Prior to CIT Training, Mental Health Calls were:
Chaotic
Confusing
Ineffective
Frustrating
Unpredictable
Repetitive
Vanessa-
(describe mental health calls from your perspective and other officers).
I was dealing with mental health crisis at home I felt helpless to resolve. I felt ineffective on mental health complaints. What answers could I give?
I was very familiar with the petition process, it was repetitive in my personal life
I was searching for someTHING, but did not know what that THING was~ the missing piece to the puzzle.
Vanessa pause- advance slide
Obj 3- mental illness impact on officer work, life, family, community and legislature

4. Pre-CIT 2015 Chosen by Captain to participate in CIT
My personal expectations of CIT when asked to participate~
Interest from a personal & professional level
Improve support to people on calls
Provide better direction for care
For caller or family
Avoid tragedy
How does “serve and protect” improve in a broken system?
Other reasons officers attend CIT~
Mandatory~ “Vol-un-told”
Career development
It’s free
Food
Break from the road
Safety ?
Vanessa (cover top personal reasons)
I had a professional interest, but also a personal interest in CIT. Personally, for me, it was to gain information, knowledge about mental illness to help my personal situation.
Professionally, once I had the knowledge I wanted to share it on complaints
That THING I was searching for… I was hoping I could get from CIT
CIT TELL ME WHAT TO DO
Gretchen (cover other reasons offiers attend)
Obj 1- what motivates an officer participation in CIT

5. Vanessa- provided backdrop to Greg prior to illness (pause)
Gretchen – Explain Slide layout
Vanessa- timelines of illness
Vanessa- (provide a progression of how your perceptions changed with the introduction of CIT in Chicago)
Compartmentalization- silos that do not interact. Leave work at work and home at home.
2008- Guardian
Greg's illness vs sons illness
Out poor of support for cancer Many people brought cards, food, and expressed concern regarding sons cancer
Donated comp time, miliary stipend.
Greg’s Mental illness- three people asked
Obj 3: mental illness impact on officer work, life, family, community and legislature

6. CIT: Why Tell My Story? CIT & Vanessa CIT & Greg
Learning the signs and symptoms of mental illness and side effects of different medication has helped me to better understand Greg’s illness. I am no longer harsh, judgemental, an critical towards anyone with a mental illness. With the training from CIT it has not only enhanced my personal life, but has given me extra skills for my job when making contact with consumers.
I am sharing my story as a person living with a mental illness to let you know there is hope. I am a person living with schizophrenia and have endured multiple crisis'. I found hope when I accepted the fact that I am a person living with a mental illness.
I found stability with education, taking my medication, and family support.
Vanessa:
My perception changed after I attended CIT in Chicago
Family Panel had a major impact on me. Observing the family panel, I realized that mental illness could affect anyone
Race, class, gender it didn’t matter
Up until this point I was living for the next crisis
I shared everything I learned at the training with Greg
Is this the THING?????
Obj 2 : professional and personal impact mental illness narratives on developing a CIT program

7. Why are CIT narratives important?
CIT Consumer and Family narratives broadened an understanding of mental illness, people get better. Disease can happen to anyone. CIT narratives help participants gain a better understanding of the signs and symptoms of mental illness. No longer ashamed of this person. I could apply CIT to my loved ones illness.
CIT lowered boundaries between work and personal. The message of CIT is that its okay to talk about it. It empowered him/us to know his illness.
Empowered me to share my own mental health narrative.
CIT Narratives provide an interaction when people are better.
Gretchen
Narratives allow officers to see people in recovery. Stable, working, coherent
Allows them to understand the chaos and heartbreak the family endures
Reduces officer stigma- “I owe some people an apology”.
Obj 1- gain the capacity to develop effective narratives for CIT training.
Obj 2- professional and personal impact mental illness narratives have on a developing CIT program

8. CLOSING QUESTIONS….. Thank you
Gretchen - Before we get into questions- Thank Vanessa & introduce Greg
Gretchen
I had no idea of her personal and family struggle
Vanessa was always poised, confident, profession, in control, & ethical
I have had the pleasure to met her husband Greg, and develop his narrative for the consumer panel, kind, considerate, insightful, dedicated, & hardworking
Introduce Greg
Dep Vanessa Williams, Berrien County Sheriff Department
Gretchen Carlson, MA LLP, Riverwood Center,