1. Law Enforcement, Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Crisis Intervention: How do we bridge the gap?
Perri Hooper, BS, CIT-AD
Michelle Wade, Ed.D., LCPC (MD), LPC (VA), NCC, ACS BC-TMH
As an intern, we wonder are we doing all the right things, and I think our worst fear (at least mine) is what do I do if all hell breaks loose with a client.
What’s been coming up for me and other interns as they are experiencing the field and seeing more and more clients, there are concerns.
What are our crisis resources and what are our options?

2. Who’s in the room?

3. Learning Objectives
-The attendees will gain knowledge about current events that mental health professionals and law enforcement have stake in.
-The attendees will gain knowledge about the progression of law enforcement training, protocols and current policy and law implications, and will brainstorm ways clinicians, officers and other advocates can facilitate necessary change.
-The attendees will learn about how current trainings and curriculums are instilling ethical and multicultural competencies to professionals in both fields.

4. Purpose
Today, we are surrounded by crises, interpersonal conflicts and crisis inducing events. Counselors cannot face this epidemic alone. We need the help of law enforcement. We need to work collaboratively with law enforcement to provide the best care to our clients and communities. There are programs being implemented to improve competencies, how can we further bridge the gap as counselors?
Mental Health Crises: Mass Shootings
Blacksburg, Virginia
Tucson, Arizona
Aurora, Colorado
Newtown, Connecticut
Parkland, Florid
Policy Implications: Red Flag Laws
What do they all have in common? Why is this important when talking about Law Enforcement, Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Crisis Intervention?
Media Portrayal of Mental Health

5. Our ethical code: Nonmaleficence Beneficence Fidelity Justice
Ethical Principles
Nonmaleficence
Beneficence
Fidelity
Justice
Ethical principles of nonmaleficience, beneficience, fidelity, and justice all come into play. Obviously do no harm in that we are trying to protect as many individuals as possible and keep a community safe. Beneficience by doing good - possibly through training officers or advocacy, or even participating in crisis response teams. Fidelity - honoring our commitments - to community, the profession, to our clients who may be involved in such situations. Justice - helping treat people fairly - from a cultural standpoint as well as a mental health perspective - what do these individuals need to de-escalate possibly?

6. Our ethical code: Multicultural Competency
Multicultural competencies - A.2.c. (B.1.a) - let’s look at how culture/race play into treatment in situations - perhaps we can also help train officers on cultural competencies and help eliminate/reduce fear of certain individuals. Also, we need to understand the culture of law enforcement in and of itself. Also, C.5

7. Our ethical code: Advocacy Codes Pro bono publico
Interdisciplinary considerations
A.7. - Advocacy - for clients and well-being, promoting mental health awareness, training and understanding
C.6.e. - pro bono publico
Interdisciplinary - D.1.c, D.1.d.

8. Counseling vs Law Enforcement Training

9. Counselors Mental Health Workers
Licensed at a state by state level
Moving towards licensure portability?
CACREP standards: learning environment, professional counseling identity, professional practice, evaluations, entry level specialty areas, doctoral standards.
Continuing Education Units
How are we trained?

10. Police Officers Special Agents Detectives School Resource Officers
There are state and federal levels of police academies.
Minimum physical and academic standards
Must pass background checks, polygraphs, psychological evaluations, firearm and driving skills, drug screenings.
Basic and in-service trainings
Jurisdictional code of ethics
Specialty trainings
Crisis Intervention Teams
How are they trained?

11. Police-based police response, which involves specially trained police officers;
Police- based mental health response, which involves mental health clinicians working as civilian employees of the police department
Mental health–based mental health response, which involves partnerships with mobile mental health teams that are part of a community mental health center
Crisis Response Teams
How do our fields overlap?

12. Crisis Intervention Team
5 “Legs” to the CIT Model
Police Training
Community Collaboration
Vibrant and Accessible Crisis System
Behavioral Health Staff Training
Family Consumers and Advocates
(CIT International Inc., 2015)

13. Bridging the Gap Recommendations from the literature
What are your thoughts?
How can we advocate for change? Training processes? More collaboration?
Recommendations from the literature
Addressing systemic factors: fragmentation of mental health care, lack of mental health insurance coverage, disparities in coverage for certain mental health diagnoses, limited geographic distribution of mental health workforce, limitations of socioeconomic factors (Hirschtritt & Binder, 2018) .
Address conflicts with media coverage (McGinty, Webster, Jarlenski & Barry, 2014).
Provide trainings for law enforcement