Carbon, Monroe and Pike counties have joined together to help first responders in recognition and response to emergencies involving mental illness.

Often, officers are not just dealing with a criminals, but rather with people with a mental health issue, substance use or intellectual disability.

The Crisis Intervention Team program is offered through the Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health and Developmental Services to train first responders with the “Memphis Model.” This model helps to improve their response to people experiencing a mental health crisis.

Tiffany Rex, the outreach and Crisis Intervention Team program coordinator, said, “The people CIT helps are community members, family members and neighbors, people we love and care for every day. We support them as well as law enforcement and we want them to be safe. We want to bridge the gap between 911/law-enforcement and treatment.”

The “Memphis Model” started in 1988 and is a certified 40-hour training course used throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Carbon, Monroe and Pike counties established their program in 2010 using this model. The training includes role play for de-escalation techniques and situational judgment.

With Hearing Voices Simulation training, participants wear headphones and hear a narration of how a person with a mental health disability may be thinking as he or she goes through daily tasks.

“This really puts things into perspective with psychosis, schizophrenia and hallucinations.” Rex said.

More than 30 law enforcement officers, including police and probation officers, a fire captain and EMS chief have been trained in the last two years and a third training this year. All training is voluntary.

“It’s a game changer to have law-enforcement as part of our team,” Rex said.

Detective William Parrish, the Criminal Investigations Division of the Monroe County Office of the District Attorney, Stroudsburg, is a CIT coordinator for the three counties.

“The goal is to improve and unify the response system and team.” Parrish said and added that every county in Pennsylvania has 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Lehighton Police Department Detective Matt Arner completed the training in 2018.

“This training is extremely important as a lot of our calls pertain to mental health issues, addiction or dual diagnoses,” Arner said. “We want the best tools in our tool kit in dealing with people in crisis.”

Arner explained that these tools also are useful when talking to victims of crime or someone who has been in a car accident, both of which are traumatizing. He teaches two of the modules, one on de-escalation and one on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

There are many courses available including “Mental Health First Aid,” a suicide prevention training called “Self Talk,” courses on helping children, talking to the public, and “Intro to Mental Health Providers,” to name a few. For more information on the courses, go to the website www.cmpmhds.org or contact Rex at 570-420-3407 ext. 3407.

CIT strives to provide understanding of mental health crises, as well as developmental disability or substance use to help de-escalate situations with first responders.

When calling 911, a request can be made for an officer trained in handling situations with people with these issues.

CIT operates on grants and donations. Anyone who would like to make a donation to help cover the cost of trainings can send checks to Pocono Mountains United Way in Stroudsburg with “CIT Program” in the memo.