NCJ Number
56494
Journal
PSYCHIATRIC NURSING AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Dated: (FEBRUARY 1977) Pages: 25-29
Date Published
1977
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A HALF-DAY CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING PROGRAM BASED ON ROLE PLAYING IS DESCRIBED AS IT WAS DEVELOPED BY TWO LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND THE LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH CENTER IN BOULDER COUNTY, COLO.
Abstract
A FAMILY DISTURBANCE CALL INVOLVES TWO OR MORE FAMILY MEMBERS DURING WHICH POLICE ASSISTANCE IS REQUESTED. POLICE CONSIDER THIS AN IMPORTANT PROBLEM DUE TO THE PHYSICAL DANGER POSSIBLE TO THE INVOLVED OFFICERS, THE UNPREDICTABLE SITUATION, AND THE AMOUNT OF POLICE TIME REQUIRED TO RESOLVE SUCH A CALL. IN THE CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING PROGRAM (CIT) DESCRIBED, ATTENTION WAS GIVEN TO THE 4 WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM GIVEN BY MORTON BARD IN A NEW YORK PRECINCT FROM 1967-69. THE BOULDER COUNTY, COLO., CRISIS-TRAINING PROGRAM GREW OUT OF PREVIOUS CONTACTS BETWEEN THE LOCAL POLICE AGENCIES AND THE MENTAL HEALTH CENTER (MHC). THE TRAINING SESSIONS FOR THE TWO LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED WERE HELD IN THE MHC. TRAINING SESSIONS BEGAN EARLY IN THE MORNING AND CONTINUED FOR A HALF-DAY. A ROLE-PLAYING FORMAT WAS USED. THE TYPICAL TRAINING SESSION BEGAN WITH BRIEF INTRODUCTIONS OF THE MHC STAFF AND THE POLICE OFFICERS. THE CIT LEADER EXPLAINED THE FORMAT OF THE TRAINING SESSION BUT GAVE NO DIDACTIC MATERIAL EXCEPT A LIST OF SUGGESTIONS FOR RESOLVING CRISIS SITUATIONS FORMULATED IN THE BARD STUDY. TO BEGIN THE ROLE PLAYING, THE ONE OR TWO OFFICERS WHO WERE TO INTERVENE IN THE CRISIS LEFT THE ROOM. WHEN A CRISIS SITUATION HAD DEVELOPED IN THE SKIT, THE EXCUSED OFFICERS WERE CALLED BACK TO INTERVENE. THE SKITS USED WERE TAKEN FROM ACTUAL CASE HISTORIES OF CRISIS SITUATIONS. FOLLOWING THE OFFICERS' RESPONSES TO THE SITUATION, THEIR BEHAVIOR WAS CRITIQUED BY THE CLASS. A VIDEO TAPE UNIT WAS USED TO RECORD THE SKIT TO ENABLE THE INTERVENING OFFICERS TO OBSERVE WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THEY BECAME INVOLVED AND TO RECEIVE AN OBSERVER'S PERSPECTIVE ON HOW THEY PERFORMED. TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF THE CIT, A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS CIRCULATED AMONG THE OFFICERS OF THE PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS. THE CIT WAS SUCCESSFUL IN TWO WAYS: IT INCREASED OFFICERS' SATISFACTION WITH THE WAY FAMILY PROBLEMS WERE RESOLVED IN ACTUAL FIELD SITUATIONS, AND (2) IT INCREASED OFFICERS' PERCEIVED PREDICTABILITY OF FAMILY DISTURBANCE CALLS. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)