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Our program going nation-wide

Basil

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As some of you know, I have been volunteering with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for going on 13 years now. Here in New Mexico, some of our folks have developed a "panel" consisting of a couple of peers (individuals in recovery with their own mental health diagnosis) and a couple of family caregivers. Most of these folks have had run-ins at one time or another with law enforcement. Anyway, our local police (as well as other LE agencies around the state) have been inviting our panel in as part of their official Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for police officers. Based on the glowing feedback we've gotten from LE members, this part of their training is having a real impact! The idea is to allow police officers who often have to respond to calls that involve mental illness to hear first hand from peers and family members about their lived-experience. The goal is to change attitudes and reduce stigma surrounding these illnesses.

Anyway, NAMI National heard about what we are doing in NM and want to make it a national NAMI program. Myself and a couple others are working with NAMI National to develop a training curriculum (part online and part in-person) that will eventually be rolled out for all the NAMI affiliates around the country to implement. Hopefully it will be incorporated into many more police CIT trainings around the country. New Mexico is going to be a "pilot" state to implement the curriculum and test it out with police trainings here before it is rolled out nationally. As you might imagine, we are very excited about this opportunity to possibly impact, in a positive way, police training with respect to how calls are handled that involve mental health issues.
 

NutmegCT

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Bravo! So glad to hear your program with LE is successful, and will be implemented further.

Law enforcement is called on to handle more more issues today than "law enforcement". The more training those professionals get in various non-violent issues, the better for all.

Good on you!
Tom M.
 
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Basil

Basil

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Bravo! So glad to hear your program with LE is successful, and will be implemented further.

Law enforcement is called on to handle more more issues today than "law enforcement". The more training those professionals get in various non-violent issues, the better for all.

Good on you!
Tom M.

One goal is to reduce the number tragedies that occur when LE have to engage with someone suffering with mental illness. The more they understand, for example how to talk to someone in the throws of a psychotic break, the better. One of our peer presenters with schizophrenia was recently asked by a trainee at a training session, "if I have to approach you and you are hearing voices, what should I do?" The young man had a brilliant response. He said, "When you come at me in a loud, aggressive manner, the voices in my head get louder. If you will be calm and speak softly, I'm more likely to hear you."
 

DrEntropy

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Interesting. And likely long overdue.
 

Bayless

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Good on you Basil. My niece has an autistic son and she has signs on both sides of her car noting that and that he may not respond to instructions or questions. So I can see how it could be a serious LE problem.
 
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