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A crisis event, for example someone struggling with the destructive consequences of a mental health disability like a drug or alcohol addiction, calls for an intervention directed by professionals who can help get them the help they need before it's too late. A Crisis Intervention Team in Alberta is a form of community monitoring which calls upon and activates law enforcement, healthcare, and other relevant agencies as well as family members to help individuals in crisis. This begins with the training of healthcare providers, law enforcement officers, and other contributing team members in the community so they learn how to respond and effectively work together during such a crisis. There are programs offered to educate law enforcement officers and 911 emergency dispatchers for example, which includes 40 hours of training in supporting the mental health professionals they will be working with during the crisis, refining verbal de-escalation skills so that they can approach and handle the crisis without it becoming a potentially violent or antagonistic situation, etc.
In many cases, Crisis Intervention Teams also help by way of jail diversion. Meaning, being able to properly respond to what is really meant to be a health issue and not a crime helps keep people having a mental health crisis out of jail and where they should be, in a hospital or treatment setting receiving help. Additionally this keeps people with mental health problems out of prison where they will not be able to properly handle their issue, such as a substance abuse disorder. In lieu of jail, individuals in crisis can receive behavioral therapies, counseling, medication and other recovery services to help them recover. This not only benefits the individual in crisis, but also all of society because it costs more to keep someone with a mental health disorder in prison than it does to treat them in an appropriate mental health recovery program.
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