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A crisis event, for example a person suffering the devastating effects of a mental health disability like a drug or alcohol addiction, calls for an intervention by a team of professionals who can help get them the help they so desperately need before it's too late. A Crisis Intervention Team in Pep is a form of community monitoring which calls upon and activates law enforcement, healthcare, and other concerned agencies as well as family members to help those in crisis. This begins with the training and education of healthcare providers, law enforcement officers, and other relevant team members in the community so they learn how to address the situation and effectively work together during such a crisis. There are education programs available to train law enforcement officers and 911 emergency operators for example, which includes 40 hours of training in supporting the mental health professionals they will be working with during the crisis intervention, learning verbal de-escalation skills so that they can approach and handle the crisis without it developing into a possibly violent or aggressive encounter, etc.
In many cases, Crisis Intervention Teams also help by way of jail diversion. Meaning, being able to properly respond to the incident as a mental health crisis and not a crime keeps individuals with mental health disorders out of jail and where they should be, in treatment and getting help. Additionally this keeps individuals with mental health issues out of prison where they do not have access to adequate mental health therapy and resources to properly handle their issue, such as a substance abuse disorder. Instead of jail, those in crisis can receive behavioral therapies, counseling, medication and other mental health 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 program.
