UMSON faculty are training members of the University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Department to recognize and respond to situations that involve mental health issues.
Officers and police communications operators (PCOs) of the University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Department (UMBPD) have a better understanding of how best to respond to situations that involve mental health issues because of a new training grant received by the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON).
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Public Safety is an eight-hour course for police, first responders, corrections officers, and other public safety audiences nationwide. It teaches a five-step action plan encompassing skills, resources, and knowledge to help responders connect an individual in crisis with appropriate professional, peer, and self-help care. Program participants learn the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, how to build understanding of the importance of early intervention, and how to help someone who is in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge.
“This training helps our employees respond to mental health crises on the job, but it also helps them recognize and respond to mental health concerns with their co-workers, family, and even themselves,” said UMBPD Chief Thomas Leone, MSL. “Being a police officer or a PCO can be incredibly stressful. It’s my job to give our employees the tools to succeed. By going through this training together, we’re working to reduce the stigma of mental health crises. We want our people to know it’s not just OK to ask for help, it’s also encouraged.”
At the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG), the project is led by UMSON faculty member Kristin Bussell, PhD, CRNP-PMH, assistant professor, and taught by UMSON faculty members Marisa Astiz-Martinez, MS, RN, clinical instructor; Ciara Smith, DNP, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor; and Tarleen Weston, DNP, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor.
Bussell; Gloria M. Reeves, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine; and UMBPD Training Lt. Todd Ring had been collaborating as instructors for “The Resilience Project: A Virtual Seminar Series,” a course in which UMB students, UMBPD trainees, and University of Maryland, College Park students learn from experts in mental health, policing, and computer science about prevention and training strategies for high-stress occupations.
“In the conversations that we had about mental health and other things as part of the Resilience Project, Kristin told me about Mental Health First Aid, and the program just sounded awesome,” said Ring, who immediately knew he wanted to offer the training to his fellow officers.
“The Mental Health First Aid for Public Safety course teaches you how to identify a mental health crisis and then how to manage the situation in a way that hopefully will de-escalate the person and help avoid any unnecessary kind of force,” Bussell said.
Officers learn to:
- recognize indicators of possible mental health issues
- support someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue
- apply the tools to respond appropriately to a mental health crisis
- learn and integrate tools to maintain personal wellness to respond to a mental health issue or crisis.
Over the summer, 62 UMB police officers and PCOs participated in the program. Next, the training will be offered to University of Baltimore police officers, who will be joining the UMBPD in the new year as the two departments combine. Security officers at UMB also will receive MHFA training.
“Although the training typically runs about eight to nine hours, it’s very interactive,” Ring said. When he asked officers for feedback after they completed the program, “every one of them raved about it and said the material was great,” he added.
Law enforcement personnel often lack adequate training in how to handle situations regarding mental health issues, Bussell said.
“I think the perception that people have is based on the media,” she said. “What they see in the media are negative situations that were mishandled, but that’s not necessarily the majority. My experience with these men and women is they want to help but they don’t get any training on how to approach and handle such situations. In general, the police academies do not provide any kind of training around mental health illnesses or crisis situations. Their focus is on safety. So, these guys and gals are all out there, not fully equipped to be able to even recognize a mental health crisis.”
Bussell said the MHFA instructors are interested in pursuing interprofessional training grants so the program can be offered to students Universitywide. She also has a goal of expanding the program beyond UMBPD to other police jurisdictions in Maryland. In addition, Bussell is inviting all UMBPD officers who have been through the MHFA training to participate in a research project she is conducting.
“I do questionnaires about their social, emotional, and physical health, and then do a qualitative interview to inquire about how Mental Health First Aid has impacted their job and their work on the street,” she said.
The training program is funded by a Maryland Higher Education Commission New Nurse Faculty Fellows grant Bussell received of $10,000 a year for five years.
While Mental Health First Aid training is useful for officers out in the field, Ring said the entire department reaps the benefits.
“It really overlaps into everyday life, where it helps you approach and assist somebody. If one of my co-workers seems like they’re down or something’s off, it gives you a way to approach folks to check out their well-being and see if there’s a way you can help,” Ring said. “Or you can provide resources without getting too far into their business or offending anybody. When officers go, ‘Wow! That’s really good. I can use this in all different ways,’ then you know it’s a program that really has benefits.”