A crisis situation, for example a person struggling with the tragic repercussions of a mental health disability such as a drug or alcohol addiction, calls for an intervention directed by professionals who can help get them the help they so desperately need before it's too late. A Crisis Intervention Team in Santa Barbara is a form of community monitoring which calls upon and utilizes healthcare, law enforcement and other concerned agencies as well as family members to help individuals in crisis. This starts with the training of healthcare providers, law enforcement officers, and other participating team members in the community so they know how to respond and work together during such a crisis. There are education programs offered to train law enforcement officers and 911 emergency dispatchers for example, which involves 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 address and resolve the crisis without it turning into a possibly combative or aggressive episode, etc.
In many cases, Crisis Intervention Teams also help by way of jail diversion. Meaning, being able to appropriately respond to the incident as a health disturbance and not a crime helps keep people with mental health disorders out of jail and instead where they should be, in a hospital or treatment setting getting help. Additionally this keeps individuals with mental health problems out of prison where they do not have access to adequate mental health therapy and resources to properly handle their disorder, such as a substance abuse disorder. In lieu of jail, those in crisis can receive counseling, behavioral therapies, medication and other treatment to help them recover. This not only benefits the person 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.
There are 2 Alcohol and Drug Rehab Programs offering this service in Santa Barbara, CA
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