GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) and other public safety agencies partnered with Hope Network to provide mental health training for first responders. Officers said the training is more important than ever.
"Anybody that deals with the general public in any capacity could benefit from this,” GRPD officer Ray Erickson said. "It really helps lay some of the groundwork for understanding the basis behind mental health trouble that people might be facing or living with whether they realize it or not.”
Hope Network, a non-profit organization that provides mental health training and resources in Michigan, hosted the training at Grand Rapids Police headquarters. 30 people took part in the interactive training. Several groups presented on different mental health issues and topics and explained how such training is a powerful tool when encountering someone with a mental health crisis.
According to recent studies, 90% of officers report stigma as a barrier to seeking help, and officers are 35% less likely to experience PTSD symptoms with more support from their colleagues.
"People here today are learning how to reduce the stigma around mental health as a whole,” Kasie Pickart, Hope Network Behavioral Health Director said. "They're learning what mental health is, what different types of mental health disorders exist, what signs to look for and how to refer those individuals to help from professionals in the community."
Training provided today helps police officers and other public-facing professionals make better decisions when encountering someone with a mental health crisis and how to safely de-escalate crisis situations. Increased efforts to provide mental health training more often have helped GRPD emergency communications operator Sarah DeBoe. She encounters those with mental health issues every day.
"Just having a couple of police officers and some caring paramedics out there to talk to someone who might have a mental health crisis could be the step that they need just to get help, so to be a part of that is where this training today is really going to come into play,” DeBoe said.
As law enforcement continues to be at an increased risk of suffering from mental health issues including depression, PTSD and generalized anxiety, trainings like this can help with stigma preventing people from seeking help. Officer Erickson agrees.
"Not only is it life-changing, but it's career survival for us to be able to safely assist somebody who is in a crisis,” Erickson said. "It keeps them safe and keeps us safe because we're humans also, we're going to have some mental health trouble from time to time, we see a lot of terrible things."
Hope Network provides mental health training to individuals and organizations at no cost. for more information, visit their website here.
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