Mobile Crisis Certification Training

Mobile Crisis Best Practices – Course 1 (1 CE)

Mobile crisis teams have a clear set of best practices that have been established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Throughout this training, we will introduce these best practices, prompting you as a mobile crisis service provider or administrator to consider how you may incorporate them into your own daily provision of services.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Identify and describe the elements of best practice mobile crisis teams intervention.
2. Explain the utilization of each best practice element of the mobile crisis teams services intervention.
3. Examine and relate how mobile crisis best practices can be implemented in a person-centered manner.

Trauma-Informed Care – Course 2 (.75 CE)

This course is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of MCT trauma-informed care, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to create a supportive and compassionate environment for individuals who have experienced trauma, specifically within a mobile crisis encounter.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of trauma concepts.
2. Describe the relationship between mobile crisis team (MCT) services and trauma-informed care (TIC).
3. Describe the importance of trauma-informed approaches within MCT services.
4. Implement principles of a TIC approach within MCT services.

Crisis Intervention Frameworks – Course 3 (.75 CE)

This course provides an in-depth understanding of crisis intervention, a short-term strategy aimed at reducing the potential long-term impact of overwhelming events, as defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH, 2022). It is importnat to provide effective crisis intervention techniques that help individuals manage the intensity and duration of crises, while fostering resilience and preventing deterioration. Designed for professionals and caregivers, this course equips participants with the tools to support individuals in crisis with evidence-based approaches.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. State the goals of best practice crisis intervention
2. Identify and utilize a framework for crisis intervention.
3. Identify how to apply best practice crisis intervention methods within MCT services.

De-Escalation Techniques – Course 4 (.5 CE)

The goal of mobile crisis services is to provide mental health crisis services at any time, to any person, in any place. De-escalation and resolution of the crisis are essential elements to this goal and more: They are essential in connecting individuals in crisis to the lowest, most appropriate level of care.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Recognize the signs of crisis escalation and understand the MCT’s role in de-escalating individuals in crisis.
2. Identify and apply evidence-based techniques for de-escalating individuals in crisis.

MI/SUD Assessment – Course 5 (1 CE)

This course is focused on three fundamental aspects of assessment within the provision of MCT services: understanding mental illness (MI), understanding substance use disorder (SUD), and assessing MI/SUD in an MCT setting. In this course, we will explore the intricacies of MI/SUD conditions and assessment, equipping you with the knowledge and tools to be able to understand, recognize, and assess individuals who are served by the MCT.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Define and recognize mental illness.
2. Assess for mental illness conditions.
3. define and recognize substance use disorder.
4. Assess for substance use disorder.

Suicide Risk Assessment – Course 6 (.5 CE)

It is important that you — as a mobile crisis service provider — are trained to quickly and efficiently assess the risk of suicide during an MCT encounter. In this course, you will learn about forms of assessment that have been developed to support you in assessing the potential suicide risk. These are known as suicide risk assessments or SRAs. The information in this training will enable you to effectively implement SRAs in an MCT setting.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of suicide risk assessment and its role in mobile crisis team services.
2. Identify the goals of suicide risk assessments.
3. Identify warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors for suicidality.
4. Effectively select and utilize a suicide risk assessment tool for use in mobile crisis team services.

Crisis Treatment Planning and Follow-Up – Course 7 (.5 CE)

Within the Best Practice Toolkit, the last essential function of an MCT encounter is ‘crisis planning and follow-up’ (SAMHSA, 2022; p. 19). The goal of this essential function is to engage with the individual in crisis in a way that enables him/her to prevent future and/or re-occurring crises. This prevention occurs through both the identification of the factors that led up to the current crisis and the identification of supports that the individual may use to avoid future crisis events. Participating in this training will enable you to effectively fulfill this essential MCT service element as you and your team work to plan the treatment, education, and support of an individual in crisis.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Define the goal of MCT crisis treatment planning.
2. Examine how to effectively create a crisis treatment plan within an MCT encounter.
3. Identify and recognize the goal and importance of MCT follow-up.
4. Explain methods for conducting appropriate MCT follow-up.

Collaboration with the Crisis System of Care – Course 8 (.75 CE)

In today’s dynamic and complex world, addressing and responding to crisis situations successfully requires a collaborative and integrated approach. The state-wide crisis system of care brings together various stakeholders, services, and resources to provide timely and comprehensive support to individuals experiencing mental health crises. This course is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices involved in the effective collaboration within the Alabama crisis system of care.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Identify and define the components of the crisis system of care.
2. Describe the specific role of mobile crisis team (MCT) services within the crisis system of care.
3. Identify the importance of best practice implementation across systems of care collaboration.

Engaging Natural & Formal Supports – Course 9 (.5 CE)

In this course, we’ll delve into the crucial roles that natural and formal supports play during crisis interventions. We’ll highlight their distinct contributions and provide guidance on how to effectively involve natural supports in both crisis planning and follow-up services. We’ll examine how these supports can reinforce resilience, promote recovery, and improve the outcomes of crisis intervention services. This learning will empower you to recognize and engage with the broader supports of an individual to work towards the creation of a more holistic and supportive treatment environment.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Identify the importance of support for an individual in crisis.
2. Define natural and formal support.
3. Differentiate between formal and natural supports.