Term
| 1 – Describe active listening skills. |
|
Definition
• Attempting to hear and understand what a person is saying
• Most persons in crisis have a desire to be heard and be understood
– Active listening attends to this need
– It is critical for developing a relationship that will ultimately lead to crisis resolution
– Use minimal encouragements
– Demonstrate that you are listening carefully (e.g., responding with “yes”, “ok”, or “I see”)
– Give occasional, brief, and well-timed vocal replies
• Paraphrasing
– Repeating in own words what he/she thinks the subject said
– This shows that the officer is not only listening but also understanding what is being said
• Officers who use active listening skills acquire additional facts that allow them to form accurate judgments about incidents or individuals
• Armed with more accurate information, officers can respond or act more intelligently and identify better alternatives to resolve situations
• Active listening also demonstrates to others that officers are aware of and sensitive to their emotions
• Asking open ended questions
– “Who”, “what”, and “how” questions allow you to assess the person’s situation
– Avoid the overuse of “why” questions which may imply interrogation |
|
|
Term
| #2 – Describe the difference between a traditional suspect encounter and an encounter with an individual with a mental illness. |
|
Definition
the need to be non-confrontational.
• Such a requirement to, in effect, shift gears is completely opposed to the way officers are routinely expected to control conflict
− When responding to an emergency, officers are forced to make split second decisions about their safety and the safety of others
− Those decisions are often based upon command and control tactics
−
− The same command techniques, employed to take a criminal suspect into custody, can escalate an encounter with an individual with a mental illness into violence
− A person with diminished capacity who is experiencing a crisis may have unpredictable behavior which can be mistaken for non-compliance with your commands |
|
|
Term
| #3 – Use the Loss model to recognize the nature of a person’s crisis. |
|
Definition
• Loss of Reality
• Loss of Hope
• Loss of Control
• Loss of Perspective
•
• Profile description
− Person may be frightened, confused, and have difficulty concentrating or communicating
− The person may appear to be experiencing delusions or hallucinations and the officer should neither validate nor deny the existence of what the person is experiencing
− Instead, officers should defer the issue of a person’s delusions by acknowledging how the person’s view of the situation must make them feel
− De-escalation goal
− Try to ground the person in the “here and now”
− Ask his/her name and use it
− Try to make eye contact
− Ask simple questions (e.g., “How are you doing?”, “Do you take any medications?”, “How are you feeling?”)
− Cut through the fear and confusion and get the person to voluntarily comply with your request
− If the person is experiencing “command voices,” it is especially important, for officer safety, for the officer to be aware that the “voices” may be telling the person to do something. Try to understand by asking, “Are you hearing voices?” and if their response is “Yes”, then ask, “What are they telling you?”
• Profile description
− The person may be emotional, very withdrawn, fatigued, feeling of being overwhelmed, suicidal talk or gestures, crying, despair
− They may have strong feelings of being helpless, hopeless, and worthless; they may have experienced a recent loss
• De-escalation goal
− Instill some hope within the encounter so that the person can be persuaded to talk to someone or seek help
− You should be prepared to address thoughts of suicide as outlined later in this lesson plan and by agency policy and procedures
• Profile description
− This person may often be angry, irritable, or hostile
− Can present themselves as victims (e.g., life is unfair) and they do not feel listened to
− May be manipulative, impulsive, destructive, or argumentative
• De-escalation goal
− Remain professional; do not take what they say personally
− Be aware of signs, such as clenched fists, pacing, or flushed cheeks, which may indicate potential violence
− Attempt to calm the person by letting them vent and using active listening skills
− When establishing trust within these encounters, try to identify the source of the person’s anger
• Profile description
− This person is anxious, worried, or nervous which could escalate to feeling panicked
− Physical symptoms include trembling, shaking, chest pain, and/or discomfort
− The person could also seem overly energetic or be displaying extreme highs and lows (i.e., mood swings) during the encounter
• De-escalation goal
− Bring the person’s energy down
− Calm the person’s anxiety through empathy and patience |
|
|
Term
| #4 – Know how to use each part of the EAR model when de-escalating a person in crisis. |
|
Definition
Three Phases of a Special Populations Encounter
1. Engage
2. Assess
3. Resolve
1. Purpose of Engage – make a connection with the person so you can calm him/her
2. The first 10 seconds of a special populations encounter are critical in setting the tone for de-escalation
3. Remove distractions from the scene (e.g., people who are upsetting the person, loud noises)
4. Introduce yourself and ask for the person’s name
5. State the reason why you are there and let them know you are there to help |
|
|
Term
| #5 – Describe what the officer’s goal should be when talking to a person contemplating suicide. |
|
Definition
| … to get the individual to focus on the elements of his/her story causing the ambivalence (e.g., children, spouse) |
|
|
Term
| #6 – Describe why victims may fear that their sexual assault report will not be believed or taken seriously. |
|
Definition
• They knew the suspect
• They are related to or closely acquainted with the suspect
• They are intimidated because of the suspect’s position, power, or social status
• They engaged in drug or alcohol use
• They put themselves at risk by their actions (e.g., entering a stranger’s automobile or apartment)
• They have an arrest record or an outstanding warrant
• They were engaged in illegal activity at the time of the offense |
|
|
Term
| #7 – List what is essential for responding officers to convey to the victims of sexual assault. |
|
Definition
They are knowledgeable about sexual assault
They believe the victim
That the victim is not to blame |
|
|
