Putting her training to the test, Tanisha Bules, at right, leans in to hear from a teen actor during a role play situation last week. Bules is the principal at IConnect High School in Fort Morgan through Centennial BOCES and was one of several schools and agencies represented at the Crisis Intervention Team training in Holyoke. — Johnson Publications
Training focuses on youth in crisis
From law enforcement agencies and professional counselors to school personnel and church staff members, last week’s Crisis Intervention Team training helped a variety of people learn what to do in youth crisis situations.
The Oct. 2-4 program held at First Baptist Church in Holyoke was coordinated by Holyoke Police Department with grant funding from the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council.
Attendees were from Holyoke, Yuma, Fort Morgan and Imperial, Nebraska.
Leading the training was Jeff Santelli along with Elizabeth Sather, licensed clinical psychologist.
While CIT training programs are used for crisis situations for all ages, this particular training focused on youth, including those with mental illnesses. Colorado was one of three states to pilot the youth program beginning in 2009, and Santelli said this is probably the most rural area where he has facilitated the program.
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