Law enforcement and mental health clinician partnerships in global mental health: outcomes for the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model adaptation in Liberia, West Africa.

BACKGROUND: The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model is a law enforcement strategy that aims to build alliances between the law enforcement and mental health communities. Despite its success in the United States, CIT has not been used in low- and middle-income countries. This study assesses the immediate and 9-month outcomes of CIT training on trainee knowledge and attitudes. METHODS: Twenty-two CIT trainees (14 law enforcement officers and eight mental health clinicians) were evaluated using pre-developed measures assessing knowledge and attitudes related to mental illness. Evaluations were conducted prior to, immediately after, and 9 months post training. RESULTS: The CIT training produced improvements both immediately and 9 months post training in knowledge and attitudes, suggesting that CIT can benefit law enforcement officers even in extremely low-resource settings with limited specialized mental health service infrastructure. CONCLUSION: These findings support further exploration of the benefits of CIT in highly under-resourced settings.

Law Enforcement and Clinician Partnerships: Training of Trainers for CIT Teams in Liberia, West Africa.

The crisis intervention team (CIT) model was developed in the United States to align law enforcement goals with those of mental health advocates and service users. Liberia is the first low-income country where CIT has been implemented. After preliminary training of law enforcement officers and mental health clinicians by U.S. CIT experts, the program is now entirely implemented by Liberian personnel. In this column, the authors describe topics addressed in the 5-day training-of-trainers process to prepare Liberian mental health clinicians and law enforcement officers to conduct the program, along with feedback received from participants. They hope that this model can guide future initiatives aimed at fostering collaboration of law enforcement and mental health services in global mental health.

Opening doors to recovery: a novel community navigation service for people with serious mental illnesses.

This column describes Opening Doors to Recovery in Southeast Georgia, a partnership between public agencies, a private corporation, a not-for-profit organization, and an academic institution. Teams of community navigation specialists that include a licensed mental health professional, a family member of an individual with a serious mental illness, and a peer with lived experience in recovery seek to enhance participants' community integration, support them in developing a meaningful day, ensure access to adequate treatment, and facilitate stable housing, improved relationships, and desired vocational, volunteer, or educational activities.