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Trends, Needs in Crisis Training for Behavioral Health Professionals Highlighted in Report
With the COVID-19 pandemic fueling a rise in demand for mental healthcare services, a new report from Relias, a professional development partner firm to more than 11,000 healthcare organizations, highlights trends in current crisis prevention and intervention training for behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disability (I/DD) professionals and identifies areas for improvement.
Based on a survey of 2952 professionals in the field that was conducted in March, the 2022 Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training Report offered the following findings:
- 75% of behavioral health and I/DD professionals said they receive crisis prevention training and crisis intervention/management and verbal de-escalation training once per year. About 60% of behavioral healthcare providers and 40% of I/DD professional identified crisis management as a primary job duty.
- Of the behavioral health respondents surveyed, 63% said they are “very” or “extremely” confident in their crisis prevention skills, 52% had the same level of confidence in their intervention skills.
Also of note, 73% of behavioral health respondents said they were “not at all” familiar with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a service launched last month to expand access to crisis services.
>> READ the 2022 Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training Report
“Behavioral health and I/DD professionals are on the front lines of the mental health crisis, providing direct care to people experiencing crisis,” Vicki Ittel, PhD, director of behavioral health solutions at Relias, said in a news release.
“Their effectiveness in using crisis prevention and intervention techniques can play a decisive role in managing a crisis situation and even saving a life. Our report found that many of these professionals are only moderately confident in their de-escalation skills, and more training and continuing education opportunities are badly needed.”
Previous research has indicated that demand for mental health and crisis intervention services has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. About 40% of US adults have reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression during the pandemic, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study.
According to the Relias survey, blended learning—a combination of in-person, live, and recorded online training—has been the most common form of crisis training used by behavioral health organizations for staff, with between 60% and 70% of respondents indicating they have received blended training on crisis prevention and verbal de-escalation.
The Relias report offered a series of recommendations for behavioral health organizations to address staff confidence levels in their crisis prevention and intervention techniques, including:
- More frequent training and blended learning opportunities
- Increasing access to simulations that allow caregivers to practice skills in low-risk environments
- Improving education regarding the rollout of 988 and its projected impact on demand for services
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