Marie Ridgeway will instruct for 4 hours with a focus on helping Officers learn the origins of mental illness, commonly encountered mental health diagnoses including the impact of trauma and substance abuse, and the crossover of mental health and criminal behavior. Officers will learn ways to effectively respond to and manage persons who are in crises and conflict, along with knowledge and information about officer mental health and wellness. Officers will learn how to assess a person and situation for risk, communicate effectively with those who are in crisis, and know when and how to write a transportation hold or refer to appropriate resources.
The course objectives are designed to meet the in-service POST Learning Objectives for Crisis Intervention & Mental Illness Crisis and Conflict Management & Mediation
Learning Objectives for Marie Ridgeway
- Demonstrate understanding of the challenges of mental illnesses
- Demonstrate understanding of mental health concerns of peace officers
- Discuss practical strategies for managing situations involving a mental health crisis
- Demonstrate understanding of the role of peace officers in conflict resolution
- Manage conflict in dynamic circumstances
Learning Methods:
PowerPoint presentation with interactive Q and A with attendees, small group activities, videos, handouts, and electronically available materials
Bio for Marie Ridgeway
Marie has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and is Licensed as an Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW). Marie is a therapist in private practice specializing in trauma treatment. She is also a Health Officer for Hennepin County where she responds to mental health crisis calls and provides mobile mental health crisis assessments and writes transportation holds. Marie teaches Yoga and Mindfulness to police at the MPD 5th Precinct and provides therapy to MPD officers who are referred through their wellness program. Marie is also a Mental Health Training Specialist with the MN Chiefs of Police Association.