The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training is taught by members of GPSTC’s Instructional Services Division, who are committed to serving Georgians with mental illness and other brain disorders, public safety personnel, and the communities they serve. The CIT program features resources from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), other behavioral health providers, and advocacy organizations like the Georgia Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Georgia).
Public safety personnel who are trained in CIT can effectively assist individuals with mental illness and other brain disorders who are in crisis, thereby advancing public safety and reducing the stigma commonly associated with mental illness. The training will also ensure that public safety personnel are aware of local treatment and support resources that people with mental illnesses and other brain disorders can be connected to, in lieu of incarceration in most cases.
The 40-hour course curriculum approved by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council as follows:
- Classroom instructional training involving various mental health topics that address mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases.
- Pocket guides with information on national, state, and local resources.
- Performance-based training involving the development of de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention skills via role-play scenarios.
- Georgia Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program
- State Opioid Adapted Response (SOAR)
- Youth Growing Up in Crisis
- Co-Responder Team Training
- CIT Refresher
GPSTC encourages public safety agencies to reach out so we can coordinate and bring these vital training programs to you. By placing crisis intervention at the forefront, we can create a future where our communities are not only safer, but also more compassionate and better equipped—backed by a responsive and resilient public safety workforce.