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  • Home
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  • Courses
  • The Passion for Crisis
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COURSES OFFERED

In the Trenches, A Course in Mobile Crisis Response

Clinicians in a mobile crisis role are working in unfamiliar environments: a stranger's home, hotel room, park trail, or side of a road. This is fundamentally different from an office, walk-in center, emergency room, or jail. Conducting assessments in the field is nothing like conducting assessments in a familiar environment, and the skills needed to be effective, efficient, and, most of all, safe are vital.


In the Trenches is designed as a one- or two-day course that has round table discussions, scenario reviews, and role-play segments for each module. In addition to the presentation of material, participants can discuss in-depth step-by-step situations, evaluate safety issues, and learn to think critically and slowly for outcomes to be safe and effective. In the Trenches is designed to energize crisis clinicians and others working in the crisis response world with the ability to be confident and proud of the work they do. A summary of topics covered in this course is listed below.

'In the Trenches' Course Topics

Course Topics for In the Trenches, A Course in Mental Health Mobile Crisis Work

NOTE - Module Titles contain a brief list of bullet points that highlight only a few of the topics covered in the module, but the list is not all encompassing.  

The Crisis Mindset

  • Essential crisis 101 skills
  • Approaching a scene, rapport building, and crisis intervention tactics
  • The crisis "lane", who plays what role on a scene?

Being a Good Investigator

  • Everything is data!
  • Ecosystems - what you see, hear, and smell
  • Who knows this person? The importance of collateral

Crisis Avoidance & De-escalation

This module stresses avoiding a crisis altogether and how that can be done by:

  • learning to detect signs of behavioral PREescalation
  • Truly understanding how our behavior can contribute to escalation if we are not careful
  • And covers effective de-escalation skills 

Gray Matter Matters

  • What power does our brain have that we can harness in every crisis situation to make us better at our jobs
  • Communication, let's evaluate exactly HOW we communicate and why this is vital
  • Emphasizes the role WE play in every interaction and why this matters

On-Scene Assessments

  • How to rapidly and effectively establish, build, and strengthen rapport on scene
  • Risk assessment tools, protective factors and safety plans 
  • Negotiating someone's safety vs. assessing safety

Safety First, Safety Last, Safety Always

  • What defines a safe scene?
  • How to keep yourself, the client, and others on scene safe
  • Boundaries, safety zones, "head over heart" thinking.
  • Suspicion can actually be healthy and keep you alive.

Mental Health Disorders & Psychiatric Emergencies

  • Major psychiatric diagnoses and how to interact with individuals with specific diagnoses
  • How to quickly differentiate psychiatric issues, substance intoxication, and medical conditions

Navigating Patients Rights, Confidentiality, and Laws

  • Confidentiality for all, HIPAA, FERPA, confidentiality, etc.
  • How can we use HIPAA for good rather than as a barrier

Mobile Crisis, a Specialty in the Behavioral Health Field

This one-hour session is an introduction to In the Trenches, a Training in Mental Health Mobile Crisis. The presentation is designed to provide a high-level overview of the day-long course(s). It stresses how mobile crisis distinctly differs from other areas in the field where little research or training is available. The material can be presented over Zoom and is designed mainly for individuals, agency directors, and supervisors to "sample" or view what would be covered in the full-day session(s), to determine relevance and appropriateness. Crisis, a Specialty in the Behavioral Health field was first presented at the 2nd Annual Co-Responder Conference in Olathe, KS, in June 2021 and has been presented at multiple other conferences since that time, including the St. Cloud MN, Indianapolis, IN, Kansas City, KS. 

Crisis Avoidance and De-escalation

A one-and-a-half-hour course that explains why people can become challenging and how to resolve conflicts in a civilized, calm, and safe manner. Attendees will learn skills, allowing them to assess their environment better and continuously “loop” through observation and action. They will be able to discuss how their presence affects each situation. Communication skills will be practiced and mastered, as well as de-escalation and exit strategies, which will be used when safety cannot be obtained. 

Course Pricing and details

Individual Registration

Currently, training sessions are only being offered if coordinated by an agency or group.


Agency/Group Registration

If an agency, county, or group is interested in hosting a class for a team or multiple teams in an area, please contact me directly for pricing and details.


Course CEU and PDU Availability

Certificates of attendance are available and able to be used for licensed individuals seeking CEU credits.


Legal Disclaimer

None of the courses presented are intended to teach individual state law or agency protocol. Participants are encouraged to speak to their supervisor on process and policy and seek legal counsel for any state laws or regulations that may be in question. Course Reviews & Comments from Participants

Course Reviews & Comments from Participants

Alternative to Law Enforcement

Personal, genuine & real approach

Personal, genuine & real approach

  As the Sheriff of Garfield County, I have been involved in many conversations about the increasing mental health crisis, but never saw a co-responder program as viable.  I was wrong! Michelle and her team at Aspen Hope Center have been providing the Sheriff’s Office and our community a great alternative to a law enforcement response in cases that shouldn’t require police! They are quick to respond, follow up and have taught us so much about crisis intervention and Michelle is an excellent trainer.

Lou Vallario, Sheriff, Garfield County Colorado  

Personal, genuine & real approach

Personal, genuine & real approach

Personal, genuine & real approach

Michelle was personable, informative, funny and you can tell she is passionate about helping people.  I liked her personal way of presenting. She has so much knowledge and experience, however never presented "superior" she is so genuine and real. The way she   interacted with group kept the presentation exciting.  I loved it!

Julie, Bay Lake Retreat Center     

Passionate and Knowledgable

Personal, genuine & real approach

Excited to Take New Skills to Work

     This was a great training! Michelle was easy to listen to and not "zone out" which can happen with some presenters. She was fantastic at keeping the attention and interest of the group and it was more of a day of topic discussion than just presentation. She rolled with everything thrown at her and focused on what our interests were and what we, as a team, wanted to get out of the day. We all loved that that she was not rigid and just stuck to a firm agenda and power point. And funny, the power points are almost just prompts - I loved not reading paragraphs from a screen!


Tim, South Carolina

Excited to Take New Skills to Work

Excited to Take New Skills to Work

Excited to Take New Skills to Work

THANK YOU for your passion and energy in this course.  I was not sure what to expect and was surprised by how much I learned and how much I enjoyed two whole days.   I am excited to return to work and put to use new skills and techniques to use.  Your passion is palpable and your pride for the work in this field is inspiring.  KEEP INSPIRING OTHERS!  Thank you!

M.S. Connecticut

A new fire has been lit

Excited to Take New Skills to Work

A new fire has been lit

Michelle brought an even brighter outlook to crisis work for me today.  Feel like a new fire has been lit!  Highly recommend her training...her knowledge alone is amazing and she is a genuine person that cares.  Thank you! 

Danielle Chandler 

Woodland Centers, MN


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