On Wednesday May 10, 2023, Washington County Mental Health Services (WCMHS) provided a Community Safety and Understanding De-Escalation training to Community Partners at the Old Labor Hall in Barre. Attended by community partners from all over Washington County, this training was facilitated by Gary Gordon of Intensive Care Services, and Susan Loynd, Director of Administration and Human Resources.
The training is designed to give participants a basic overview of how to recognize when a person is becoming escalated and how to make judgements on the best way to intervene. Additionally, this training covers basics around community safety and proactive planning for people whose primary work is community based.
Jennifer LaPan and Megan Lovely of Downstreet Housing and Community Development agreed that while they were not learning lots of new information, it was a great refresher. The information was a timely reminder that it is always a good time to refresh yourself to be aware of your surroundings, of how you interact with others, and of how people are coping day to day. Andy, a fellow coworker from their maintenance department, said he does plan to review some workplace policies based on information he learned in the training, just to be sure they were up to date for everyone’s safety.
Sarah Emmons of the State of Vermont’s Economic Services Department said she found it to be a “good refresher and very informative.” She said there is never a bad time to be reminded to always remain aware of your surroundings, to stay one step ahead, and to listen to your gut. Sarah appreciated this collaborative style of training that brought so many community service providers together under one roof.
If you would like to learn about how you can bring this training to your agency or company, please email Cara.Cascadden@wcmhs.org.