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Community Safety Training for Managing Mental Health and Addiction Encounters
Greater River North Business Association Presents:
Community Safety Training for Managing Mental Health and Addiction Encounters in partnership with the Cook County Sherriff's Office Treatment Response Team
Greater River North Business Association will host clinicians from the Treatment Response Team from Sheriff Tom Dart's office, who will provide training on the common mental illnesses and addictions that businesses and residents are likely to encounter in others while in River North.
As a business or resident, you may have had concerns about handling situations where someone may be symptomatic. For example, this could involve individuals entering your business and appearing internally stimulated (e.g., talking to themselves), being loud or demanding, appearing confused, or under the influence. There are also concerns about individuals approaching you on the street for money or assistance.
For the safety of both staff, residents and the symptomatic individual, Marcus will review techniques to avoid escalating situations and, ideally, to de-escalate them when potential danger exists. Businesses might have some uncertainty about when to call for outside law enforcement or where to refer individuals who are seeking assistance. The training will cover the criteria for when various interventions are necessary and provide guidance on what information is crucial when contacting law enforcement or service agencies to assist someone who may be struggling with mental illness or addiction.
It’s important for both businesses and residents to attend this training because these situations can arise anywhere—on the street, in a store, or within your own building. Learning how to handle these encounters safely and compassionately is vital not only for protecting yourself and others but also for contributing to a safer and more informed community.
Marcus Whisnant, MATreatment Response TeamServices on Scene TRT Specialist
Marcus Whisnant, Cook County Sheriff's Office Treatment Response Team Services on Scene Specialist, holds a Master's degree in Clinical Counseling from the University of North Carolina and has been in the Mental Health and Substance Abuse fields for over 20 years. Marcus has worked in Street Outreach, child/adolescent-adult- and geriatric mental health and substance abuse programs, including both inpatient and outpatient. He has worked as a social services director in nursing homes, crisis counselor/floor clinician/milieu manager/psychiatric liaison in both free standing psychiatric hospitals and full service hospitals. Marcus has also managed multiple programs for those that are triple diagnosed ( HIV, Mentally Ill, and Addiction) and has been providing various social service/mental health interventions for the Cook County Sheriff's office for over the past 5 years.
Meghann Cherie, MA, LCPC
Treatment Response Team Program Manager
Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department
Meghann Cherie is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with a master’s degree in counseling psychology with a specialization in rehabilitation. Meghann’s current role is as a Program Manager with the Cook County Sheriff Police Department’s Treatment Response Team (TRT) and she has worked with this program since its inception in 2019. Prior to her position with TRT, she worked as a therapist and court advocate for individuals with co-occurring disorders on felony probation, supported city law enforcement by conducting substance use assessments for individuals eligible for arrest deflection, and provided clinical case management and skills-based counseling for individuals with severe mental illness at a transitional living program.
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Date and Time
Thursday Nov 14, 2024
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM CST
Fees/Admission
FREE TO ATTEND
Contact Information
events@greaterRNBA.com
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