CAHOOTS De-escalation Training

Join Rise Up Kingston and Samadhi for a presentation by CAHOOTS White Bird Clinic Community Education Specialist & Crisis Worker Berkley Carnine.
During this Zoom training, we will learn about the creation of CAHOOTS and how they have been able to serve as an alternative to the police in Eugene, Oregon. We will also be learning de-escalation tactics to use in crisis situations.

March 18, 2021 from 6-8PM via Zoom (link will be sent after registering) 
Free event. $20 Reparation Stipends available to Black residents of Ulster County

What is CAHOOTS?

31 years ago the City of Eugene, Oregon developed an innovative community-based public safety system to provide mental health first response for crises involving mental illness, homelessness, and addiction. White Bird Clinic launched CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) as a community policing initiative in 1989.

The CAHOOTS model has been in the spotlight recently as our nation struggles to reimagine public safety. The program mobilizes two-person teams consisting of a medic (a nurse, paramedic, or EMT) and a crisis worker who has substantial training and experience in the mental health field. The CAHOOTS teams deal with a wide range of mental health-related crises, including conflict resolution, welfare checks, substance abuse, suicide threats, and more, relying on trauma-informed de-escalation and harm reduction techniques. CAHOOTS staff are not law enforcement officers and do not carry weapons; their training and experience are the tools they use to ensure a non-violent resolution of crisis situations. They also handle non-emergent medical issues, avoiding costly ambulance transport and emergency room treatment.

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe verbal and non-verbal strategies to use in a crisis situation to help keep themselves and others as safe as possible.

2. Utilize grounding techniques for remaining emotionally regulated during an emotionally charged intervention or conversation

3. Demonstrate ways of interacting with people in crisis that communicates empathy, validation, and concern.

4. Summarize helpful tools for assessing a person’s well-being and need for further support or resources.