The first step to connecting with anyone in crisis, is being able to identify that one is happening. Second, the most important aspect of effective de-escalation is radical self-awareness


- Joe Smarro

Do I Even Need This?


As an officer, your call sign is signaled - you are dispatched to a mental health in progress call.

Are you confident and ready?

As a clinician or community treatment provider, you are scheduled to do a home visit for an individual with mental illness.

Are you confident and ready?

As a teacher, you have a student or staff member noticeably off, you are going to approach them.

Are you confident and ready?


The One Glaring Truth


We have been teaching these, and other courses, for years. On the first day of training I ask the group to tell me one thing they are hoping to get out of the week. Without fail, a conservative estimate of 90% of the people say, "I am hoping to improve my confidence when dealing with people who have a mental illness and are in crisis."

This course WILL give you that confidence.

Crisis Identification

This course explains what a crisis looks like; what it is and what is happening. Many people avoid confronting someone in a crisis because they often don't know what is happening.

Effective Communication & Active Listening

This course provides the same techniques used by hostage & crisis negotiators. The skill set enhances your ability to communicate in every aspect of life. We recommend this course for ALL people.

Crisis Response


Relying on the skills from the previous two courses, this course will provide the framework on how to safely respond to a person experiencing a mental health crisis.

Serious Mental Illness

This course provides a high-level overview of the most common mental health diagnoses you are likely to encounter. Having good baseline knowledge will help you develop the confidence required to interact with people suffering from a mental health crisis.

PTS & PTSD

This course offers a general understanding of a very complex issue. Trauma is personal and impacts different people in different ways. Jesse provides a simplified explanation to help you better understand post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Suicide Intervention & Assessments

This course provides a breakdown of the two most common mental health diagnoses in the world - anxiety & depression. We then discuss suicide and provide a simple framework to help you more confidently and successfully intervene in a crisis.

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Do you know your ACE score? This course will provide historical context and offer the assessment for you to take so you can better understand yourself. This is a must for any first responder.

Drugs & Mental Illness

This course will disentangle drugs and mental illness and offer a better understanding as to WHY people use various substances at all.

Excited Delirium Syndrome

This is a vital block for all first responders as excited delirium deaths have continued to be a problem we encounter. This course highlights the primary problems first responders face and offers recommendations on how to deal with those suffering from EDS.

Threat Assessments

This course gives you a better understanding of how to think about threats of mass violence while providing guidance on how to plot behavior on the pathway to violence.

Some of the greatest challenges we face as a society is our general lack of understanding and compassion for those suffering from mental illness. Additionally, we collectively lack an ability to effectively communicate with one another.

-Jesse Trevino