Summit Pointe Podcast
Highlighting stories and resources from Summit Pointe, the behavioral health authority in Calhoun County, Michigan.
Summit Pointe Podcast
Marshall Sergeant Helps Summit Pointe Understand the View from the Street
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Summit Pointe is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who oversee the execution of our mission to provide ”the highest quality behavioral health services to help individuals maximize their potential.”
In this Summit Pointe Board Spotlight, military veteran and Sgt. Sean Brown with the Marshall Police Department shares the law enforcement view he brings and discusses the usefulness of Summit Pointe programs like the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT).
Episode Resources
Summit Pointe Board of Directors
Careers at Summit Pointe
Crisis Intervention Team - CIT
Summit Pointe Podcast 93 is a Livemic Communications production.
Summit Pointe, the Behavioral Health Authority in Calhoun County, Michigan, is pioneering Community Mental Health Services by developing innovative ideas and community partnerships that lead to high-quality care and a healthy community.
I'm Richard Pyot. Welcome to the Summit Point Podcast. Summit Point, the Behavioral Health Authority in Calhoun County, Michigan, Battle Creek, and surrounding areas, including Marshall, which is uh where our next guest visits from Sergeant Sean Brown, a member of the Marshall Police Department, who has joined as well the body of folks, the governing body at Summit Point, the Board of Directors. Sergeant, thank you for your time. Hey, thanks for having me. Well, this is of particular interest. You know, we we've spoken with Sheriff Hinckley, of course, but you're another viewpoint on the board of directors from a law enforcement perspective, and we'll be interested in hearing about that, which is important to Summit Point on a lot of levels, which we've certainly talked about in a number of these episodes. But talk about it from your point of view, if you don't mind. What's important to you as a Summit Point board member? And I imagine the law enforcement angle will be part of that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think probably like most board members, it wasn't something that I was out looking for. Uh, it kind of found me. And I don't mean that in a bad way. I just mean that, you know, this opportunity got presented, and I I hadn't thought about it much before, and I didn't take much time to think about saying yes because my interaction with Summit Point has been great all along. I do have the unique perspective of coming through the CIT program as one of the earlier students. So I was a part of that 40-hour course. Um, got to take what I learned there and apply it out on the street, you know, with the boots on the ground perspective, and then brought it back to Summit Point again in the CIT school as a role player and kind of on that training cadre. So that was just another different view. And then from there, being a part of the board now, now I look at this as just another team within the bigger team, I guess. And I think that's why it's important to be on this board. I think I've always been a kind of a uh team-oriented guy, whether that was sports growing up or the military in between, you know, now what I do is law enforcement. So definitely operate well on teams. I believe two or more heads are better than one in a lot of circumstances, and definitely when we're dealing with mental health, I think the team approach and the community resource approach is impactful and beneficial for a lot of people.
SPEAKER_01:You know, we've talked about CIT quite a bit over the course of our episodes, but not always, certainly from the perspective of someone in your position who is a part of the uh boots on the ground association with using this acumen. Take us there, would you for a moment and talk about how it works and how it helps?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think uh a phrase that I've heard that I really like, sometimes it's overused, is that when all you have is a hammer, everything can look like a nail. Um and I think one of the ways we talk about that in CIT, we kind of joke and we say, okay, now go forth and just CIT everyone, you know, like that's a magic wand. And it's not, it's just another thing that we have that's available to us, another option. And what I see is that kind of our younger wave of officers coming in, this is the norm now. It's not, you know, maybe myself and some of the older officers, this is more of an adjustment because we were trained and brought up a different way, and these options weren't always available. And now they are, and now we see these new officers de-escalating, recognizing what's available to them, what they can offer to folks in the field. And it's a pleasure to be a part of. I can tell you when you're on scene, and for me, as recently as this past week, you know, we had the mobile crisis team come out and help with a juvenile in crisis, an intern with a parent who is in their own crisis because I can't figure out how to get my kid to school and how to get this thing working. So it's neat to be able to get into a problem and uh try to figure your way out of it with this community-based approach. And then the follow-up piece too, what we find is it's not kind of a one and done. It used to be you're you're in a household and you're out, you might not ever have contact with that person again. But yeah, we're finding that we're following up on phone calls, we're bumping into each other in the community, and you're getting that, hey, you know, thanks for plugging me into CIT or First Step or, you know, thanks for having the crisis team come out. And we're getting that well-rounded feedback from the schools. Hey, you know what? Johnny's doing a lot better now, whatever it was, let's keep doing that. So I just think if I can contribute anything to this board or this organization in any way, it's that feedback that what we're doing is working. You know, let's keep at it.
SPEAKER_01:And Sergeant Brown used the word crisis. That's it. CIT, crisis intervention team. Uh and by the way, if you haven't listened to some of those episodes about CIT, we invite you to do that. It's on the CIT page on the Summit Point website. But I think sometimes those of us with limited experience with law enforcement sort of have our impressions set by, I don't know, blue bloods or something that we see on television. And it's always dramatic and different, I suppose, than what you described. That is to say, you just referenced this example where this was all about helping sort through a crisis that folks were going through. This is a lot of verbal interaction and education, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it is. And um, you know, what's a crisis to you might not be a crisis to me and vice versa. I mean, something that's seemingly small, you know, could be the crisis of the day or the lifetime for that person. I think a lot of times we're guilty. I have been in law enforcement of downplaying or just going, hey, this is the next call, but we forget that sometimes that's the only time somebody's ever going to interact with law enforcement. You know, I don't know what the stats are, but if you think of yourself or your friends, how often do somebody have to call the police? It's not very often. You know, you can probably count on one hand. So we want to make sure that where we're coming from, our interaction is totally professional and that we don't leave somebody feeling like, you know, hey, there's nothing we can do for you. That's just not an acceptable answer. We may not have all the answers or be able to wave the magic wand, but we do have options now with Summit Point and First Step, and we can at least walk away letting that family or that person in crisis know that, hey, you know what? We're trying. And this isn't a done issue. We're we're gonna keep at it and we're gonna work with you until we make some progress here.
SPEAKER_01:You've mentioned first step a few times now. Talk about how that has played a role in what you do.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's huge. And again, I don't have the stats to tell you how many times we've been there, but I can tell you it's quite a few. Ever since this rolled out, again, it's just another option and a great way for our officers to steer somebody. I think diversion is a big word we talk about now. And in the past, where it may have been appropriate to take somebody to jail, we can divert and keep that person out of the criminal justice system and maybe find a better option through first step. You know, plug them into services. And, you know, I have a special spot in my heart for the veteran community because I'm a part of it. And a lot of times we'll we'll encounter veterans in crisis dealing with substance use disorders or whatever it may be, homelessness. And for folks that maybe would have been arrested several years ago, you know, now we're plugging them into shelters and veteran coordinators and uh people that can just frankly help more than the county jail can. And not a knock on the jail. I think the sheriff will tell you in his podcast, you know, the jail's there for a reason, and some people need to go there sometimes, but other times that's not the most appropriate place.
SPEAKER_01:Uh, he has certainly said that, and uh, you can hear that in some of the episodes that he's done. So this brings a perspective, you bring a perspective as a result of all this to the board that not a lot of us have, right? This uh gives you an opportunity to be among those limited voices on the board that helps say, look, this is how it is, and this is how it can help. Isn't that true?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think that's true. I think that's probably the little slice of the pie I can contribute as part of this board service. I'm excited to get to know the board members better, and I'm confident that I'm surrounded by some very smart leaders from the community. There's a huge, diverse makeup of all different industries on the board and people in various positions. And uh it's exciting to know that I'm one of two, you know, law enforcement on the board and that there are just several others that bring different perspectives yet. And I think as a team, put a lot of good heads in a room together. I think we can get a lot, a lot of good done.
SPEAKER_01:You talked about the veteran aspect a couple of times too, which is another viewpoint that you bring. And we've had several conversations with the veteran navigator and different ways that Summit Point is connected to that. But this, as you've pointed out, is another view that you can bring. You talked about uh veterans who might be in crises of their own. And uh this is another way that uh you can offer a perspective, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, for sure. You know, a big part of the CIT program, we talk about lived experiences, and um, you know, some of the other board members have some very good podcasts, and I've learned of them through those podcasts and some of the heavy things that they've experienced or that they've experienced through being told by others. But um, going back to my high school days, you know, I we didn't know what mental health was, but I had a classmate and a teammate commit suicide, and that was kind of my intro to all this, and it was like, wow, nobody saw that coming, certainly. If you fast forward to the veteran time to my army service, there's plenty in that community that I witnessed and uh that I still witness. You talk about veteran suicides and different issues that they face, it's a lot. It can be pretty heavy. So, yeah, part of wanting to be connected to Summit Point and the board and the CIT program is just you know wanting to, I guess, lead from the front. I've always found it difficult to ask somebody to do something that I'm not willing to do myself, or I can't prove that you know I'm involved. So when I ask my officers to go to training and they say, well, what's in it for me, or you know, how good is this training? Or or I steer somebody, you know, a citizen towards services, well, what do you know about Summit Point? Well, I think it's important to be connected enough into that network to know, you know, hey, I don't know everything, but I know some good folks over there that might be able to help you.
SPEAKER_01:Does that come up when you're in CIT mode and you're helping someone and you're trying to turn them toward first step, let's say, do they ask that? What do you know about this place?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, they really do. And I think the CIT program, at least for me, did a good job of just giving you the information that you can relay to them. And again, it's not having to feel like you have all the answers because you never will. You're not a healthcare professional or a mental health professional, but you're kind of that first touch point for people out in the field where you can steer them toward better help. You know, and I think it's important for us to relay to people that, hey, look, we're human too. You know, officers and first responders deal with a lot of trauma, a lot of crisis, and uh, you know, need to work through some things on their own. And that's that's okay to share with folks. We used to kind of put up the wall and uh not do that. But I think when you get vulnerable and you communicate, it helps kind of break down barriers and uh maybe build some trust with folks. And that's what we find is just communicating and having a conversation in the field is really helping steer people in. And you know, I mentioned you before, we are starting to be told about CIT. What I mean is we used to be kind of the walking billboard and we would have to do a lot of education and a lot of having first conversations about it. And now that it's been out there a while, people are telling us, hey, shouldn't I be talking to first step? Or hey, can you give me a ride down there? And it's like, that's great. Word's spreading, you know, and uh it's uh it's part of the lexicon, I guess, in the community. People know what it is. That is interesting.
SPEAKER_01:So someone might have had a crisis that had a CIT response before. Maybe they've even been to first step before, but maybe not. It's just been suggested, and they're warming up to it. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, that at least that's the impression I get from what uh what you're saying there. You know, another thing that we've talked about on several episodes has been the notion of stigma. I think you've described the work you're doing to help, I think you said break down barriers. This is part of it, the stigma barrier that folks have, a little bit of intimidation about making that first step, whatever that might be. You're helping to take those barriers down.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I think coming from both communities, you know, the military and the law enforcement ones, where traditionally it's all macho. I mean, we don't talk about our feelings, you know. But I think that's there are folks within Summit Point. I'll name drop Aaron Smith as one of them, as part of that veteran and police community who's helped puts on training. In fact, we just attended it last week as a department, um, a mental health training course. Right. It's great. You know, he's not afraid to stand in front of the room and tell you, hey, here are my vulnerabilities and here's how I found help and here's what I'm doing to help others. And I think, you know, that's what leaders do. You spend the first half of your career, early part, anyways, kind of building yourself up and filling your trophy case, as those guys would say in their training. And then I think in the second half of your career, kind of where I find myself now is okay, uh, I need to, I need to help others, not only outside of here, but the officers within the walls as well. Take what we've learned and uh be vulnerable with them and communicate and just say, hey, listen, I don't know everything, as I've mentioned a few times, and I'll keep doing that. But um, we know where to start. I think first step is appropriately named because we preach that all the time. It's kind of the funnel. It is the first step towards where I think we need to get these people in crisis.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I think uh there's no better way to punctuate your uh remarks except with that remark right there. So thank you for the opportunity to hear it. Hey, thanks for having me. Sergeant Sean Brown, among those on the board of directors at Summit Point, joining us here on the Summit Point podcast. Invite you to subscribe. Just type Summit Point in where you get podcasts that's point with an E, and subscribe, you'll get alerted when these episodes come available. Working at Summit Point means you're not just part of a team, you're joining a mission. We make a meaningful difference every day in the lives of those we serve. If you're looking for a workplace where your voice is valued, your growth is supported, and your work has purpose, you've found the right place. Check out the Careers page on the Summit Point website. The link is in the show notes.