MILO  is excited to announce a collaboration with the county of Santa Clara Behavioral Health on the development of new simulation training content focused on behavioral health response. These scenarios address the complexities of behavioral health response, providing law enforcement, clinical social workers, and clinicians to train effectively on the MILO Range simulator. “We are dedicated to providing law enforcement and social workers with the necessary tools to navigate complex behavioral health scenarios effectively in a safe training environment, where they feel safe to ask questions, make mistakes, practice, learn skills, overcome challenges, and make improvements, while responding with compassion and respect,” says Amanda Williams, Cognitive Division Manager at MILO. The scenarios were created in close consultation with clinical social workers and clinicians, ensuring a truthful portrayal of behaviors representing someone in crisis or with Alzheimer’s, for example.

What sets this collaboration apart is the commitment to authenticity and genuine representation. The County of Santa Clara and MILO have prioritized the direct involvement of actual community representatives. Rather than relying solely on actors portraying diverse community members, the scenarios developed prioritize the participation of actual representatives from each community. Notably, the training content is designed to encompass the unique experiences and challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as Spanish and Vietnamese-speaking communities. This inclusive approach fosters empathy, cultural understanding, and ultimately leads to improved outcomes in the field of behavioral health intervention. “The training scenarios have the unique ability to translate what is learned in a safe training environment and then utilize these same skills in the real world. The message is that the skills learned address the importance of verbal de-escalation when managing someone in a behavioral health crisis and saves lives,” as noted by Sandra Hernandez, LCSW, Division Director of Community Mobile Crisis Services, County of Santa Clara, CA.

This approach ensures that the training content accurately reflects lived experiences, cultural nuances, and specific challenges faced by individuals represented in those communities. By incorporating the voices and perspectives of community members directly into the training process, the County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health and MILO aim to create a more immersive and authentic learning environment enabling more effective and compassionate responses when responding to complex behavioral health crises.