Teen Crisis Intervention / Transport Escorts FAQ's

• What should I expect from the team that does the intervention/transition escort?
  
  You can expect us to be empathetic to your child’s feelings and offer support and guidance throughout this journey. Always thinking safety first.
  
  You can expect our teams to communicate at each transition, e.g. once they are either on the plane waiting to take off or just prior to boarding, and once they have released your child to the program. You can also expect communication immediately if something is not going according to the schedule.
  You can also expect us to stay in contact with referring professionals, and the program during this transition.
  
  
• What is my role as a parent during the intervention process?
  
  
  1. Trust the process.   
  2. To meet the team in front of your home at the designated time set-up during the intake process. At this time you will go over the layout of your   home including any possible escape routes or any items in your child’s bedroom that could be used to cause harm. You will also give the team any medications, eyewear or paperwork that may need to go to the program. We also suggest a small backpack for any approved personal items for your child to carry (magazines or books).  You will then lead the agents to your child’s bedroom.
  3. Once you introduce the agents to your child we ask the parents to leave the home. This is a de-escalation method that helps the teenager focus on what the agents are saying and not on how to manipulate and “guilt load” parents to get out of going.  We also recommend siblings are not at home and all animals are secure during this process.  
     
     
• How do your teams respond to an uncooperative teenager?
  
  It is very important when dealing with an escalated teenager to keep calm, always using a firm but gentle voice. It is also important to stay away from making demands, ultimatums, and bribery (this is called power struggling and it only escalates most situations). The goal is to help them understand, what the goal is, which is to get them to the program safely. To help them understand that they may have a choice in how they get there but they do not have a choice in going. Once a teenager knows that this is serious and they are not going to manipulate their way out of going to program X they will generally begin to cooperate. Our teams are trained in verbal de-escalation methods which teach how to stay calm while also staying focused on getting the teenager safely to the program.

"Realize the journey and The goal are always the same"