Members of the Looking Glass Crisis Response Team (Ben Braney, left, and Jeanette Weiler, middle) engage a youth while on a house call.
After 3 months without the ability to make house calls and more than a year without access to a crisis bed for youth, the Crisis Response Team of Lane County is once again able to offer in-person support and access to crisis placements as needed. The Crisis Response Team consists of a multi-agency collaboration between Looking Glass, Jasper Mountain and the Child Center providing crisis support services to children and adolescents within Lane County. This team has been in operation for over 15 years.
Jeanette Weiler, a Clinical Supervisor at the Springfield Looking Glass Counseling office, took over as the CRT Coordinator in April and has worked for Looking Glass for 5 years. Weiler said she is glad the team can go out again in addition to offering phone support, as the pandemic has caused a lot of increased anxiety and stress for children and their families.
“School has always been a point of distress for kiddos, “ Weiler explained. “But having been out of it for a year or longer, coming back is a lot to adjust to. We have had a lot of calls regarding school and homework related anxiety but also have seen an increase in suicidal and isolation related calls.”
The collaborative, multi-agency approach works by each of the three agencies taking the helm answering the phone in a rotating fashion each month. The team answering the phone attempts to deescalate the situation over the phone before determining if additional support of an in person team is needed. Each agency is responsible for a different area of Lane County, with Looking Glass covering all of Eugene.
This flip phone is shared between agencies for the CRT calls.
Currently the phone number is connected to a phone that team members have to physically hand off to each other when it’s their turn. The phone itself is an old flip phone, with no internet connection, which keeps it simple but can cause challenges as well. As a result, staff are often required to utilize other devices to assist in offering crisis support, such as looking up addresses of the calls, and getting access to various resources that may be needed while on the calls. Budget constraints have kept the agency from being able to purchase a smart phone for this purpose. If a donor was so inclined, Looking Glass would gladly accept a donation enabling the purchase of an upgraded phone.
A recent example of a typical call the team receives was one involving a teen who was having a panic attack due to feeling behind and overwhelmed in school. The CRT team responded to the teen and parent in person, after attempting to provide phone support and helped de-escalate the situation while exploring a step-by-step plan to address the teen’s concerns.
“Sometimes the parents just need an outside voice, sometimes they’re too involved in the situation or sometimes the parents are escalated themselves,” said Weiler. Two team members are always together on in-person calls and there is always one Spanish speaking team member available as well.
To call the Crisis Response Team: 1-888-989-9990.
Current members of the Looking Glass Crisis Response Team include: Betsy Arreola, Ben Braney, Leah Chance, Maiyra Espinoza, Ozzy Monjaras, Ben Munson, Alex Potts, and Jeanette Weiler..