Date: January 23, 2026
Time (CT): 9 AM-12 Noon
Modality: Zoom
Presenter: Aaron Laxton, MSW, LCSW. Co-facilitators Mikie Bobzin, LMSW & Hadley Karandjeff, LMSW (Saint Louis University School of Social Work MSW Alumna)
EMS Social Work Certificate
Title: De-Escalation and Dialogue: Navigating Crisis Response with Clients and Building Effective Partnerships with Crisis Intervention Teams and Other Law Enforcement Allies
Learning Objectives:
Identify the respective roles and responsibilities of social workers and law enforcement officers in crisis response. and navigation skills when conflicting roles and authority dynamics arise.
Demonstrate and apply techniques for verbal de-escalation and trauma-informed intervention for use in clinical practice with agitated clients and co-response scenarios
Develop strategies to foster mutual respect, effective communication, and appropriate care coordination with clients, Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT), and other allies working in crisis services, law enforcement, probation and parole, and emergency medical services (EMS).
Course Description: This CE provides social workers with advanced knowledge and clinical skills needed to collaborate effectively with law enforcement officers as part of Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT). With an increasing number of communities adopting CIT models to respond to behavioral health crises, social workers are often called upon to serve as co-responders or liaisons, offering new opportunities to broaden social work practice in crisis intervention and systems coordination skills. This training focuses on learning de-escalation techniques, the importance of shared language, and mutual respect in these partnerships. These same de-escalation skills can also be used in trauma-informed engagement with agitated clients, defuse potentially volatile situations, and teach clients conflict resolution strategies to prevent future violence. Drawing on real-life scenarios, role play, and systems-level perspectives, this workshop helps participants examine both the opportunities and challenges of cross-system collaboration. It emphasizes building skills in managing conflict, risk assessment, and safety planning, and the importance of clinical judgment and cultural humility when working with diverse populations under high-stress conditions.
Bio: Aaron M. Laxton, MSW, LCSW, is an experienced social work educator, harm reduction strategist, and licensed clinical social worker with more than 15 years of leadership in the fields of substance use prevention, mental health, and system-level intervention. He currently serves as Executive Director of Missouri’s largest outpatient provider of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), where he oversees a multidisciplinary team of more than 100 clinical and operational staff. Laxton has extensive experience designing and facilitating continuing education workshops for behavioral health professionals, with an emphasis on ethics, harm reduction, crisis response, and innovative treatment approaches. He played a central role in launching Missouri’s first state-funded mobile treatment unit, a program designed to engage individuals at various points along the continuum of substance use. As a PhD candidate at Saint Louis University, his dissertation research investigates the cognitive and spatial reasoning processes that influence time-in-recovery, exploring how neurobiological and behavioral patterns interact within addiction treatment. His practice and pedagogy are grounded in lived experience, clinical expertise, and a commitment to advancing evidence-based, person-centered care.
Price:
$65.00