10 Tips for Managing a Mental Health Crisis at Your Meeting

Meetings can be a catalyst for mental health crises. The combination of an unfamiliar environment and alcohol — a social staple at events — amplify the risks for individuals with mental health challenges. 

Here are 10 things you can do as a planner.

1. Sponsor Staff Training

Psychological Safety Training is the best way to prepare meeting staff for potential issues, so they can act as points of contact for each other. This ensures that mental health support is embedded into the event environment.

2. Put Peers in Charge

Empower a designated group of individuals to provide empathetic, non-judgmental support to attendees during an event. These trained “peers” could be integrated into the event environment as an extension of the registration staff or as volunteers. Identify them by their clothing, such as special t-shirts or colored bandanas.

3. Review Your Insurance Coverage

Reach out to your HR department to find out what resources are available to employees who are traveling. Some Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) programs have a mental health component, as do some business travel insurance policies. Travel risk providers such as International SOS also typically have provisions.

4. Inquire With Hotel Security About Previous Experiences

Arrange a conversation to find out if and how the hotel has handled guests or meeting attendees in the past. Ask which local facilities they recommend.

5. Make Your Team Aware of the 988 Hotline 

In the U.S., 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline counselors are available 24/7 for anyone experiencing a mental health, substance use, or suicide crisis. Dialing or texting 988 connects you with a trained crisis counselor, who will provide an initial assessment and screening, preliminary counseling, share information about mental health and crisis services, and, if necessary, dispatch a mobile crisis team for an on-site assessment.

6. Familiarize Yourself With Local Facilities

Emergency psychiatric clinics and urgent care facilities are becoming increasingly common, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. These facilities provide on-site mental health assessments, psychiatric evaluations, and care recommendations for people experiencing a mental health crisis. Trained staff will evaluate the person in crisis to determine if they meet the criteria for immediate psychiatric hospitalization.

7. Request Law Enforcement Officers with CIT Training

If the situation escalates and you are forced to call 911, ask for officers with Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training. They have been made aware that people with mental illnesses sometimes need a specialized response, and they are skilled at de-escalating situations involving people with mental illness. 

8. Create a Quiet Room

Have a room set aside for mental health emergencies, and include the location in meeting communications. Include comfortable furnishings, peaceful lighting, and soft lighting. Have trained staff on hand to offer support when needed.

9. Promote Resources With Attendees

It’s important to promote psychological safety initiatives to the attendees in your emails and other meeting communications, such as the conference program or the app. Also consider also including signage with a QR code.

10. Encourage Connections

Organizing structured networking sessions and social activities can ease attendees’ stress and any feelings of isolation and foster a sense of belonging. Creating a buddy system or organized meet-ups will give attendees opportunities to connect with others.