University System of Georgia Behavior Intervention Team Training

The University System of Georgia’s Mental Health Initiative was created to expand mental health resources and support to our student community. The mission of the consortium expands this effort by creating a forward-looking system-wide approach to consistent and sustainable mental health and well-being support. As part of that mission, we are excited to offer this Behavior Intervention Team (BIT) / CARE Team training.

Background and Purpose:
Each USG institution should have an active and current BIT/CARE Team. Whether you are a new team just getting off the ground, or a seasoned team with a few years of experience under your belt, this training can help bring your team in line with best practices.

This training contains content related to defining BITs, using an objective risk rubric for all BIT referrals, developing appropriate interventions, and creating solid team operations. This training will also utilize interactive case examples.

Objectives:

1. Attendees will understand how to create, improve, and maximize BIT procedures in accordance with the NABITA Standards for Behavioral Intervention Teams.
2. Attendees will be able to utilize an objective risk rubric for gathering and assessing data and developing appropriate interventions in an effort to standardize the assessment of risk and development of interventions on all cases.
3. Attendees will learn how to integrate NABITA’s standards of practice into operational procedures at their institution by participating in a team self-assessment.

Attendees:
Each institution is invited to bring all members of their BIT/CARE Team as well as other individuals selected by the Team Chair.

Speaker:
Aaron “Chip” Reese, Ed.D. is the Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management at Columbus State University, where he also serves on the graduate faculty teaching in the Doctorate in Curriculum and Leadership program, and as an instructor at the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College where he teaches Behavior & Threat Assessment. A frequent speaker and presenter, both regionally and nationally, he often consults with other colleges and universities behavioral intervention teams (BIT) around the country on best practices for developing, administering, and evaluating the effectiveness of BITs. More recently, Dr. Reese served the USG for 2 years as the System Director for the Mental Health Initiative, leading all 26 USG institutional efforts in a $17 million CARES Act grant project.

Dr. Reese served as an advisory board member of the National Association of Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment (NABITA) for more than a decade and was President of the Association in 2016. He has worked on the editorial board for The Journal of Campus Behavioral Intervention (J-BIT) and has served as a faculty member at The Threat Management Institute.

With nearly 30 years’ experience in higher education, Dr. Reese has spent much of the last 20 years as Dean of Students. On several occasions he served as Interim Vice President within the University System of Georgia and has collaborated with USG Legal Affairs to craft system policies on campus carry, student conduct, and sexual misconduct.

Dr. Reese is a past-chair of the University System of Georgia, Regents Advisory Committee for Student Conduct Officers, a founding member of the Georgia College Suicide Prevention Coalition, and served on the University System of Georgia’s Public Safety Committee and the Mental Health Task Force. Dr. Reese co-authored a chapter in Policing America’s Educational System, written numerous articles, and developed the De-Escalation Decision Tree (D2T) tool, designed to assist Behavior Intervention Teams in developing, managing, and implementing team policies and best practices. The D2T has been adopted by colleges and universities across the country and within the United Kingdom.

Event Date:

Location:

Schedule:
Event check-in will begin at 8:00 on Wednesday, March 8th with a continental breakfast. The training will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

Cost:
There are no registration fees associated with this event. The USG Mental Health Initiative is covering the cost of meals and materials. Attendees will be responsible for any cost associated with their travel.

Event Cancellation Policies:
1) Cancellations must be received by 5:00 p.m. on or before March 2, 2023. (2) To change the attendee(s) or cancel your registration, call (706) 542-7493, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. (3) If an event is cancelled for any reason, the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel will not be responsible for any charges related to travel.

Hotel Cost:
This is a drive-in training and as such, the Mental Health Initiative will not be providing hotel accommodations. However, if you would like a recommendation for a local hotel please contact Dr. Jeff Eppley, Director of Student Integrity, at Georgia Gwinnett College,  jeppley@ggc.edu or (678) 407-5661.

Program Contact Information:
Program Contact:
Chip Reese
Mental Health Initiative
(229) 310-9462
chip.reese@usg.edu

Registration Contact:
The Georgia Center
(706) 542-7493
registration@georgiacenter.uga.edu

Special Needs:
Dietary restrictions should be indicated during the registration process.