How important is rapport-building in crisis intervention? Does it take weeks or months to establish, or can it be built in just a couple of hours? Two members of our CIT ASSIST Community of Practice recently demonstrated that while the timeline for building rapport can vary greatly, both approaches can be effective. Each of them connected with an individual in crisis—one over an extended period, the other in just a short time—and both were able to help bring the situation to a successful resolution.
In the summer of 2024, the Fitchburg (MA) Co-Response Clinician received an early morning call from a local business, reporting that one of their employees had left a suicide note and was missing. The clinician had a long history of working with this person and immediately reached out to him on his cell phone. After several hours, the man took the clinician’s call, telling her that he was next to a set of tracks and that he planned to jump in front of the next train. However, during that same conversation, he also agreed to meet with the clinician and shared his exact location. The clinician arrived shortly thereafter, finding an emotional and troubled person who, after a lengthy and tear-filled discussion, agreed to be transported to a nearby hospital for care. The individual later called to personally thank the clinician for saving his life. In a follow-up conversation, he shared that he had relocated to a different city, was living with family, employed, and in a stable place. It was the trust built through multiple encounters prior to this particular crisis that made all the difference—because of that strong rapport, the man took the clinician’s call, shared his location, and was able to get the support he needed.
In many instances, however, there simply isn’t a history or existing relationship between the responders and the person in crisis – and rapport must be built in hours or even minutes. In the winter of 2025, the Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff’s Office conducted a wellness check involving a mother and her son. Another of the women’s children had been unable to reach his mother for several days and feared that his brother might be holding her against her will. When officers arrived, the man refused to open the door and let them into his mother’s apartment. Officers quickly determined that the son was experiencing an acute mental health crisis and called for assistance. A co-responder team, consisting of two officers and a clinician, spent the next two hours talking with the man and building a rapport. Though a hostage negotiation team was also present, the individual insisted that he would only surrender to the co-responder team, which he eventually did. Sadly, after the man voluntarily surrendered, his mother was found deceased in the apartment. He later told officers that he had not intended to give himself up, but the clinician had persuaded him it was the right thing to do. This rapport, established in a timeframe short enough that it could be measured in minutes, likely prevented a physical confrontation, ensuring the safety of the officers and of the individual.
Rapport—the sense of trust, connection, and mutual understanding between individuals—is a critical component in crisis intervention. It creates a sense of safety and validation, encouraging individuals in crisis to open up and engage, which in turn leads to more effective support and resolution. Whether built over the course of years or in minutes, as demonstrated by two members of our CIT ASSIST Community of Practice, the value and potential impact of building rapport with an individual in crisis cannot be overstated. In both cases, their ability to connect on a human level led to peaceful outcomes and ensured that those individuals received the help and care they needed.
To learn more about the efforts of CIT ASSIT Cohort members, please visit the CIT ASSIST Community of Practice.