CIT International Conference – Workshop Submission Information
Thank you for your interest in presenting at the CIT International Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Please review the information from the CITICON Submit a Workshop Website Page.docx before submitting a proposal.
General Information
CIT International is seeking proposals for approximately 100 workshops over three conference days, plus 3–5 Bonus Sunday Sessions for deeper, extended learning.
- Regular workshops: 60 minutes
- Bonus Sunday Sessions: 90 minutes to 3 hours
- Presentations should provide practical, relevant information that attendees can apply in their communities.
- Proposals from a variety of disciplines, perspectives, and experience levels are encouraged.
Suggested Topics
CIT Programming
- CIT program development, growth, sustainability, and fidelity
- Steering committees, MOUs, and community partnerships
- Innovative CIT and community collaborations
- Data collection, evaluation, and outcomes
- De-escalation and crisis communication
- Suicide prevention and risk assessment
- Officer wellness, self-care, and workforce resilience
- Clinical and advanced CIT training
- CIT approaches for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities
- Diverse and underserved populations
- Peer support, lived experience, families, and caregivers
- Cultural responsiveness and communication
- Technology and data-informed CIT practices
Crisis System Transformation
- 911/988 coordination and interoperability
- Mobile crisis and crisis call centers
- Co-response and alternative/non-law-enforcement response
- Community-based crisis response
- Crisis stabilization, receiving centers, and respite
- Jail/prison diversion and alternatives to incarceration
- Peer support and community-based services
- Transportation and access to care
- Continuity of care and reducing repeat crises/ED use
- Cross-system information sharing
- Mental health, public safety, healthcare, housing, and social-service partnerships
- Building sustainable local and statewide crisis systems
Youth & Young Adults
- Youth and young adult CIT
- Child and adolescent crisis response
- School-based crisis partnerships
- Law enforcement and school collaboration
- Youth/young adult 988 response
- Family engagement
- Youth homelessness
- Transition-age youth
- Juvenile justice diversion
- Youth suicide prevention and substance use
- Youth with IDD or developmental needs
- Youth lived experience and system design
- Age-appropriate de-escalation and intervention
Policy, Advocacy & System Leadership
- Federal, state, and local policy developments
- Advocacy and legislative strategies
- Crisis-response legislation and policy
- 911/988, mobile crisis, and co-response policy
- Sustainable funding advocacy
- Criminal justice reform and diversion
- Youth, veteran, and homelessness policy
- Family and lived-experience advocacy
- Coalition building and systems change
- Using data and outcomes to influence policymakers
- Leadership strategies for system transformation
Funding, Sustainability & Federal Opportunities
- Federal funding opportunities for CIT and crisis response
- Grant development and competitive proposals
- Federal, state, and local funding streams
- Braiding and blending funding
- Medicaid and reimbursement strategies
- Funding mobile crisis and co-response
- Sustaining programs after grant funding ends
- Demonstrating outcomes and return on investment
- Funding partnerships and infrastructure
- Youth, rural, and underserved-community funding
Emerging & Innovative Topics
- AI and technology in crisis response
- Data sharing and interoperability
- Technology supporting 911/988
- Telehealth and virtual crisis services
- Data-informed prevention
- Veterans and homelessness
- Substance use, co-occurring conditions, and overdose response
- Human trafficking and domestic violence
- Trauma-informed approaches
- Older adults and cognitive disabilities
- Rural and frontier communities
- Workforce recruitment, retention, and wellness
- Community violence and trauma
- Reentry and continuity of care
- Innovative cross-sector partnerships
Special consideration will be given to proposals addressing veterans, homelessness, youth and young adults, co-response, federal funding and sustainability, policy and advocacy, innovative crisis-response models, data/technology, and advanced or emerging practices.
Bonus Sunday Sessions
CIT International will consider 3–5 extended Bonus Sunday Sessions for topics that benefit from a deeper dive. Sessions may run 90 minutes to 3 hours and should provide intensive learning, hands-on skill development, interactive training, or facilitated discussion.
Bonus Session proposals should explain:
- Why the topic requires additional time
- Skills or knowledge participants will gain
- How the session will provide deeper or interactive learning
- Proposed session length
- Any special room, technology, equipment, or material needs
Examples may include advanced de-escalation, intensive grant writing, advanced CIT program development, hands-on crisis-response training, leadership, or emerging crisis-system models.
Presentation Guidelines
- Length: Regular workshops are 60 minutes.
- Format: One speaker or a panel of up to four presenters.
- Approach: Practical, engaging, interactive, and applicable to real-world crisis response.
- Proposal Needs: Session title, description, three measurable learning objectives, and presenter info.
- Formatting: PowerPoint presentations must use Georgia, Tahoma, or Arial, with a minimum font size of 24 pt.
- Accessibility: Videos must include closed captioning.
Who Attends?
- Law enforcement and corrections
- Mental health and healthcare professionals
- EMS and other first responders
- People with lived experience
- Families and caregivers
- Advocates and peer specialists
- Judges and court professionals
- Public defenders and prosecutors
- Policymakers and community leaders
- Crisis-response and community-service professionals
Presenter Requirements & Terms
Availability: Presenters must be available to present on any of the three conference days. CIT International will determine presentation dates and times based on the overall conference schedule. Do not submit a proposal if you cannot accommodate scheduling changes or be available throughout all three conference days.
Information Required:
- Name, rank/title, and organization
- Address, Email, and Phone number
- Headshot and Professional bio
Agreement Terms:
- Participate in the required speaker orientation
- Register at the applicable presenter rate (no other compensation provided)
- Cover your own travel and accommodations
- Bring your presentation on a USB drive; CIT International will not preload presentations
- Provide your own handouts; CIT International will not print handouts
- Use only authorized copyrighted/trademarked materials
- Keep sales and marketing activities within the Vendor Exhibition
- Not promote or sell products, services, books, curricula, software, or fee-based training during presentations
Vendors are welcome to submit proposals and may contact conference@citinternational.org with questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to be a CIT International member to submit?
No.
Can vendors submit?
Yes. Vendor presentations must provide educational value and may not be used primarily for sales or marketing.
Does CIT International cover presenter travel or lodging?
No. Presenters are responsible for their own travel, accommodations, and applicable registration fees.
Will CIT International print my handouts?
No. Presenters are responsible for providing any handouts.
Will CIT International preload my PowerPoint?
No. Presenters should bring their presentation on a USB drive.
Questions?
General conference information will be available on the CIT International Conference website.
