Positive Approaches Journal, Volume 13, Issue 3

Conte & Girandola | 16-21




Positive Approaches Journal - Volume 2 Title

Volume 13 ► Issue 3 ► December 2024


Police Department Mental Health Liaison Program

Vicky Conte & Candice Girandola


The Police Department Mental Health Liaison (PDMHL) program is a trauma-informed service administered and supervised by Pinebrook Family Answers in Allentown, PA.1 The program was implemented in April 2017 through a three-year Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) grant administered by Lehigh County Mental Health. The PDMHL program works closely with the Allentown Police Department (APD), as well as the fourteen other Lehigh County police departments, to assess the needs of individuals who engage with the police, to refer individuals to the appropriate service providers, reduce recidivism, and to promote the Recovery Model.

The program began with just one social worker embedded within the APD in 2017. Although it took some time for the social worker to gain the trust of the APD officers, the social worker was supported by the current and subsequent police chiefs, and they routinely began sending referrals directly to the social worker. The relationship between the police departments in Lehigh County and Pinebrook Family Answers is based on mutual trust and on-going communication.1

As the program showed signs of success in its pilot years, Lehigh County Mental Health expanded the program in 2019, by adding another social worker to serve the other police departments in Lehigh County. In 2020, the APD granted Pinebrook Family Answers a contract to add a second social worker inside the APD. In 2023, Pinebrook Family Answers was granted another contract through Lehigh County to add three additional social workers. The PDMHL program currently receives funding for five social workers in total, two that serve the APD and three that serve the other fourteen police departments in Lehigh County, as well as any referrals that Magisterial District Judges may send the program, from their interactions with clients who have had engagement with the PA State Police.

There are several different titles used for police social workers across the country. Pinebrook Family Answers uses the title of Community Intervention Specialist (CIS) for police social workers embedded within the police departments in Lehigh County. Although there may be different position titles, the main goal of this position is to help individuals and families who have had engagement with law enforcement to connect with appropriate resources and service providers.

Working closely with law enforcement presents unique challenges, which require the CIS to sometimes think outside the box. When contacting individuals who have had contact with law enforcement, it was originally anticipated that those individuals would not be open to support and could be upset with law enforcement being mentioned. In Lehigh County, that could not have been further from the truth. Individuals are often grateful for any type of assistance, even a simple phone call from a CIS, allowing them to speak freely, which could de-escalate a situation.

Pinebrook Family Answers continues to experience a growing mental health crisis across Lehigh County. One of the biggest challenges for CIS is finding available resources for individuals. Although CIS can identify areas of need for an individual and recommend and refer them to appropriate providers, they are often met with extensive waiting lists or sometimes services that have been closed, due to a lack of funding. In many cases, CIS will step into the role of temporary case manager, checking in and meeting with individuals regularly until the referred individual begins services with a provider.

A critical piece of the CIS position is building trust and connecting individuals struggling with their mental health to community resources. Due to the state of their mental health and their past experiences, individuals who are referred to the CIS often do not trust providers or law enforcement. CIS work to build trust with individuals through honest communication, follow-through, and listening to individuals to uncover each of their unique challenges. As stated previously, simply listening to someone can help to de-escalate a situation.

Law enforcement have been supportive of the CIS program since its inception. One of the unexpected outcomes of the CIS position is educating law enforcement on the various human services departments and programs. Typically, officers will approach a CIS after they follow up with an individual and ask for an update on what can be done for that person. It is here that the CIS explain their plan to assist the individual, with respect to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and explain some of the roadblocks when it comes to getting individuals connected to resources. Law enforcement officers appreciate not only CIS follow-up, but also an explanation as to what is happening with the referred individual “behind the scenes”.

CIS receive referrals from the police in a few ways. The first referral stream is through police department administration sending referrals to the CIS via email. The second avenue to referral is through CIS interactions with police officers. CIS often go out and ride along with the police in the community. Through those interactions, police officers build trust in the CIS and then refer individuals directly to them.

The CIS have a unique working relationship with the Upper Macungie Police Department (UMPD). The UMPD adopted a HUB model a few years ago. The HUB model includes a monthly meeting hosted by the UMPD that many of the local service providers attend. The providers present at this meeting, discuss each case presented by the UMPD, and decide which service provider will take the lead on each case. The CIS work closely with the Community Resource Officer in the UMPD and they often go out and visit clients together. 

Through interactions with the CIS, the PDMHL program can offer individuals who become engaged with the legal system, the opportunity to improve their outcomes with mental illness and/or substance use problems.1 This program also develops better community partnerships with law enforcement agencies and the courts. The PDMHL program’s goals are to connect individuals, including both children and adults, to appropriate resources, prevent unnecessary jail, prison, and hospital stays, to reduce recidivism, and to support recovery, for the benefit of the individual, their loved ones, and the community.




References 

1.     Conte V. Police Department Community Intervention Program. Pinebrook Family Answers. March 20, 2024. Accessed December 2, 2024. Police Department Community Intervention Program.





Biographies

Victoria (Vicky) Conte, is the Director of Community-Based Mental Health Programs for Pinebrook Family Answers in Allentown, PA. She has over 14 years of experience working in mental health services and over 12 years supervising person-centered programs in the Lehigh Valley. She assisted in the creation of the Police Department Mental Health Liaison Program in Lehigh County, PA, a program that supports individuals who encounter law enforcement in times of suspected mental health crises. Vicky also co-leads Pinebrook Family Answers’ Trauma-Informed Care Committee. She is passionate about bringing trauma-awareness to the community and trains other agencies and institutions in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas in trauma-informed care and vicarious trauma. Vicky is currently working on completing a master’s in Art Therapy at Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA. Her certifications include a 50-hour trauma certification through Drexel University and certification as a trauma-informed agency trainer. In addition to her career in mental health, Vicky is interested in art, travel, and photography, as well as regularly practicing yoga. She is the mother of two young women whose accomplishments and drive to help others make her prouder every day.

Candice Girandola, MPH, MS, is a school based-therapist at Pinebrook Family Answers in Allentown, PA and has over ten years of experience providing compassionate, client-centered care in the community. While receiving her master’s in counseling, focusing on trauma studies, Candice worked with individuals who encountered law enforcement in times of crises and worked to help those individuals and their families with connecting to appropriate resources in the community. Candice holds a master’s in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia PA, and a master’s in Public Health from East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA. She has worked in various environments, including nonprofit organizations, in-home mental health programs, government agencies, and has collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to address complex client needs. In addition to her professional career, Candice is passionate about providing mindfulness practices to her community. She completed a 200-hour Yoga teacher training in 2017 and regularly attends trainings centered around mindfulness and trauma-informed care.

 

Contact Information

Vicky Conte

Director of Community-Based Mental Health Programs, Pinebrook Family Answers

Email: vconte@pbfalv.org

Candice Girandola, MPH, MS

Pinebrook Family Answers

Email: cgirandola@pbfalv.org