Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
1-1-2025
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice
Advisor
James Pann
Keywords
co-responder; first responder; law enforcement; mental health
Abstract
First responders are often called upon to deal with mental health emergencies but are ill-equipped to handle these situations. In these cases, the training provided to first responders is generalized across many mental health presentations and only touches on essential information for interacting with individuals in crises involving mental illness. Conversely, individuals with the most specialized training and most experience working with persons with mental illness are often not those individuals at the scene of a crisis. As the calls for mental health reform continue, some first responder agencies are looking for alternative methods of responding to mental health calls for service. One of the more recent developments is the use of co-responder units. These units typically include first responders (e.g., law enforcement officers, paramedics, firefighters, EMS) with a mental health professional or paraprofessional (e.g., licensed mental health counselors, licensed social workers, case managers) to respond jointly to these calls for service. The researcher in this qualitative study used grounded theory to explore the potential effects, both positive and negative, that co-responder units have on their clients. The researcher also used a coding method to develop a theoretical framework about co-responder units, as none currently exist to explain how these units work.
NSUWorks Citation
Nicole R. Nonclerc. 2025. Evaluating the Effects of Co-Responder Models on Persons with Mental Illness. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. (1258)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/1258.