The best way to help someone experiencing mental health issues who doesn’t want help is with patience and persistence.
“A lot of people don’t want to accept services because they don’t want to admit that they have a mental illness,” says Crisis Response Specialist Samantha Bratt of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Mental Health Unit (MHU).
On a recent morning, Deputy Angela McNealy-Simmons and Specialist Bratt attempted to make contact with five potential clients. Two were in jail, which provides its own mental health services. One seemed to be home but didn’t answer the door, so they left a card. The two citizens they managed to make contact with declined services at this time.
Neither Deputy McNealy-Simmons nor Specialist Bratt appeared the least bit frustrated. It’s all part of the process. “Even if they don’t want services now, at least they know about us and have our contact information,” Deputy McNealy-Simmons said. “Sometimes we get a call from them a couple of months later.” They emphasize that the MHU has had plenty of success stories since its inception. And even if the client doesn’t want services right now, at least the MHU team has documented their current mental state.
The MHU began in 2016 with an objective to reduce the number of arrests and Baker Acts – involuntary mental health evaluations – for mentally ill citizens who deputies come in contact with. A deputy is paired with a civilian Crisis Response Specialist to make contact with citizens who may be in need of services. Sometimes they respond to an in-progress call, such as someone who is talking about suicide. Other times they are referred by deputies or others who make initial contact with citizens experiencing mental health issues.
In 2021, the MHU averaged 222 contacts per month with individuals in need of services. The unit has been so inundated that it has expanded several times, with the possibility of more growth on the horizon. Currently the MHU consists of a sergeant, a corporal, and six deputies, as well as eight Crisis Response Specialists and a Crisis Response Specialist Supervisor. Two of the PCSO Crisis Response Specialists work with two Clearwater police officers within their city’s jurisdiction.
The teams work Monday through Friday, when PCSO analysts say there are the most calls for mental health services. Most of the teams work afternoons through midnight. However, two of the teams work day shift, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Behavioral health facilities and social services are open during these hours, allowing the MHU teams to contact them when needed.
Before they attempt to make contact with a client, Deputy McNealy-Simmons and Specialist Bratt do as much research as they can. Each can access different systems, and they share information to best serve the client and ensure the safety of everyone involved. They get alerts if a client has had contact with local law enforcement, as some have a history of violence or repeated Baker Acts. The MHU team doesn’t make appointments because they find that unannounced visits are more effective.
Deputy McNealy-Simmons says that they approach a client in a specific way. “I make first contact,” she says, which allows her to assess the situation. But she knows that people sometimes feel intimidated or shut down when confronted with a person in uniform. Deputy McNealy-Simmons wants to let clients know the team is not there to arrest them, but to offer help. So as soon as she can, she introduces Specialist Bratt and then steps aside to a strategic location. “I want to be out of the client’s direct line of sight, but where I can see everything that’s going on.”
Then Specialist Bratt takes over with her low-key and compassionate approach. She finds out how the client is doing, and talks with them about the many services available. She can connect them with mental health care, housing assistance, food assistance, and insurance, and help with substance abuse and many of the other problems that can go hand in hand with mental health issues.
The MHU often refers clients to the Pinellas Integrated Care Alliance Team (PIC), which is made up of Personal Enrichment through Mental Health Services (PEMHS), Suncoast Center, and BayCare Inc. The PIC Team takes a broad, comprehensive approach to mental health, connecting clients to resources with the end goal of empowering them to be self-sufficient.
The services are completely voluntary, and many clients are relieved to have help navigating the complex array of available resources. Deputy McNealy-Simmons has seen clients make remarkable transformations once they receive a little help.
Other clients want nothing to do with them, or seem enthusiastic at first but fail to follow through. Clients can be hard to find, moving frequently or becoming transient, and some can become aggressive. The MHU finds other clients in such an acute crisis that they have to be Baker Acted for their own protection or the protection of others.
Whatever they face, Deputy McNealy-Simmons and Specialist Bratt never give up. “Sometimes we have to go five or six times before they’re willing to engage with us,” Specialist Bratt says. “We just keep trying. Everybody is worth trying for.”
