Behavioral Health Unit Police Collaborative co-responding clinician and Clinical Program Manager Katie Twomey. (Courtesy the Behavioral Health Unit)
TEWKSBURY – Chief Ryan Columbus is pleased to announce that the Tewksbury Police Department is welcoming a new co-response mental health clinician and Clinical Program Manager to the Behavioral Health Unit Police Collaborative.
Katie Twomey grew up in South Boston and has been working in the mental health and addiction field since 2015. She will now serve as a co-responding mental health clinician working with Tewksbury Police, and as the Clinical Program Manager overseeing the entire Behavioral Health Unit Police Collaborative, which serves Tewksbury, Dracut, Tyngsborough, Chelmsford and Billerica Police.
Twomey earned her bachelor’s degree from UMass Boston in 2014 with a double major in Psychology and Sociology and a minor in Communication Studies. She also holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Regis College, where she was member of the Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work.
Twomey has worked in a variety of settings, including as a clinical supervisor and therapist at substance use and mental health outpatient treatment centers, and as a counselor and program director in the prison system. She also gained valuable experience working in group homes for children with behavioral and brain injuries and at early intervention autism program centers.
Twomey will oversee the entire Behavioral Health Unit Police Collaborative and respond alongside Tewksbury police to mental health emergencies and crises. She will also work with individuals after crises to ensure they have access to appropriate services.
“I am deeply passionate about advocating for individuals struggling with substance use and mental health disorders and empowering them to reach their full potential,” Twomey said. “My mission is to provide compassionate and effective interventions while ensuring the dignity of those facing mental health or addiction crises. With a strong commitment to crisis intervention and mental health legislative reform, I am excited to collaborate with law enforcement professionals to expand access to meaningful care.”
The collaborative, funded by a grant from the Department of Mental Health, provides member departments with access to a co-response clinician who can respond to active calls for service, follow up with individuals following a crisis, and make referrals to community-based services.
Fully embedded into each department, the program provides a trauma-informed, highly trained co-response clinician for individuals experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.
Since 2016, the Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, and Tyngsborough Police Departments have worked to create a regional mental health collaborative aimed at diverting individuals with mental health and substance misuse disorders from being unnecessarily processed through the criminal justice system or through already overcrowded emergency rooms.
In addition to on-scene responses, clinicians are:
• Accessible to police 24/7 for mental health consultation
• Available to community members for follow-up with police
• Available for follow-up with individuals post-crisis
• Able to make referrals for community-based services, such as for non-acute levels of care and case management
• Supporting community initiatives for better health, wellness, and mental health
For more information on the Behavioral Health Unit call 978-215-9642 or visit: https://tewksburypolice.com/behavioral-health-unit/
