Redwood City is pleased to introduce Patricia Baker as the new Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team Mental Health Clinician serving the community. In tandem with police officers, Baker responds to crisis calls for service under San Mateo County’s Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team Pilot Project. The program is aimed at de-escalating 9-1-1 calls and providing appropriate, compassionate care for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
“Many residents have called upon the City to consider alternative service delivery models, particularly related to calls involving individuals experiencing a mental health crisis,” said City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz. “As we focus on reimagining public safety services, this is a first step to improve support for a person undergoing a crisis.”
Baker is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), has completed two fellowships through the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis’ Palo Alto Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program, and holds a Masters in Arts in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley.
Previously, Baker served on the first Marin County Drug Court Team representing the treatment center at CenterPoint and she has also provided therapy to inmates at Solano County jails. She has taught driving under the influence (DUI) classes at StarVista, and has worked at their adolescent program Insights here in Redwood City. She also provided clinical interviews and extensive psychological assessments as part of a homeless assessment project.
“We are very excited about the enhanced service delivery Clinician Baker brings when responding to mental health-related calls for service” said Police Chief Dan Mulholland. “During her second week of training at the police department, Clinician Baker worked closely with a Patrol Officer to successfully deescalate a call for service involving a despondent teenager in mental health crisis. The teen was in need of mental health support and with Clinician Baker and the Police Officer working effectively in tandem, we were quickly able to get the teen the help needed. I look forward to hearing many similar success stories involving our Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team clinicians as this pilot project continues to mature.”
Initially, she will work Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; however, her schedule will be adjusted based on existing data for the types of calls she will be responding to and community need. In addition to responding to calls for service, Baker will also provide on-going training to Redwood City Police Department personnel in the area of behavioral health, crisis response, and de-escalation.