Understanding Mental Health Crisis Response Through The Lens of First Responders

Author

Ella Gibson, CUNY John Jay CollegeFollow

Date of Award

Fall 12-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department/Program

Forensic Psychology

Language

English

First Advisor or Mentor

Philip Yanos

Second Reader

Jessica Arenella

Third Advisor

Rebecca Weiss

Abstract

Responses to mental health crises are becoming an increasingly contentious topic as cases of extreme police violence or fatality during a crisis are publicized in the media. Although first responders’ experiences with mental health crisis response have been explored in prior literature, there remains a lack of research that gathers data from multiple first responder roles and compares their experiences across groups. There is also a significant gap in research examining the perspectives of co-response teams. This study sought to gather qualitative data on the experiences of police officers, EMTs/paramedics, and co-response team members, and to explore their perceptions of how other agencies handle crisis response, as well as beliefs about whose responsibility mental health crisis response should be. A total of ten participants, all self-identified members of the three aforementioned groups, primarily served a major U.S. city and had worked in their role for over one year. Participants completed 25- to 50-minute semi-structured interviews focused on their experiences responding to mental health crises. Major findings reflect varying levels of perceived preparedness across roles, endorsement of stigma toward individuals with mental illness across all groups, most prominently among EMS personnel, and widespread support for a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to crisis response. Participants consistently recommended increased staffing, more specialized and ongoing training, improved interagency collaboration, and greater continuity of care following crisis encounters. Findings also highlight the limited accessibility of co-response and alternative crisis response models, indicating a need for expanded availability of these services.

Recommended Citation

Gibson, Ella, "Understanding Mental Health Crisis Response Through The Lens of First Responders" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/374