The Integrated Outreach Services team is a collaboration of mental health professionals embedded within the Mount Vernon Police Department. We work with law enforcement officers to provide differing types of clinical support and services for the individuals within the city of Mount Vernon. Involvements can range from co-response to suicidal subjects, independent response to engage people experiencing homelessness, providing intensive case management, and working with individuals living with severe mental health and/or substance use concerns. IOS provides outreach, case management, crisis intervention, and community development to aid the city of Mount Vernon.  The IOS program has 7 principles by which we work:

1)Relationship is the path to change

2)Say "Yes" first and as much as possible

3) Person before problem- look for their strengths, interests, dreams

4) Helping is not enabling

5)Ask "What happened to you?"  not "what's wrong with you?"

6)We work harder than the client when necessary

7) We practice avoiding the soft bigotry of low expectations

The student would participate in street outreach with the team, developing relationships, providing short term interventions, and then, hopefully developing longer-term relationships with the clients. They would help the people increase their hope that things could change, collaboratively identify goals and develop plans and support, encourage and counsel them along their recovery path. The student would be able to shadow the independent responders, at times, when they respond to people in behavioral health crises.

If the student would like to have a group-work experience, the student would be part of developing a group, marketing it and providing the group facilitation. There are also several types of community based meetings in which a student could participate.

n/a

Some experience in behavioral health or social services preferred but not required

Contact Erin von Fempe at erinv@mountvernonwa.gov