Meet San Mateo Police Department's New Mental Health Clinician

SAN MATEO, CA — For Briana Fair, the new mental health clinician in the San Mateo Police Department, change is harder to create from the outside.

That’s why Fair moved from San Diego to the Bay Area to take part in a pilot program in San Mateo County’s four largest cities intended to aid in de-escalating 911 calls and provide appropriate and compassionate care for non-violent individuals.

Fair, the department’s first mental health clinician, told Patch in an interview earlier this month that with the recent increase in attention to mental health and whether police are adequately prepared to respond to such calls, it is as important as ever to have trained professionals available.

“It’s really important to have mental health clinicians in every space they can be to help address it appropriately,” Fair said. “I think we’re asking a lot of people who are not in the mental health field to take on things that do require a professional, and I think that having this role is going to change that.”

Fair, a licensed associate clinical social worker, has a master’s degree in social work from California State University in San Marcos and has been in several roles related to mental health for six years. Her previous jobs have included being a protective services worker for San Diego County, a program coordinator at New Vistas Crisis Center and a medical social worker at Rady Children’s Hospital.

Fair believes that the specific skillset of a mental health clinician to de-escalate situations and build rapport is “not something you can just teach someone.”

“So, it has to take a specific kind of person, which is why I know all the departments were really specific on the type of person they wanted — not just the title but really looking into the person in the job as well,” Fair said.

Fair acknowledged the San Mateo Police Department taking a step in the direction of addressing mental health issues by supporting the pilot program.

“Inviting a social worker into this space, being willing to open up their doors and start the conversation and put themselves in a very new space — that’s kind of scary for some people,” Fair said.

Redwood City, Daly City and South San Francisco are also participating in the program and have hired their own mental health clinicians. The pilot program is set for two years and will cost approximately $1.5 million. Each of the four cities will contribute $408,388 and the county will provide $468,388 for each of the two years under a cost-sharing agreement.

The program will be independently evaluated by The John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University.

"This program is intended to give law enforcement a resource by teaming a police officer with a mental health clinician that can help manage high-risk situations in a way that improves outcomes and public safety," said San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley.

San Mateo Police Chief Ed Barberini said in a news release that the collaborative effort will “further enhance our ability to serve those who live, work, and visit the City of San Mateo.”

"This program affords our officers in the field another significant resource when encountering those who may be suffering from a mental health related crisis,” Barberini said. “We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to working side by side with a mental health professional in our communities on a daily basis.”

Fair is already out on calls with officers, but she asked that the community be patient while the program gets off the ground. She plans to learn from officers just as much as officers will learn from her.

Fair admitted that she was nervous coming into the role because “a lot of people see law enforcement and social workers on two different sides of the spectrum,” but the reception she’s received has been “surprisingly great.”

“The officers have been really amazing and receptive of me as a person and me as a clinician,” Fair said. “I’ve felt welcomed since the moment I walked in.”