First Advisor

Greg Townley

Term of Graduation

Fall 2023

Date of Publication

11-28-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Psychology

Department

Psychology

Language

English

Subjects

Community mental health services -- Oregon -- Portland, Interorganizational relations -- Oregon -- Portland, First responders -- Interviews, Crisis intervention (Mental health services), Organizational sociology

DOI

10.15760/etd.3697

Physical Description

1 online resource (iv, 93 pages)

Abstract

Alternative first response programs have existed in the United States for decades, and the formation of these programs has increased across the country in light of public calls for non-police responses to emergency. Portland Street Response (PSR) is an alternative first response program located in Portland, Oregon. The program assists individuals experiencing mental health crises by providing unarmed response in non-violent situations that ordinarily would be responded to by armed police officers. In order for such programs to thrive, collaboration with other organizations is crucial. Service-providing organizations are uniquely prepared to collaborate with a program such as PSR due to their proximity to vulnerable communities. Currently, there is a lack of information about the perspectives of service providers concerning alternative first response programs, particularly regarding their motivation for collaboration. The current study utilizes qualitative interviewing methods to examine organizational motivation to collaborate. Specifically, the study focuses on service-providing organizations and their motivation to collaborate with Portland Street Response. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 participants and then analyzed to uncover key themes. The current study resulted in themes pertaining to motivations for collaboration, including the importance of building relationships, having non-traditional approaches to care, establishing and maintaining trust; and themes pertaining to shared values, such as a commitment to equity. The current study also revealed the importance of concrete program features in relation to collaboration, specifically access to resources and mobility. This research has implications for other alternative first response programs collaborating with local service providers in communities across the US.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/41134

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