Andrea Taatjes provides technical assistance to grantees focused on substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, and mental illness to enhance collaboration between state and local agencies. Andrea is a licensed mental health counselor who has an extensive history working in criminal justice and community behavioral health settings. Before joining the CSG Justice Center, Andrea worked as the behavioral health coordinator for the Portland Police Department in Maine, where she oversaw the Behavioral Health Unit that is nationally recognized for its law enforcement-mental health co-responder program. She also created the department’s first Alternative Response Program, which deploys civilian mental health teams to appropriate 911 calls for service without law enforcement. Andrea earned her BA in psychology from The University of New England and her MA in forensic and counseling psychology from William James College.
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