Immediate therapeutic intervention for mental illness and substance use disorder crises.
Available Services
Mobile Crisis Response
Provides immediate, 24/7, response to law enforcement, area homeless shelters and The Nebraska Family Helpline when these organizations are working with someone experiencing a behavioral health crisis. This program covers Dodge, Douglas and Washington Counties in Nebraska.
All Crisis Response Therapists are licensed mental health practitioners.
The program helps resolve an immediate behavioral health crisis with the following goals:
- To avoid Emergency Protective Custody holds
- To avoid unnecessary incarceration
- To avoid inpatient psychiatric hospitalization
- To reduce the lasting impact of a mental health crisis
- To link individuals to community-based services
On-site services include: de-escalation, safety assessment, crisis counseling, short-term safety plan development and making community referrals. Referrals to the LFS Mobile Crisis Response team can be made by:
- Any law enforcement agency in Dodge, Douglas and Washington Counties (the Region 6 Behavioral Healthcare area)
- Area Homeless shelters
- The Nebraska Family Helpline
- Omaha Police Peer Support Specialist
In addition, to more quickly assist law enforcement, LFS Crisis Response Co-Responders are embedded in various police departments. They accompany officers responding to calls for or from citizens who appear to have a mental health or substance use concern.
Post-Crisis Services
A 90-day stabilization program – including Emergency Community Support services provided through the Salvation Army, and mental health therapy and medication management provided by Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska. These services are provided in Dodge, Douglas, Washington, Cass and Sarpy Counties (the Region 6 area). Referrals come from mobile crisis response teams to:
- Connect individuals and families to services and resources
- Remove all barriers to receiving immediate behavioral health services after a crisis
- Increase stabilization for individuals in need
- Reduce the lasting impact of a mental health crisis
Peer Support
The Omaha Police Department (OPD) and LFS have teamed up to offer a supportive peer support services to officers who encounter individuals in crisis.
Peer Support Specialists have a unique understanding of life’s challenges because of their own life experiences and recovery. They have received special training on how to work one-on-one with individuals who have similar life experiences.
Working in a peer-to-peer setting, our shared experiences may help a person as they work toward their own recovery.
Our peer support specialist is available to:
- Coordinate wellness checks between officers and consumers.
- Accompany officers on wellness checks involving consumers.
- Help officers identify possible behavioral health resources.
- Work with individuals who have consistent contact with all departments of the Omaha Police Department.
- Assist in training Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officers.
Referrals for services are only accepted through the Omaha Police Department.
