Mandy Lee, 35 / Director, Marcus Alert & Crisis Intervention Team; Crisis Therapist, Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare
Mandy Lee earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Social Work from Bridgewater College (2009) and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Radford University (2011). As the Director of the Roanoke Valley Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and Marcus Alert System at Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, Lee spearheads critical initiatives, delivering CIT training to law enforcement and overseeing the Crisis Intervention Team Assessment Center (CITAC). Recognized with awards like the 2022 CIT Coordinator of the Year (Virginia Crisis Intervention Team Coalition) and the 2022 Chief’s Award of Excellence (Roanoke County Police Department), Lee also volunteers with the Junior League of Roanoke Valley and Virginia CIT Coalition Board. “I have always been a ‘fixer.’ If there’s a problem, I want to jump in and do what I can to help with it,” she says. “We all have a part to play in the care of individuals in crisis. When we listen to and learn from each other, we can work better together, support one another and have a more positive impact on our community members when they need us.”
Career:
- Director of the Roanoke Valley Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and Marcus Alert System at Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare.
- Delivers 40 hour CIT training for law enforcement and community partners at the Police Academy
- Oversees the Crisis Intervention Team Assessment Center (CITAC) which allows for a more therapeutic experience for those involved in the emergency custody order process as well as ensures that on-duty law enforcement are able to return to active patrol within our community. Ensured that operations were not negatively impacted throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- Responsible for coordinating the implementation of the State's Marcus Alert Legislation in the Roanoke Valley with all public safety partners including law enforcement and PSAP's (public safety answering points)
- Developed plans for and oversees operations of the Roanoke Valley CIT Co-Response team of therapists who respond alongside law enforcement partners to public safety calls that involve a behavioral health crisis
- Provides direct crisis intervention services to clients at BRBH and in the community
- Former role as a Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoption Social Worker at Commonwealth Catholic Charities.
Awards and Certifications:
- 2022 CIT Coordinator of the Year, Virginia Crisis Intervention Team Coalition
- 2022 Chief's Award of Excellence, Roanoke County Police Department
- Certificate in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) - 2023
- Certificate in Hostage Negotiations and Crisis Intervention, Phase I and II - 2021
- Certified Preadmission Screening Clinician, 2013-present
- 2021 Galaxy Award, Junior League of Roanoke Valley
Community Involvement:
- Active member of the Junior League of Roanoke Valley since 2017
- Served as both a member and past Chair of the Grants Committee for JLRV
- Member of the Virginia CIT Coalition Board of Directors since 2021
- Member of the Ashley Plantation Stingrays Swim Team Board since 2022
- Mom of three, active with family in Botetourt Sports and Rec as well as school activities
From the Nomination: “Mandy Lee is an expert in crisis handling, alliance building and service screening who serves as the Director of the Marcus Alert Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in addition to several other vital roles through Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare. She delivers CIT training for law enforcement and community partners and is responsible for implementation of Marcus Alert Legislation throughout the Roanoke Valley. Through this work, she collaborates with police and sheriff's departments, hospital management and service staff, mental health providers and other stakeholders to help navigate safe responses to mental health crises. These efforts have been shown to reduce escalation, particularly during law enforcement involvement, as well as recurrence of crisis situations. She also provides direct crisis therapy services to client at BRBH, often managing complex and challenging psychiatric cases to prevent violence and self-harm. Prior to her work at BRBH, Lee worked for Commonwealth Catholic Charities as a Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoption Social Worker. …
Lee has had a particularly important impact in the Roanoke Valley this year, serving as the Director of the new Marcus Alert Crisis Intervention program which embeds trained mental health professionals in local police departments and dispatches them on 911 calls related to mental health. Through her tireless work and advocacy for community members in crisis, she has made the Roanoke Valley a safer, more empathetic place for those struggling with mental health issues.”
What do you love about Roanoke?
“The people! I first visited Roanoke 18 years ago — from the very beginning I was welcomed by everyone I met. The Roanoke Valley is a large area but it feels like one small town where oftentimes you find that you’re connected to someone even if it’s the first time that you’ve met. There is always a smiling face and an offer of help when needed. In my job I frequently see people on some of the worst days of their lives. In the midst of that I can look around at those I work with and be encouraged that the Roanoke Valley can wrap care around those individuals because of the partnerships that surround us. Those partnerships exist because of the caliber of people that are here in the Roanoke Valley, working daily to be good neighbors to one another. I love raising my family in this Valley because they get to be surrounded by these amazing people on a daily basis.”
How does your passion impact our community?
“I have always been a ‘fixer.’ If there’s a problem, I want to jump in and do what I can to help with it. When I took on my current position I could see that there was, at times, a lack of communication and understanding of what the partnering agencies each did on a daily basis. The crisis continuum in the State of Virginia is complicated enough without adding additional unnecessary confusion due to that lack of communication and understanding. My passion for working to provide the best care possible for individuals who are in a behavioral health crisis spurred me on to learn about each of the spokes involved in our local crisis continuum including our law enforcement partners, our hospital partners and our other partners in the community. We all have a part to play in the care of individuals in crisis. When we listen to and learn from each other, we can work better together, support one another and have a more positive impact on our community members when they need us.
As a team we’ve worked together to hold Crisis Intervention Team Trainings to ensure our public safety officials have training about working with individuals who are in crisis. We’ve worked together to navigate connecting individuals to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve worked together to implement the state MARCUS Alert Legislation and brought a Co-Response Team to fruition for our Valley. We work together to ensure that we’re able to respond to our community members when they’re in crisis but also encourage wellness for those who do the responding.
When an individual is in crisis they need community partners who can work together to support them. We’re able to do that in Roanoke. Whether it’s a law enforcement officer responding to a 911 call who can rely on his training to help him show empathy and compassion to a person who’s in crisis or it’s a therapist who provides a listening ear on a person’s worst day and offers hope and solutions in the moment or a community provider who assists in what that solution may be- all of those individuals are working daily to do good in our community and positively impact an individual who needs us to jump in and help in that moment. No one is immune to a behavioral health crisis- it can affect any of us. I’m passionate about ensuring that our community members get the appropriate response if it happens to them. It’s a privilege and an honor to be a part of the team that gets to do this on a daily basis for our community.
I want my children and their generation to grow up knowing that it’s okay to ask for help, that mental health doesn’t have to be stigmatizing and that they’ve got a community of support around them. If one of them is ever in a behavioral health crisis I want to know that I’ve done my best to help our local response to be one that could impact their life in a positive way. I strive daily to ensure that I’m doing what I can to make that happen.”