Mental Health Counselor

Jill Larson, LCSW-C, is the City of Takoma Park’s first mental health counselor, appointed for a two-year pilot program aimed at delivering comprehensive mental health services to residents. She joins Takoma Park from the Montgomery County Crisis Center, where she excelled in providing mental health mobile outreach, petition evaluations, on-scene support, Domestic Violence lethality screenings and referrals, grief support, and training. Ms. Larson also serves as a Crisis Intervention Team instructor specializing in thought disorders, offering in-service training and consultation to enhance the community’s response to mental health crises.

Before transitioning to social work, Ms. Larson spent 17 years as a Police Officer in Minnesota. During her tenure, she worked in the human and sex trafficking units, engaged in negotiations, served as an investigation’s liaison, and acted as a Field Training Officer. This diverse background in both law enforcement and mental health equips her with a unique skill set to effectively support the residents of Takoma Park.

This pilot program is a collaboration between the City of Takoma Park and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). It aims to implement and evaluate a counselor-only response system for mental health calls, moving away from traditional police-only or police and counselor models. An additional mental health counselor is expected to join the program in the coming months.

Ms. Larson can be reached via email JillL@takomaparkmd.gov or by phone 301-891-7149.