Chief Brian Griffin is pleased to announce that the Northborough Police Department is welcoming Lynn Botsaris, LICSW, as their new Jail Diversion Co-Responder.

The Northborough Police Department has utilized a Jail Diversion Co-Responder for the past four years, a concept widely adopted to assist public safety officers during calls for service. When a service call involves behavioral health, substance use disorder, or other scenarios where residents need assistance or community resources, the co-responder can help avoid potential incarceration. This approach often provides relief for the jail system and offers a path to resolve existing issues by connecting clients with needed resources.

Lynn Botsaris received her bachelor’s degree in social work from Elms College and her master’s degree in social work from Boston College. She has extensive experience in the mental health field across all age groups. Prior to serving as a co-responder, Lynn provided ongoing therapy and supportive services to homebound individuals, addressing issues such as addiction, housing and poverty. She also worked as a psychiatric social worker in the adult inpatient psychiatric unit at Saint Vincent’s Hospital and on the crisis assessment team in the Emergency Department at Saint Vincent’s Hospital, providing support and assessments to individuals experiencing psychiatric crises.

In her role as a co-responder, Lynn is available to both the Northborough and Southborough Police Departments as a shared resource.

“Contact with our officers should be an avenue to resolve a situation. If we can do that long-term rather than just putting on a temporary band-aid, we serve our community more effectively,” said Chief Griffin. “Individuals often end up in conflict with the law because of their particular situation and because they feel there is no other way out. The co-response approach is a way to stop individuals from getting stuck in a revolving door in and out of jail.”

Lynn Botsaris works for Advocates, an organization that provides a broad range of services for people facing life challenges such as addiction, aging, autism, brain injury, intellectual disabilities and mental health challenges. At Advocates, thousands of individuals and families in Massachusetts find the support they need to lead healthy, productive, and rewarding lives.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, you are encouraged to call the Advocates 24-Hour Crisis Support at 800-640-5432.