A slammed door, a punched wall, a barrage of screaming threats. Your heart begins to race as you realize what started as an ordinary afternoon has spiraled out of control. You might find yourself wondering how things escalated so fast, and more importantly, what can you do to keep everyone safe?
As a parent, when your child’s emotions or behaviors start to feel overwhelming or even unsafe, it can be stressful trying to figure out how to manage the situation. With Acenda’s Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, we can bring immediate mental health support straight to your home.
“When a situation at home feels out of hand, Acenda's MRSS team is here to help,” said Ashley Lasoski, LSW, Program Director of CMRSS. “Bringing in a trained mental health professional is the best way you can support your child in their time of severe distress.”
What is Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS)?
Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) brings direct support to you and your family during a crisis. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, MRSS provides rapid intervention to young people, up to 21 years of age, during an overwhelming or unsafe mental health episode. A Mobile Response worker will come to your home to assist in stabilizing the situation and gathering background information about the child or teen experiencing the emergency. Ranging from calming strategies to referral services, MRSS assesses the child’s needs and provides integrated care after the episode. MRSS is able to refer the child and family to services provided by Acenda and the community (ongoing therapy, school supports, or community resources).
When should I call MRSS?
When the tools and strategies you know are no longer working, it is time to ask for help. MRSS is designed to help families when a child or teen is experiencing a crisis—a sudden situation that feels overwhelming, unsafe, or out of control. Some examples of common situations where MRSS can help your family include:
- Severe or uncontrolled emotional outbursts
- Threats of self-harm
- Intense family conflict
- Violent, out-of-control behavior or destruction of property
- Unsafe behavior at home or school
How is MRSS different from going to the emergency room or calling 911?
As trained mental health professionals, MRSS workers are non-police responders who provide interventions within the familiar setting of your home. When a parent calls MRSS, the mobile response worker seeks to minimize law enforcement involvement or hospitalization whenever possible. Without the added stress of an emergency room visit, families are more likely to calmly address the crisis while receiving expert guidance. Sometimes those elevated interventions are necessary, but there is a lot the mobile response worker can do to help before emergency services are required.
What can parents do during a crisis to help stabilize the situation before help arrives?
When a family is experiencing a crisis, the wait for help to arrive can feel like an eternity. To avoid further escalation before MRSS arrives, parents can do the following:
- If emotions are running high, try taking space from each other to avoid intensifying any arguments.
- Gently explain to the young person that help is on the way. It is important to reassure the child or teen that no one is coming to take them and they are not being punished.
- Encourage your child or teen to take slow breaths, sit in a safe space, or engage in a soothing activity like listening to music or drawing to reduce tension while waiting for MRSS to arrive.
How does MRSS de-escalate emotional or behavioral crises safely?
Mobile Response Workers are trained in nonviolent crisis intervention techniques through the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI). Upon arrival, Acenda’s trained professionals will utilize non-verbal strategies to decrease the intensity of emotionally turbulent situations. Once the child and family are in a more emotionally stable place, MRSS focuses on making sure everyone feels heard about what sparked the crisis. The MRSS worker does not take sides, rather they serve as a communication bridge between parent and child to discuss the situation without escalating to a higher level of care.
What types of referrals or ongoing support does MRSS provide?
After de-escalating the situation and facilitating conversation between family members, MRSS provides comprehensive recommendations and referrals for programs that support both the child and family. These referrals can range from therapeutic services to informal support like engaging in local events, participating in clubs, or other social activities that foster strong community bonds for the child and family alike. Youth are frequently connected to outpatient or intensive in-community (IIC) services, school resources, or other varying levels of programming like substance use treatment, intensive outpatient, partial care, and partial hospitalization programs. MRSS will remain in touch with the family for up to eight weeks, providing stabilization support services and links to care.
How can I contact MRSS in New Jersey?
If your child or teen is in crisis, please call PerformCare at (877-652-7624). One of their Care Coordinators will triage the situation and determine if MRSS is the right type of support for the child and family. If they decide MRSS would be helpful, you will be connected with a Mobile Response and Stabilization Services crisis worker in New Jersey.
MRSS FAQs
What does MRSS stand for?
MRSS stands for Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling PerformCare at (877-652-7624).
What are the benefits of using MRSS?
MRSS workers are mental health professionals who are specifically trained to de-escalate emergency and crisis situations for children, teens, and young adults up to 21 years of age. By using MRSS, you can ensure your child is being helped by a mental health expert during their moment of crisis and referred to specialized mental health services to support them after the episode.
What qualifies as a mental health emergency or crisis?
According to PerformCare, a mental health emergency or crisis is occurring when “the youth is experiencing stressors and/or exhibits emotional and/or behavioral needs, that threaten to or are adversely impacting a youth’s ability to function in one or more life domains (family, living environment, school, or community). Youth may also meet this criteria if considered to be ‘at risk’ of or experiencing emotional or behavioral challenges as a result of contextual environmental factors including living arrangement, psychosocial stressors or traumatic circumstances, factors, events.”
Can I call MRSS for myself?
For young adults ages 18–20, you can reach out to MRSS directly if you’re in crisis—you don’t have to go through it alone. A child or teen under 18 will need a parent or legal guardian to call and consent to MRSS.
What Strategies Does MRSS Employ to De-escalate a Crisis Situation?
To help youth and their families through a crisis, the Mobile Response Worker (MRW) may use a variety of techniques such as:
- Mediating discussions between family members to facilitate productive conversations and holding space so everyone can be heard.
- Validating experiences by acknowledging each person’s perspective without taking sides.
- Motivational Interviewing, including affirmations and reflections, to engage each family member in the discussion.
- Encouraging healthy breaks in the conversation to give family members time to process their emotions.
- Providing coping tools so family members can return to the conversation with a productive mindset.
Depending on the situation and age of the youth in crisis, the MRW may suggest taking a walk, writing in a journal, or using toys like fidgets to help them regulate their emotions.
Before leaving, the MRW will collaborate with the family to identify strategies and tools they feel comfortable practicing next time a situation starts to escalate. These may include:
- Mindfulness techniques like breathing, grounding, or progressive muscle relaxation
- Distraction techniques like reading, napping, or listening to music
- Communication techniques such as I-statements, feelings identification, or collaboration
- Creating a contact list of people to call for informal support or professional help
Click below to learn more about Acenda's Children's Mobile Response Support Services.
About the Authors
Ashley Lasoski, LSW has dedicated more than 15 years to supporting children and families through Mobile Response services. She has been with Acenda Integrated Health for the past seven years, serving as Program Director for Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties for the last four. Her journey with Mobile Response began in 2010 with Camden County Mobile Response, the same year she earned her Master of Social Work from Rutgers University. Outside of her professional work, she is a proud wife and mother of three children, ages 12, 9, and 7.
Cassandra Boyce is a volunteer contributor, freelance creative consultant, and former Acenda team member now based in Denver, Colorado. She is the creative mind behind BoscoMKT, where she helps organizations tell their stories through unique content and design. When she’s not behind her MacBook, she enjoys hiking in the Rocky Mountains, traveling abroad, and attending concerts.