About ACRC

Welcome to the Association of Co-Response Clinicians (ACRC)—Securing the Integrity of Crisis Intervention and the Co-Response service model.

The ACRC was established to navigate the evolving challenges surrounding client privacy, clinical standards, and the erosion of transparency in crisis response. Our emergence is a direct result of the clear legislative void affecting the licensed mental health professionals who navigate this specialized territory. Our foundation rests on the advocacy of clinicians who recognized that current policies risked blurring the necessary boundaries between clinical behavioral healthcare and law enforcement investigations.These systemic vulnerabilities revealed a critical lack of legal safeguards for vulnerable individuals receiving mental health support via co-response initiatives.

These vulnerabilities leave clinicians exposed to independent licensure grievances and potentially violate clients' trust. Mental health professionals should not be expected to take any action that undermines the public's trust in their profession. Across Colorado and the nation, co-response clinicians act as vital actors during behavioral health emergencies. Working in tandem with first responders, they facilitate immediate care, divert individuals from the justice system, and bolster community resilience.

The success of these programs depends
entirely on a single pillar: trust.

While existing privacy laws offer broad coverage, there is a distinct lack of statutory language tailored to the complexities of clinicians embedded within emergency response units. ACRC is committed to positioning Colorado as a national leader in formalizing protections that ensure:

• Unwavering client confidentiality
• Clinical autonomy
• Ethical operational standards
• Sustained public confidence
• High-impact crisis resolution

The Evolution of Co-Response

Co-response has evolved from an emerging practice into an essential component of modern crisis response systems. Yet the clinicians who perform this work often lack a unified professional voice, clearly defined standards, and formal recognition of their unique role.

The Association of Co-Response Clinicians was founded to address this gap.

We believe that ethical practice, professional identity, public accountability, and trust are essential to the future of co-response.

We believe clinicians working in co-response deserve professional representation, specialized training, recognized competencies, and a meaningful voice in the policies that shape their work.

We believe the communities we serve deserve crisis response systems that are transparent, ethical, evidence-informed, and worthy of public confidence.

As co-response continues to grow across the nation, ACRC will advocate for the clinicians who perform this work, the individuals and families they serve, and the standards necessary to ensure that co-response remains effective, ethical, and responsive to the evolving needs of our communities.

By bringing clinicians together under a shared commitment to integrity, excellence, collaboration, and evolution, ACRC seeks to advance a profession that serves with compassion, accountability, and purpose.

Built by Clinicians. Guided by Ethics. Focused on Trust.

Our Mission

Association of Co-Response Clinicians (ACRC) advances the profession of co-response through ethical leadership, professional advocacy, clinical excellence, education, and the promotion of public trust.

ACRC exists to support clinicians working at the intersection of behavioral health and public safety while advancing standards that strengthen communities, protect individual rights, and improve crisis response systems.

Our Commitment

Association of Co-Response Clinicians believes that individuals experiencing behavioral health crises deserve compassionate, ethical, and clinically sound care.

We believe clinicians deserve the ability to practice within clearly defined professional boundaries, supported by appropriate legal protections.

We believe strong partnerships between behavioral health professionals and first responders are essential to effective crisis response. With co-response clinicians having an equitable voice when working with other first responders. With particular consideration around the development and implementation of policy development.

Most importantly, we believe that protecting clinician independence and ethical practice strengthens public trust—and that trust is the foundation of successful co-response. Through high quality and collaborative efforts among clinicians and other first responders, public trust can be strengthened with each crisis interaction.

Our Vision

A future where co-response clinicians are recognized as a distinct professional specialty, supported by clear standards of practice, protected by ethical and legal safeguards, and empowered to provide effective, compassionate, evidence-informed crisis intervention services.

ACRC envisions a profession grounded in clinical integrity, public accountability, collaborative partnership, and continuous evolution.

Our Values

The clinician’s primary responsibility is to uphold professional ethics, evidence-based practice, and the well-being of those they serve. Clinical judgment should remain grounded in professional standards, ethical decision-making, and person-centered care.

Trust is the foundation of effective crisis intervention and must be protected through transparency, accountability, and ethical practice. ACRC is committed to preserving the confidence of the communities we serve by promoting honesty, clarity, and professional responsibility.

Co-response clinicians maintain independent clinical judgment while collaborating within multidisciplinary public safety environments. Effective partnerships require clearly defined roles, mutual respect, and adherence to professional ethical obligations.

ACRC recognizes that effective co-response requires continual learning, critical reflection, and adaptation. We challenge outdated practices, embrace innovation, and advance approaches that better serve clinicians, communities, and the individuals who trust us during times of crisis.

We believe professional excellence is not achieved by preserving the status quo, but by remaining responsive to emerging research, evolving community needs, and the changing landscape of behavioral health and public safety.

We believe that the best outcomes emerge with first responders, clinicians, community partners, and clients work together. Every voice contributes to safer decisions, stronger relationships, and lasting recovery. We honor the expertise of each professional participants while recognizing the lived experience of clients as equally valuable to meaningful change.

ACRC promotes lifelong learning, competency development, and continual improvement in professional practice. We strive for the highest standards of clinical care, crisis intervention, public service, and professional accountability.

We are committed to openness, honesty, and willingness in every aspect of our work. We communicate clearly with clients, community partners, and first responders, fostering trust through ethical decision making, shared expectations, and consistent follow-through. We welcome collaboration with an eager willingness for feedback that can develop into ongoing growth. Continuous learning, recognizing that transparency only strengthens relationships, improves coordination of care and promotes confidence in our services. By sharing information responsibly and acting with integrity, we build partnerships that the community and partnering agencies can rely on.

We recognize that serving the public is both a privilege and a profound responsibility. We hold ourselves accountable to the ethical standards, laws, regulations and professional expectations established by our governing bodies, licensing boards and credentialing organizations and community partners. We take ownership of our actions, maintain transparency in our decision making and continually evaluate our practices to ensure they reflect the highest standards of safety, integrity and excellence. Through accountability, we strengthen public trust and honor the commitment to those communities served. It is our responsibility to remain accountable when we are honored with serving individuals and families through crisis.

Association of Co-Response Clinicians

Built by Clinicians. Guided by Ethics. Focused on Trust.

About ACRC

The Evolution of Co-Response

Co-response has evolved from an emerging practice into an essential component of modern crisis response systems. Yet the clinicians who perform this work often lack a unified professional voice, clearly defined standards, and formal recognition of their unique role.

The Association of Co-Response Clinicians was founded to address this gap.

We believe that ethical practice, professional identity, public accountability, and trust are essential to the future of co-response.

We believe clinicians working in co-response deserve professional representation, specialized training, recognized competencies, and a meaningful voice in the policies that shape their work.

We believe the communities we serve deserve crisis response systems that are transparent, ethical, evidence-informed, and worthy of public confidence.

As co-response continues to grow across the nation, ACRC will advocate for the clinicians who perform this work, the individuals and families they serve, and the standards necessary to ensure that co-response remains effective, ethical, and responsive to the evolving needs of our communities.

By bringing clinicians together under a shared commitment to integrity, excellence, collaboration, and evolution, ACRC seeks to advance a profession that serves with compassion, accountability, and purpose.

Built by Clinicians. Guided by Ethics. Focused on Trust.

The clinician’s primary responsibility is to uphold professional ethics, evidence-based practice, and the well-being of those they serve. Clinical judgment should remain grounded in professional standards, ethical decision-making, and person-centered care.

Trust is the foundation of effective crisis intervention and must be protected through transparency, accountability, and ethical practice. ACRC is committed to preserving the confidence of the communities we serve by promoting honesty, clarity, and professional responsibility.

Co-response clinicians maintain independent clinical judgment while collaborating within multidisciplinary public safety environments. Effective partnerships require clearly defined roles, mutual respect, and adherence to professional ethical obligations.

ACRC promotes lifelong learning, competency development, and continual improvement in professional practice. We strive for the highest standards of clinical care, crisis intervention, public service, and professional accountability.

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If you are experiencing an emergency please call 911

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis please use 988.
You can call or text 24/7

About ACRC

The Evolution of Co-Response

Co-response has evolved from an emerging practice into an essential component of modern crisis response systems. Yet the clinicians who perform this work often lack a unified professional voice, clearly defined standards, and formal recognition of their unique role.

The Association of Co-Response Clinicians was founded to address this gap.

We believe that ethical practice, professional identity, public accountability, and trust are essential to the future of co-response.

We believe clinicians working in co-response deserve professional representation, specialized training, recognized competencies, and a meaningful voice in the policies that shape their work.

We believe the communities we serve deserve crisis response systems that are transparent, ethical, evidence-informed, and worthy of public confidence.

As co-response continues to grow across the nation, ACRC will advocate for the clinicians who perform this work, the individuals and families they serve, and the standards necessary to ensure that co-response remains effective, ethical, and responsive to the evolving needs of our communities.

By bringing clinicians together under a shared commitment to integrity, excellence, collaboration, and evolution, ACRC seeks to advance a profession that serves with compassion, accountability, and purpose.

​

Built by Clinicians. Guided by Ethics. Focused on Trust.

The clinician’s primary responsibility is to uphold professional ethics, evidence-based practice, and the well-being of those they serve. Clinical judgment should remain grounded in professional standards, ethical decision-making, and person-centered care.

Trust is the foundation of effective crisis intervention and must be protected through transparency, accountability, and ethical practice. ACRC is committed to preserving the confidence of the communities we serve by promoting honesty, clarity, and professional responsibility.

Co-response clinicians maintain independent clinical judgment while collaborating within multidisciplinary public safety environments. Effective partnerships require clearly defined roles, mutual respect, and adherence to professional ethical obligations.

ACRC promotes lifelong learning, competency development, and continual improvement in professional practice. We strive for the highest standards of clinical care, crisis intervention, public service, and professional accountability.

Subscribe to Get Exclusive Updates