City Of Minnetonka: Meet Dan Sweeney

Minnetonka MN

21 March, 2022

6:16 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Minnetonka: March 21, 2022 This winter, Minnetonka Police Department welcomed a new face to the team. Dan Sweeney is the new full-time social worker through the embedded social worker program with Hennepin County Human Services. The program places a licensed social worker in local police departments to provide after care for the city's growing number of mental health and substance abuse-related calls. The social worker can connect clients to social services, such as mental health support, substance use treatment and housing and employment assistance. "I believe that my role as a mental health provider is to begin by listening to understand each person's unique situation, to encourage, empower, challenge, collaborate and problem solve," Sweeney said. "The goal is to regain a sense of safety, stability and hope." Sweeney took a circuitous route to social work. The former junior high science teacher spent 15 years in health care where he saw a shortage of providers kept many people from accessing the help they needed. "While working in health care, I saw a need and got involved in the additional recovery field. I went back to school to become a drug and alcohol counselor," Sweeney said. He earned his master's degree in clinical social work with experience in a variety of settings, including the Scott County Crises Services' mobile team. Sweeney is not the department's only social worker. Community Engagement Officer Scott Marks went back to school to earn his master's degree in social work in 2018. While his intention was to better support his fellow officers, his experience has been instrumental in shaping the department's Mental Health Unit. Minnetonka was a founding member of the Hennepin County embedded social worker program, which started in 2019 and has since expanded to 21 departments. In 2022, Minnetonka shifted from a shared part-time social worker to a full-time position. In connecting residents with resources, the embedded program can also reduce frequent emergency callers, thus freeing up officers to focus on other law enforcement issues, Sweeney said. It's a vital part of Minnetonka's overall efforts to better respond to mental health crises and provide additional training for officers. This press release was produced by the City of Minnetonka. The views expressed here are the author's own.