Don Kamin, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who collaborates with law enforcement, behavioral health system representatives, and other community partners to address the needs of individuals with mental illness and their family members through system reform, improved collaboration, and training initiatives. Dr. Kamin was a County Mental Health Director/Director of Community Services in New York; he appreciates the challenges and opportunities in county-based systems of care. Since then, he has held a variety of positions at the interface of the mental health and criminal justice systems. A former Police Academy Instructor, he assisted in the development of the first Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program in New York in 2004. Currently, as the Director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health and Community Collaboration, he works closely with the NYS Office of Mental Health to develop CIT programs across New York. Dr. Kamin also coordinates a telehealth project that connects police intervening with individuals in crisis to mental health professionals via iPads. He also serves as the Senior Advisor on Mental Health and Criminal Justice for the Monroe County Office of Mental Health.
Dr. Kamin is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center and an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at Roberts Wesleyan College. He was on the Board of Directors of CIT International from 2015 through 2020. He is a co-author of the recently released publication entitled Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Programs: A Best Practice Guide for Transforming Community Responses to Mental Health Crises. Although he spends most of his time in New York, Dr. Kamin has worked in many other states and conducted CIT-related work in Liberia, West Africa in 2020.
Dr. Kamin is a graduate of Vassar College and received a doctorate in clinical psychology from Ohio University. He completed pre-doctoral training at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine/University Hospitals of Cleveland and post-doctoral training in forensic psychology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Don has received several awards recognizing his work from law enforcement departments and advocacy organizations.