General Resources and Finding Mental Health Care
General Resources
The information in this guide is not comprehensive, but we hope it has given you some guidance that will help you understand your options for supporting your child’s mental health journey. To learn more, we encourage you to speak to your child’s pediatrician, therapist, or school counselor. You may also wish to explore the resources below.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Free 24/7 support and resources for those in crisis and those who support them. www.988lifeline.org or DIAL/TEXT 988
American Psychology Association: Resources, education, advocacy, and treatment locator. www.apa.org
Anxiety and Depression Association of America: Resources, education, and treatment locator. www.ada.org
Mental Health America: Promotes mental health through advocacy, education, research, and services. www.mhanational.org
NAMI, The National Alliance on Mental illness: Resources, education, advocacy, support groups, and operates a toll-free helpline. www.nami.org or DIAL 1-800-950-6264
National Eating Disorders Association: Resources, education, and support for those affected by eating disorders. www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Resources and treatment facility referrals for those facing mental health and/or substance use disorders. www.samhsa.gov or DIAL 1-800-662-4357
The Trevor Project: Suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ youth. www.thetrevorproject.org or DIAL 1-866-488-7386
Veterans Crisis Line: Crisis support for veterans and their loved ones. www.veteranscrisisline.net or DIAL 988 and Press 1
Finding Mental Health Care
If you are searching for treatment resources, you can ask around and talk to your friends or to your child’s physician, school social worker or counselor, therapist, or psychiatrist.You can also check out the treatment locators below. These locator websites allow you to narrow your search results with filters, e.g., your location, diagnosis, provider or program specialty, and so on.
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
Therapist Locator: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
Treatment Facilities Locator: https://findtreatment.gov/
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: https://www.samhsa.gov/
Treatment Facilities Locator: https://findtreatment.gov/
Having trouble getting insurance coverage for your mental health needs?
Cover My Mental Health: A not-for-profit supporting self-advocacy for insurance coverage - https://covermymentalhealth.org/
DIALING 911 or 988
In the event of a mental health crisis, you may need to reach out for immediate help.
How do you decide whether to call Emergency Services (911) or the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988)?
Dial 911 (Emergency Services) if there is imminent risk to someone’s life, safety, or property, e.g., if someone is harming themselves or could harm others; this can include threats or actions. Be sure to let the dispatcher know that you are calling about a mental health crisis and ask if a member of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is available. CIT officers possess specialized training in working with persons experiencing a mental health crisis.
Dial 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) when someone needs suicide or mental-health support and could benefit from connecting with a trained counselor. The purpose of 988 is to provide support to those in distress, along with prevention and crisis resources, though callers need not be experiencing a crisis. Calling 988 can also be helpful to friends and family concerned about a loved one. If it is determined that there is an imminent risk to someone’s life that cannot be resolved during the call, information will be shared with 911 and the dispatcher will make a decision about the type of response required.