Mental Health Crisis Response in California

You can access your local crisis hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The California Coalition for Youth also has a youth line available. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or just need someone to talk to, call or text 1-800-843-5200. If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, you can always call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

The State of Mental Health in California

California ranks 21st in the United States for mental healthcare. California Mental Health Service Authority aims to increase accessibility and utilization, and improve outcomes by focusing on early prevention, transparency, and cultural competency. Training qualified therapists, counselors, and psychologists ensures that Californians will receive high quality care. California’s diverse population requires the workforce to learn to learn about unique challenges they may encounter. Therapists are trained in an array of skills and techniques to enable them to work with racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse populations. Focusing on early diagnosis in youth, CalMHSA makes it easier for youth to get their mental health needs met. This includes increasing access through California’s school systems. By increasing awareness, easing access to therapists, psychologists, and school counselors, and developing the workforce, California is armed with the initiatives to increase prevention of mental health illnesses.

Community Mental Health Services Block Grant

The Community Mental Health Services Block Grant is dedicated to alleviating the financial burdens associated with receiving mental healthcare. Adults with severe mental illness and children with severe emotional disturbance are prioritized for these funds. The California State Department Health Care Services (DHCS) allocates this money, and administers care that encompasses over 150 individual programs that are supported by the block grant. Learn more about the CMHS Block Grant here.

For assistance in navigating treatment for substance abuse in California, contact the California Substance Abuse Line at 1-844-326-2626. This line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you are LGBTQ+ and you need support, contact The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.

NAMI California

The National Alliance for Mental Illness, or NAMI, is open to anyone struggling with mental illness. NAMI is an inclusive and community-based resource geared towards raising awareness and supporting group members on their journey to recovery. With group counseling sessions led by a trained member with a diagnosis (past or present), meetings follow a set of 12 principles for support. NAMI meetings are meant to complement your existing treatment plan with your counselor or psychologist. There are many chapters of NAMI that meet in California. Find yours here.

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