20 Free Mental Health Services and Resources For Youth and Their Families!

If your child is suffering from a mental illness, we've found you the help you need!

Mental health can presents itself in different ways, especially in children. According to CDC, 1 in 6 U.S. children ages 2–8 years (17.4%) have a diagnoses of mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder, with diagnoses of depression and anxiety with increased age.

The suicide rate in the United States is high for the 15 to 24 age group with approximately 6,241 suicides in this age range every year, making it the second leading cause of death for that age range.

If your kid, teen, or even your adult child is battling a mental health disorder, has suicidal thoughts, or substance abuse, many free services and resources are available in LA County and Nationwide to help you at the time of distress. All you need to do is reach out and ask for help! Here, we have gathered a list of 20 free mental health services and resources for children to help you and your family with your first step!

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Free Mental Health Services in LA County 

Free Nationwide Mental Health Services 

Free Resources on Children's Mental Health 

Free Mental Health Services in LA County

1. National Alliance on Mental Illness

West Side Los Angeles

921 Westwood Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90024

(310-889-7200)

NAMI Westside Los Angeles offers free education programs along with support, guidance, and hope for the growing number of Angelenos affected by mental health conditions. They offer Family-to-Family and Peer-to-Peer classes, which are free, but registration is required. NAMI Westside Los Angeles also offers Peer Connections Support Groups for those living with mental health conditions, and Family Support Groups for family members with loved ones living with mental health conditions. The support groups are free and no registration is required for you to attend. For a list of all other resources available at this center, click here.

2. NAMI Greater Los Angeles County

3600 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1804

Los Angeles, CA 90010

(213) 386-3615

NAMI Greater Los Angeles County (GLAC) brings together seven local area NAMI organizations into a single organization providing education, support, awareness, and advocacy to everyone affected by mental health challenges. GLAC provides free support groups, and classes for anyone with mental health issues, and their families. Click here for the event calendar at this center.

3. NAMI Urban Los Angeles

4305 Degnan Blvd., Suite 104,

Los Angeles, CA 90008

(323) 294-7814

NAMI Urban Los Angeles provides support and referral services to people in need. NAMI Urban Los Angeles offers virtual support groups (English & Spanish), classes, and events online using Zoom. To join a Zoom meeting, click the meeting on their calendar and complete the registration or interest form. Once registration has been approved, you'll be emailed the Zoom meeting invitation.

4. LAUSD Mental Health Resources

333 South Beaudry Avenue,

Los Angeles, CA 90017

(213) 241-3840

LAUSD provides free crisis counseling and intervention services. School Mental Health Clinics and Wellness Centers provide individual and family therapy for LAUSD students of all ages. At this time all services are provided remotely by telephone or videoconferencing. L.A. Unified also hosts 17 Wellness Centers on school campuses throughout the District. The Focus is prevention, education, early intervention and screening by connecting, leveraging, and building by collaborating with onsite partner and school team to support student holistic wellness and achievement.

5. LA County Department of Mental Health

(800) 854-7771

LA County DMH connects you with a Coach who will listen through Iprevail online system. They’ll help you talk out how you’re feeling, explain concepts, or give you someone to check in with. The Coaches come from all walks of life. You can also connect with others who face similar situations and know what you're going through in support groups. Help is available 24/7. You must be LA County's residence to use the services. Call 800-854-7771 or navigate to the LA County Mental Health Resources page by clicking here.

6. 211LA

211 LA (or 211 LA County) is the hub for community members and community organizations looking for all types of health, human, and social services in Los Angeles County. They provide information and referrals to the services that best meet individual needs, through their 24/7 2-1-1 call line, or through their website and chat. The online community calendar connects you to local events that offer services and community connections.

7. LA County Department of Health

Los Angeles, CA

(844) 804-7500

LA County Department of Health provides a 24/7 free substance abuse service helpline. Call (844) 804-7500. Click here to locate a Provider, Patient Handbook, Resources and More.

Free Nationwide Mental Health Services

8. SAMHSA

(800) 985-5990

SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. The toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories. Call or text 1-800-985-5990 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. The Disaster Distress Helpline puts people in need of counseling on the path to recovery. When you call or text, crisis counselors will listen to what’s on your mind with patience and without judgment.

The crisis support service is for anyone experiencing emotional distress related to disasters such as Tornadoes and Severe Storms, Hurricanes and Tropical Storms, Floods, Wildfires, Earthquakes, Drought, Incidents of Mass Violence, and Anniversaries and Trigger Events. The Disaster Distress Helpline also answers calls and texts related to infectious disease outbreaks, such as the Coronavirus pandemic, incidents of community unrest, and other traumatic events.

You can also use Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator, which is a confidential and anonymous source of information for persons seeking treatment facilities in the United States or U.S. Territories for substance use/addiction and/or mental health problems. (You may need to provide insurance information for some treatments).

9. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

800-273-8255

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can either call (800) 273-8255 to for the NSPL or chat with someone online. You can find more specific resources here.

10. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

888-333-AFSP

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention provides a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Crisis Text Line. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Find more information about the Lifeline at suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call 800-273-8255.

With the Crisis Text Line, you can text from anywhere in the USA to text with a trained Crisis Counselor. a real-life human being trained to bring texters from a hot moment to a cool calm through active listening and collaborative problem solving. Find more information about the Crisis Text Line at crisistextline.org or text TALK to 741741 to text with a trained crisis counselor for free, 24/7. For more resources like support groups, finding a professional health care providers, and more, click here.

11. The Travor Project

1-866-488-7386

This is a suicide prevention hotline for LGBTQ community. The trained counselors understand the challenges LGBTQ young people face.

They will listen without judgment. All of your conversations are confidential, Crisis counselors are available 24/7, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the U.S. It is 100% confidential, and 100% free, and you can share as much or as little as you’d like. You can either call the hotline at 1-866-488-7386 or text "START" to 678-678.

If you’re not ready to speak to a counselor, you can speak to other LGBTQ young people or explore answers and information across a variety of topics.

12. Youth Move National

Youth M.O.V.E National is a youth led national organization devoted to improving services and systems that support positive growth and development by uniting the voices of individuals who have lived experience in various systems including mental health, juvenile justice, education, and child welfare. You can find a "Youth Move Chapter" by clicking here.

13. LETS

LETS' Erase the Stigma Educational Foundation addresses issues that youth face every single day in school, in the media, and at home-issues that are sometimes hard to discuss.

14. ReachOut

ReachOut is run by the Inspire USA Foundation. The Inspire USA Foundation is a California-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Inspire's mission is to help millions of young people lead happier lives. To meet the Inspire team and read their bios, you should go to the Inspire Foundation website.

15. Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741

Get help for anxiety, depression, suicide, eating disorders, emotional abuse, self-harm, and loneliness, coronavirus and more. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor. This service is free and is available 24/7. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all from a secure online platform. The volunteer Crisis Counselor will help you move from a hot moment to a cool moment.

Free Resources on Children's Mental Health

16. Center of Disease Control and Prevention

You can find lots of information about Children's Mental Health on CDC's website such as information on mental disorders, behavior therapy, data & statistics, children's mental health research, finding treatment, videos to watch, and more.

17. American Psychological Association

On this site, you can find publications, news, events, psychologist locator, and more. The psychologist locator helps you find a psychologist near you. You simply put your zip code, and practice area and you will receive a list of professionals. You may need to register for free to obtain the list.

18. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

AACAP Resource Centers offers education for families. Each AACAP Resource Center contains consumer-friendly definitions, answers to frequently asked questions, clinical resources, expert videos, and abstracts from the JAACAP, Scientific Proceedings and Facts for Families relevant to each disorder. You can also use their Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Finder to find appropriate help for your child. The Youth Resources provides education for youth to learn about mental illness, getting help through Youth Organizations, information about how to talk to a friend in need, and how to speak up for yourself and other youth.

19. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

ABCT's Find-a-Therapist service gives you access to therapists schooled in cognitive and behavioral techniques. The therapists listed in Find-a-Therapist are licensed professionals who have met the requirements of membership in ABCT and who have chosen to appear in their directory. Primarily psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, and the practitioners practice in private practice, clinics, hospitals, and community mental health settings.

20. Autism Society of Los Angeles

(424) 299-1531

The Autism Society of Los Angeles is a non-profit 501c3 corporation serving millions of people in the L.A. area affected by autism. Here you will find important links to a variety of resources on autism.

The phrase self-care has been frequently used in the past few years and has come to be commonly associated with bubble baths and the occasional slice of chocolate cake. True self-care is much more complex, and for those with depression, caring for yourself becomes significantly more difficult. Learning how to incorporate self-care during depression is imperative for your health and well-being. Visit this website to discover 10 checklist items for ways to tend to yourself while struggling.

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Disclaimer: This website does not provide medical advice, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This article is for informational purposes only, and is not meant to imply an endorsement or recommendation for any of the services or providers listed. FUN WITH KIDS IN LA has made every effort to confirm the information in this article, but things can often change. Therefore FUN WITH KIDS IN LA makes no representation or warranties about the accuracy of the information published in this article, nor is responsible for any information provided on any of the websites listed. We strongly urge you to confirm any details with the third party websites. FUN WITH KIDS IN LA is not in any way responsible for any injuries or damages you sustain while using the information on our website.