Crisis support
You are not alone tonight.
If something is wrong right now, start at the top of this page. These are the numbers and resources we trust for the worst nights. Save them before you need them.
Stretch 3 · PrairiesIf you are in immediate danger
Call 911. Call or text 988. You do not have to know what to say. The person on the other end of the line has been trained for exactly this moment.
Start here
If you are in immediate danger
Lead with 911 for physical safety. Lead with 988 for emotional crisis. Both lines are free, 24 hours a day, and staffed by people trained to hold the first five minutes with you.
911
Call 911
Anyone in immediate physical danger
If a child or adult is actively hurting themselves or others, if someone has taken something dangerous, if there is a weapon in the home, call 911 right now.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988
Anyone thinking about suicide or in emotional crisis
Free, confidential, 24/7. Trained counselors will steady the first five minutes with you. Available in English and Spanish.
Visit siteChildhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
Call or text 1-800-422-4453
Anyone worried a child is being harmed
24/7 crisis counselors for children, teens, parents, and caregivers. They will listen, assess, and connect you with local resources. You do not have to give your name.
Visit siteCrisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741
Anyone in crisis who cannot or does not want to talk
Free, confidential, 24/7 text support with trained volunteer crisis counselors. Useful when a phone call is not safe or not possible.
Visit site
For your child
If your child is in crisis
A child in crisis does not always look like a child in crisis. Big emotions, small voice, a sudden silence, a long stare. Trust your read of your own child. Then make the call.
988 Lifeline (child or teen)
Call or text 988
A child or teen talking about suicide or self-harm
You can call on behalf of your child. Counselors will coach you on what to say and what to do in the next hour.
Mobile Crisis Response
Search your state or county name plus 'mobile crisis'
A child in acute behavioral crisis
Many states send trained behavioral health responders to your home as an alternative to police. Call 988 and ask if mobile crisis is available where you live.
Your child's therapist or pediatrician
Call the after-hours line
A child whose care team already knows them
Most practices have a 24/7 on-call number. Tell the answering service it is urgent. Your child's care team can often steady a night that feels like it is tipping.
Your state's child welfare hotline
Search your state name plus 'child abuse hotline'
A child you believe is being harmed
Every state has a 24/7 line. You do not have to have proof. You only need a reasonable concern.
For you
If you feel like you can't cope tonight
Caregiving a child through trauma is one of the hardest things a human can do. You being okay is not a luxury. It is part of what keeps your child safe. These lines are for you.
988 Lifeline
Call or text 988
Caregivers who are not okay
988 is for you too. You do not have to be thinking about suicide to call. Exhausted, overwhelmed, hopeless, angry at yourself, these are all reasons to reach out.
Postpartum Support International
Call 1-800-944-4773 or text 800-944-4773
New parents, adoptive or biological
Support for the first year and well beyond. Available for any parent in distress, not only birth parents.
Visit siteSAMHSA National Helpline
Call 1-800-662-4357
Anyone struggling with substance use or a loved one's substance use
24/7, free, confidential, English and Spanish. Treatment referral and information service.
Visit siteA trusted person
Text one name right now
You, in the next five minutes
Not a fix. A witness. One person who knows you are awake and knows your child is struggling. Sometimes that is enough to get to morning.
Quick guide
When to call which resource
Keep this short list somewhere visible. On the fridge, in your wallet, saved in your contacts. You will not be in a state to research it when you need it.
- Active physical danger, weapon, medical emergency
- 911
- Suicidal thoughts, crisis feelings, you or your child
- 988 (call or text)
- Child behavioral crisis at home
- 988 and ask about mobile crisis response
- You suspect a child is being harmed
- 1-800-422-4453 (Childhelp)
- You cannot speak safely out loud
- Text HOME to 741741
- Substance use, your own or a loved one's
- 1-800-662-4357 (SAMHSA)
After the hardest night
What comes next on the trail
A crisis is not the end of the trail and it is not proof that the trail is lost. It is a hard mile. When the sun comes back up, a few small steps help the ground feel steady again.
1. Tend to your own body first
Water, food, a few slow breaths, a walk around the block if you can. Your nervous system took a hit. It needs the same care you just gave your child.
2. Write down what happened
Not for a report. For you. A few sentences while it is fresh. What you saw, what you tried, what seemed to help. This is how a hard night becomes a map.
3. Tell one person on your team
A caseworker, a therapist, a friend, a support group. Not to explain, just to name it out loud. Keeping it inside is heavier than sharing it.
4. Come back to the framework when you are ready
The Wagon Method wheels are not a checklist for crisis. They are a shape you can come back to once your feet are under you. Start with the four wheels.
A note on language
This page is educational. It is not a substitute for your child's care team. If you are unsure whether a situation is a crisis, please call 988 and ask. The counselors will help you decide together.