ResourcesLos Angeles Mental Health and Addiction Resources: A Family Directory. Free and public places to call, text or click in Los Angeles County, checked against official sources.

If someone is in danger right now, call 911. If someone is in a mental health or substance use crisis and is not in immediate physical danger, call or text 988.

We list a phone number only when we could confirm it on the organization’s own official page. Where we could not, we link to the official website instead. We do not list individual meetings, clinics or programs, because those change often. Instead we point you to each organization’s own finder.

Everything here is free to call or use. Some services connect you to care that may be billed to insurance or Medi-Cal. Ask about cost when you call.

If you are not sure which kind of help you need, our step-by-step guide on what to do in a crisis in Los Angeles can help you sort crisis from urgent from routine.

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Free, confidential support 24 hours a day by call, text or chat, for anyone in emotional distress, a suicidal crisis or a substance use crisis, and for family members worried about someone. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Text and chat are also available in Spanish.
• LA County Department of Mental Health ACCESS Help Line. The county’s 24/7 line for mental health referrals and, when needed, for requesting a mobile crisis field team. Call (800) 854-7771. Details on the LA County DMH website.
• Mobile crisis field teams. LA County DMH sends field intervention teams, including its Psychiatric Mobile Response Teams (PMRT) and contracted Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams, to people in a mental health crisis. The county says to request one through the ACCESS Help Line or through 988 when calling from an LA County area code. See the DMH alternative crisis response page.
• 911. For immediate danger to life, a medical emergency, or a suspected overdose.

• LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH). County mental health services for children, teens, adults and older adults, including referrals through the ACCESS Help Line at (800) 854-7771. Visit dmh.lacounty.gov.
• FindTreatment.gov. SAMHSA’s confidential and anonymous search tool for mental health and substance use treatment across the United States. Visit findtreatment.gov.
• SAMHSA National Helpline. A free, confidential treatment referral and information line, open 24/7, in English and Spanish. Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357). See the SAMHSA National Helpline page.

• SAPC Substance Abuse Service Helpline. The county’s toll-free line for screening and referral to substance use treatment. Call (844) 804-7500. Listed on the SAPC contact page.
• SAPC treatment finder. SAPC’s online search for addiction treatment, linked from the county’s overdose prevention page as “Find Addiction Treatment.” Visit sudhelpla.org.
• SAPC harm reduction. County information on harm reduction services and supplies. See the SAPC harm reduction page.

• LA County overdose prevention. Public Health’s page on where to get naloxone, including participating pharmacies without a prescription, county harm reduction hubs, and community access points. See the SAPC overdose prevention page.
• LA County Library naloxone. Free naloxone and fentanyl test strips at select library branches and naloxone clinics, with no ID, insurance or payment required. Check dates and branches on the LA County Library naloxone page.
• Over the counter. The California Department of Health Care Services notes that naloxone nasal spray now has over-the-counter status. See the DHCS Naloxone Distribution Project page.

For what to do with it, read our guide on fentanyl and naloxone.

• NAMI in Los Angeles County. The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers free family education and support groups through local affiliates. NAMI California lists these LA County affiliates: NAMI Greater Los Angeles, NAMI Urban Los Angeles, NAMI Westside Los Angeles, NAMI San Fernando Valley, NAMI San Gabriel Valley, NAMI South Bay, NAMI Glendale and NAMI Pomona Valley. Find yours on the NAMI California affiliate finder.
• Al-Anon. Peer support for people affected by someone else’s drinking. Use the Al-Anon meeting finder for in-person, online and phone meetings.
• Nar-Anon. A 12-step program for families and friends affected by someone else’s addiction, with Narateen for teens. Use the Nar-Anon meeting finder.
• SMART Recovery Family and Friends. Meetings for family and friends of people struggling with addiction, based on SMART Recovery and the CRAFT approach. Search the SMART Recovery meeting finder.

Blackburn Recovery Services, part of The Blackburn Group, also hosts a free virtual family support group every two weeks, open to any family. Read more in our guide on support for families.

• Teen Line. A program of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services where trained teen volunteers answer calls and texts from other teens in the evenings, with adult professionals supervising. Call (800) 852-8336 or text TEEN to 839863. Check current hours on the Teen Line page.
• Soluna and BrightLife Kids. Free California apps launched by the state’s Department of Health Care Services. Soluna serves ages 13 to 25. BrightLife Kids serves parents and caregivers of children ages 0 to 12. Both are free regardless of insurance or immigration status. Visit CalHOPE.org.
• 988. Teens can call, text or chat 988 too, any time.

For warning signs to watch for, see signs a teen needs mental health support.

• California Courts Self-Help Guide. The official Judicial Branch website for understanding court cases, forms and options without a lawyer. Self-help centers offer legal information in person, by phone or online. Visit selfhelp.courts.ca.gov.
• Free or low-cost lawyers. The courts’ page on finding free or low-cost legal help.
• Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Local court information at lacourt.ca.gov.

For plain explanations of holds and court options, see our guide on 5150 holds, CARE Court and conservatorship.

The Blackburn Group is one Los Angeles organization with several areas of service. Families usually call us when:

• The crisis has passed and you need a plan for the next weeks and months.
• Your loved one needs therapy, psychiatry or testing, or a teen needs more structure through our Concierge Outpatient Program.
• Someone refuses help and you are thinking about an intervention, or you need a case manager to coordinate care. See Blackburn Recovery Services.
• A court, employer or family agreement calls for drug and alcohol testing. See Blackburn Monitoring.
• A young adult needs a steady mentor. See Blackburn Mentoring.

We are not an emergency service. If someone is in crisis, use 988 or 911 first, then call us when things are calmer.

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
• Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
• LA County DMH: Alternative crisis response
• LA County Public Health SAPC: Contact us
• LA County Public Health SAPC: Overdose prevention
• LA County Library: Naloxone
• California DHCS: Naloxone Distribution Project
• SAMHSA: National Helpline
• FindTreatment.gov
• NAMI California: Find your local NAMI
• Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services: Teen Line
• California DHCS: BrightLife Kids and Soluna launch toolkit
• Judicial Branch of California: Self-Help Guide

Our Where to start page walks through the options, and our page for families explains how we work with loved ones. You can also call us at (888) 305-5422 or email info@theblackburngroup.org.

If someone is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In an emergency, call 911.

• What to Do in a Mental Health or Substance Crisis in Los Angeles
• Mental Health and Substance Use in Los Angeles County: Key Statistics
• Paying for Addiction and Mental Health Treatment
• How to Vet a Treatment Program

All guides →