Crisis Services
If you are having a mental health crisis, feeling suicidal, or at risk for harming yourself or another person, these hotlines are available 24 hours a day. You can also access help at a local emergency room.
24 Hour Crisis Hotline Contra Costa County – Psychiatric Emergency Service
Alameda County 925-646-2800
1-800-309-2131
California Suicide and Crisis Hotlines RAINN – 24-hr National Sexual Assault Hotline,
Nationwide Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
San Francisco County Psych Emergency Services 24-hour Crisis Line, San Francisco
415-206-8125 415-781-0500 or 800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line – “Text START to 741741. Live crisis counselor available 24/7 in the USA.”
Trans Lifeline – 877-565-8860 – Crisis Hotline by and for the transgender community (does not engage police).
The Trevor Project – 1-888-843-4564 provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+
Project LETS – “Crisis situations often stem from multiple unaddressed issues with a person’s ability to exist comfortably in their environment. Whether you are in crisis, approaching crisis, or supporting someone in crisis — slow down, take a moment to sense what is happening in your body, and remember that you do not need to navigate this alone.”
Fireweed Collective – crisis toolkit; community healing for social change
Additional Resources
Access Institute in San Francisco – lower cost therapy in San Francisco
Axis Mundi Center for Mental Health – lower cost therapy in Bay Area, CA
Blue Oak Therapy Center – lower cost therapy in Berkeley
Brown Boi Project – social justice organization for young masculine of center womyn, trans men, and queer/straight men of color
Community United Against Violence – queer anti-violence organization
Cosmology of Whiteness – critical reflections on white dominant culture
East Bay Meditation Center – “A diverse community sharing wisdom teachings and social engagement.”
Erin Wood Acupuncture – acupuncture and herbal medicine; se habla español
How to Choose A Good Counselor or Therapist
Kaiser Permanente Behavioral Health Education Department – classes on Managing Depression, Anxiety, Anger, MBSR, Improving Your Sleep, etc.
Liberate – a meditation app to support the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community in healing to thrive with love
Living Arts Counseling Center – “Innovative Psychotherapy Services through Drama and Expressive Arts” – highly recommended for children, teens, couples, and adults
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
North American Drama Therapy Association
Pacific Center – community-based LGBTQ mental health and wellness services in Berkeley
Project LETS – Let’s Erase the Stigma, “a national grassroots organization and movement led by and for folks with lived experience of mental illness/madness, Disability, trauma, & neurodivergence”
The Psychotherapy Institute – lower cost therapy services in Berkeley
Psychology Today – extensive search engine to find psychotherapists and other resources
San Francisco Sex Information – blog that provides confidential, accurate, non-judgmental information about sex and reproductive health.
Terry Real and the Relational Life Institute – couples & family therapist, author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression
Therapists of Color Bay Area Directory
The 3 Steps to Find the Best Therapist for You
Wright Institute Counseling Center – lower cost therapy
Melvin L. Escobar, LCSW 