Journey guide
Mental-Health Crisis
This guide helps prepare a safer help-seeking conversation; it does not assess risk, diagnose, dispatch help, or replace clinical care.
Your plan
4 steps, in the order that works. Select any step for the full instructions.
- Do this first. Call 911 if you are in danger. More info.
- Do this first. Call or text 988. More info.
- Step 1 of 4. Ask about a Crisis Stabilization Unit. More info.
- Step 2 of 4. Ask for a mobile crisis response. More info.
- Step 3 of 4. Text instead of speaking. More info.
- Step 4 of 4. LGBTQ+ young people. More info.
This is the ordered plan for Mental-Health Crisis. Each step links to its full instructions further down this page.
Answer these to shorten your plan
Optional. Nothing is stored and no answer decides eligibility. Skipping every question gives you the full plan above.
Start here
Your first action
Do this now
If there is immediate danger to self or others, call 911. For a mental-health crisis, call the Seven Counties adult crisis line or 988.
Next: Seven Counties adult crisis line
Ask: Ask what support or next step the line can confirm. The child crisis line is (502) 589-8070. Whether the line can dispatch help or arrange placement is its determination.
Situation: A mental-health crisis, safety concern, or need for ongoing mental-health care. Immediate safety comes first; ongoing care is a separate step.
What you need to startUse what you have. Missing items do not block the first call.
Have ready if available
- A safe place to make the call
- Current medications and prescriptions
- Insurance or coverage information, if available
- A contact person who can help if transportation is needed
Missing something? Ask what can be reviewed; do not wait to call.
If the first route fails
If the regional crisis line cannot be reached or a national option is preferred: Call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). Published as available 24/7 nationally. A chat option is at 988lifeline.org.
Keep the regional crisis line active; local lines can connect to local services.
Last checked 2026-08-05 · Jurisdiction-neutral · official source: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
What remains uncertain: Crisis line capacity, inpatient availability, covered services, and follow-up care options are determined by the provider. This page does not diagnose, dispatch, or promise placement.
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-08-05 · Kentucky
Programs under one organization can differ. Provider information · Methodology
Public Beta limitation
Reviewed Public Beta guidance only. Fees, timelines, eligibility, document substitutes, capacity, and provider practices are not published unless a named source has been verified. Confirm current requirements directly.
How to read checked, listed, and unknown informationA listing can stay useful without being provider confirmed.
- Checked fact or route
- NOLO matched the fact to the named source on the date shown. This is not proof of current availability or provider confirmation.
- Directory lead
- A listing that may still help remains visible with an honest status such as Possibly active or Needs verification.
- PROVIDER CONFIRMED
- Only named fields backed by linked first-party provider evidence, integrity checks, and attributed human approval may carry this state. NOLO never infers it from a website, import, likely fit, or contact attempt.
- UNKNOWN / Needs verification
- NOLO does not know the answer yet. Confirm it directly; this is not a claim that the resource or option does not exist.
Each step in full
The same steps as the plan above, with the instructions for each one.
Do firstCall 911 if you are in danger
Do this
Immediate physical danger or a medical emergency is a 911 call, not a crisis-line call.
- Say where you are first, before anything else.
- If it is safe to, stay with the person until help arrives.
- This is the one route on this page that dispatches an ambulance.
Why this step is here
First and unnumbered. This is not step one of a process; it is the decision that overrides the rest of the page.
What was checked, and what is still unknown
Still unknown
- What any particular emergency response will do on arrival. NOLO does not dispatch, monitor, or confirm any response.
Do firstCall or text 988
Do this
988 is free, confidential, and staffed around the clock, for a crisis and for the hours before one.
- Call or text 988. A Veteran presses 1 after dialling, or texts 838255. A Spanish speaker presses 2, or texts AYUDA to 988.
- Seven Counties Services publishes its own Crisis & Information Center on (502) 589-4313, staffed 24 hours a day every day of the year, and operates a local 988 team.
- 988 is also a safe place to talk before a crisis happens. You do not have to be at the worst point to use it.
Why this step is here
Also unnumbered, because it is the same kind of decision as the one above it — a route to a person, right now, not a task with a next step.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (2)
- The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is reached by call or text; a Veteran presses 1 after dialling or texts 838255, and a Spanish speaker presses 2 or texts AYUDA to 988.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Get Help. Read on 2026-09-07.
- Seven Counties Services publishes its Crisis & Information Center on (502) 589-4313, staffed 24 hours a day every day of the year, and operates a local 988 team of trained Crisis Intervention Counselors.Seven Counties Services — Crisis Support. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- How long a wait is, and what any counsellor will offer or advise. NOLO does not operate or monitor either line.
Step 1Ask about a Crisis Stabilization Unit of 4
Do this
A voluntary short-term community option, instead of an emergency department or a psychiatric hospital.
- Ask about it on the same call — 988 or (502) 589-4313.
- Seven Counties publishes a Crisis Stabilization Unit within its child mental health services, and says new Crisis Centers at 914 East Broadway, Louisville are coming in September 2026.
- Voluntary means you choose it. Ask what that means in practice before agreeing to anything.
Move on when: you know whether a stabilization option is available to you and what it involves.
Why this step is here
After the crisis call, because it is one of the things that call can arrange, and asking for it by name is what makes it an option.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- Seven Counties Services publishes its Crisis & Information Center on (502) 589-4313, staffed 24 hours a day every day of the year, and operates a local 988 team of trained Crisis Intervention Counselors.Seven Counties Services — Crisis Support. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- Which units are open, who they take, and whether there is space. NOLO confirms none of that.
Step 2Ask for a mobile crisis response of 4
Do this
Someone can come to you rather than you having to get somewhere.
- Seven Counties Services runs a 24-hour Mobile Crisis Team that responds in person at home or in any other community setting.
- To reach it, call 988 or (502) 589-4313 and ask for a mobile crisis response.
- Say plainly that travel is not possible, and where you are.
- A qualified, trained crisis team member assesses the situation and the level of risk when you call.
Move on when: you have asked for a mobile response and know what was said about it.
Why this step is here
First among the numbered steps when travel is the problem, because every other option on this page assumes you can get somewhere.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- Seven Counties Services runs a 24-hour Mobile Crisis Team that responds in person at home or in any other community setting, and says to reach it by calling 988 or (502) 589-4313 and asking for a mobile crisis response.Seven Counties Services — Crisis Support. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- Whether a mobile team is available at that moment, how long it would take, and what area it covers. Ask on the call; NOLO does not confirm availability.
Step 3Text instead of speaking of 4
Do this
If a phone call is not possible, the same kind of support exists by text.
- Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States to reach a live volunteer Crisis Counselor — free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day. HOLA reaches a Spanish-language counsellor.
- 988 also takes text messages, not just calls.
- Neither is a lesser option. Use whichever you will actually use.
Move on when: you have a route you would genuinely use at three in the morning.
Why this step is here
Promoted to the front the moment somebody says a call is not possible, because a route you cannot use is not a route.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (2)
- Crisis Text Line connects a texter with a live volunteer Crisis Counselor from anywhere in the United States on HOME to 741741, or HOLA for Spanish, free and confidential 24 hours a day.Crisis Text Line — Crisis Text Line | Text HOME to 741741. Read on 2026-09-07.
- The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is reached by call or text; a Veteran presses 1 after dialling or texts 838255, and a Spanish speaker presses 2 or texts AYUDA to 988.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Get Help. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- Response times. Neither service publishes one, and NOLO does not monitor either.
Step 4LGBTQ+ young people of 4
Do this
The Trevor Project publishes its own 24-hour route, staffed by counsellors trained for it.
- Call 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or use the chat on its site.
- It publishes the service as available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, confidential, and 100% free.
- It is an alternative to the routes above, not a replacement for 911 in immediate danger.
- Choose a safe contact method, name who owns the next action, and write down when to check again.
- Keep a safe copy or reference number for each notice, submission, referral, and instruction so the work can resume without starting over.
Move on when: you know which of the routes on this page you would use, and have the number where you can find it.
Why this step is here
Last, because it is an additional route rather than a later stage. Somebody it fits will use it first regardless of where it sits.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- The Trevor Project publishes crisis support for LGBTQ+ young people 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by phone on 1-866-488-7386, by texting START to 678-678, or by chat; it states the service is confidential and 100% free.The Trevor Project — We're here for you. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- Wait times and counsellor availability at any given moment.
Build a handoff packet for a case managerFor a worker, advocate, or outreach team preparing a referral on someone's behalf.
Case manager packet
Build a Mental-Health Crisis handoff
Choose the sections you can review together in under five minutes. The handoff starts with the first action and ends with a fallback. NOLO does not ask for or store a client name, answers, case notes, or checklist progress.
First action plus 4 selected sections
Document prompts are preparation—not a verified agency checklist. UNKNOWN means “confirm this,” not “no.” A source link does not confirm eligibility or current availability.
Before the appointment ends
- 1. Name the next official contact.
- 2. Choose one UNKNOWN to confirm.
- 3. Agree on a fallback if the first route fails.
Routes whose sources publish 24/7 access
These sources describe the route as available around the clock. A route may be a staffed phone, text, or chat line, a self-service form, or a local process. This is not a live check that someone will answer or that a service has capacity. Read each availability note and confirm the current route when you can.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Mental-health distress, emotional distress, suicide, or substance-use crisis — for you or for someone you are worried about.
Call or text 988988lifeline.org
Chat at chat.988lifeline.org. Text and chat are published in Spanish, and there is a Deaf and hard-of-hearing route.
988 publishes that it is available 24/7/365, free, and confidential.
Source: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — checked 2026-08-05.
Kentucky 211
Housing, food, utilities, transportation, and community services — when you need to know what exists near you tonight.
Or text your ZIP code to 898211.
Kentucky 211 answers 24 hours a day.
Source: NOLO emergency contact policy (SOURCE_OF_TRUTH §11) — checked 2026-08-05.
VA National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
Any veteran who is homeless or at risk of it. Family, friends, and case managers may call on a veteran's behalf.
Call 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838)va.gov/homeless
VA publishes a free, confidential online chat with a trained counselor, any time of day or night.
VA publishes that this line is available 24/7.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — National Call Center for Homeless Veterans — checked 2026-08-05.
4 more routes whose sources publish 24/7 access
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Confidential support if someone is hurting you or you are helping someone who is being hurt.
Call 1-800-799-7233thehotline.org/get-help
Text START to 88788, or use the live chat. There are Spanish, StrongHearts, and video-phone routes.
The Hotline publishes phone, text, and chat routes to an advocate. It also warns that internet use can be monitored and is impossible to erase completely — if this device may be watched, use a different one.
Source: National Domestic Violence Hotline — Get Help — checked 2026-08-05.
Seven Counties Services crisis lines
Local crisis support for the Louisville area, staffed at any hour. Separate lines for adults, children, addiction recovery, and developmental-disability crisis.
Adult crisis (502) 589-4313sevencounties.org
Child crisis (502) 589-8070. Addiction recovery (502) 583-3951. Developmental-disability crisis (502) 459-5292.
Seven Counties Services publishes all four lines as available 24/7, 365.
Source: Seven Counties Services — Crisis Number Directory — checked 2026-08-05.
Kentucky protective order
Filing a petition for an emergency protective order, if someone is hurting you or threatening you.
How protective orders work (Kentucky Court of Justice)
Petitions are filed with an Office of Circuit Court Clerk; the court publishes contact details for all 120 counties.
Kentucky courts are required to provide a 24-hour access process for orders of protection in every county. The after-hours location or procedure can vary by county. Contact the local circuit court clerk, law enforcement, or a domestic-violence program to confirm the local process. The Kentucky Court of Justice also states that there are no fees or costs for filing a petition. Whether to seek an order is your decision, and an advocate can help you think it through.
Source: Kentucky Court of Justice — How to Obtain a Protective Order — checked 2026-08-05.
Legal Aid Society online application
Eviction, housing conditions, benefits, and other civil legal problems in Jefferson County and fourteen surrounding counties.
Legal Aid Society publishes an online intake application available twenty-four hours a day. Its phone intake is Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed on Fridays — so at night the form is the way in.
Source: Legal Aid Society — Frequently Asked Questions — checked 2026-08-05.
If someone is in immediate danger or having a medical emergency, call 911.
Forms, portals, and instructions by step (2)Official forms and portals placed where they become relevant, each with its owner, check date, and what it does not prove.
Documents inside the process
Forms, portals, and instructions by step
These are placed where they become relevant. NOLO does not imitate the form, collect answers, submit anything, or know whether you completed a step.
- 1
Legal-document directory
Find Kentucky Court mental health and crisis evaluation forms
Use the live Kentucky Court directory to find official forms including mental health petitions (202A involuntary evaluation) and patient rights documents.
- Official directoryInstructionsSource checked
Kentucky Court of Justice Legal Forms Directory
The live official directory for Kentucky court forms, including forcible-detainer and protective-order records.
- Who completes it
- Use the directory to match an exact form number or language; seek qualified help for case-specific legal advice.
- Gather before opening
- Varies by form and case; the directory is not a filing checklist.
- Access or submission
- UNKNOWN — confirm with the official owner.
- Signature
- Varies by form; follow the current form and court instructions.
What this does not prove: A form directory is not legal advice or proof that a particular form is appropriate for a case.Official owner: Kentucky Court of Justice. Checked 2026-08-04. Ask the court for an accessible format or assistance when needed. The directory lists multiple language versions for some forms; availability varies by form.
Next in the process: Apply for Medicaid behavioral health coverage
- 2
Benefits portal route
Apply for Medicaid behavioral health coverage
Kentucky Medicaid covers outpatient therapy, crisis stabilization, and psychiatric medication management. Use kynect to apply or update your plan.
- Application portalPortalSource checked
Kentucky Benefits application portal
The official online starting point for Kentucky benefit applications and account management.
- Who completes it
- The applicant or a person the applicant authorizes; confirm current account and assistance options in the portal.
- Gather before opening
- Requirements vary by benefit and situation; use the portal or agency instructions for the current list.
- Access or submission
- Online portal
- Signature
- Not confirmed by NOLO; follow the portal’s current attestation steps.
What this does not prove: The state may ask you to create or sign in to a kynect account.Official owner: Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Checked 2026-08-04. NOLO has not completed an accessibility conformance review of the external portal. English interface observed; confirm other language and interpreter options in the portal.
Next: continue with the guide's fallback and agency questions.
What NOLO cannot promise
- NOLO does not decide eligibility.
- NOLO does not submit applications, renewals, appeals, or documents.
- NOLO cannot guarantee approval, a timeline, an appointment, or a fee waiver.
- NOLO is not a legal or benefits advisor.
- NOLO is not affiliated with any agency named on a journey page.
- This guide does not make a legal, medical, safety, eligibility, or discharge decision.
- A search result does not confirm funding, capacity, acceptance, or availability.
Documents and what replaces them (2)Every document this journey covers, what each one proves, and the accepted substitutes.
Documents and recovery questions
Anything marked “confirmed” below has a named source and a check date. Everything else is a question worth asking, not a rule — ask before relying on it.
Medication and care information, if safely available
Medication and care information, if safely available
A qualified clinician may ask about current care and medications.
If it is missing
Ask the current prescriber, pharmacy, or care team how information can be confirmed; do not change medication from this guide.
Possibilities to ask about
- Ask the receiving clinician what information is needed for immediate assessment.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
Coverage and identity information, if available
Coverage and identity information, if available
Ongoing-care scheduling may ask for coverage or identity information.
If it is missing
Ask what care can begin while records are unavailable and use the related recovery journeys later.
Possibilities to ask about
- Ask the provider what it can verify for the current stage.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
If something is blocking you (3)What commonly stops people here, and what has worked around it.
If something is blocking you
The person cannot safely make a call or explain the situation alone.
Things to try
- Use emergency services for immediate danger or ask a trusted support person or qualified crisis worker to assist when safe.
Ongoing care, coverage, transportation, or housing is not confirmed.
Things to try
- Keep the immediate safety plan active and assign separate follow-up for each continuity need.
The normal route stalls, gives conflicting instructions, or cannot confirm the next step.
Things to try
- Record who said what, when, and through which channel.
- Ask what escalation or alternate channel exists, then keep a separate fallback route open.
Things that may help today
- Use emergency services for immediate danger or a medical emergency.
- Seek qualified crisis support now; use directory searches only for confirmed follow-up options.
Where to go — official routes (5)Named offices and services, each with its own source, check date, and published limits.
Verified official route
Seven Counties Services, the regional community mental-health provider for the Louisville area, publishes four crisis lines it states are available 24/7, 365: an adult crisis line at (502) 589-4313, a child crisis line at (502) 589-8070, an addiction recovery hotline at (502) 583-3951, and a developmental-disability crisis line at (502) 459-5292. It publishes a Crisis Prevention and Response Program for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, intended to help someone stay in their home and community. Whether a specific service is offered, what it costs, and who is eligible are Seven Counties' to answer.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-05 · Kentucky · official source: Seven Counties Services — Crisis Number Directory
Verified official route
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline publishes that it supports people in mental-health distress, emotional distress, and substance-use crisis, that it is available 24/7/365, and that it is free and confidential. It can be reached by calling 988, texting 988, or chatting at chat.988lifeline.org, and it publishes a Deaf and Hard of Hearing access route. It states that text and chat services are available in Spanish. 988 does not dispatch on NOLO's behalf and NOLO does not monitor it.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-05 · Jurisdiction-neutral · official source: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Verified official route
Kentucky CHFS’s crisis-system page identifies 988 and regional community mental-health-center crisis routes for behavioral-health or intellectual/developmental-disability crises. 988 supports crisis connection; it does not confirm dispatch, hospitalization, an appointment, or ongoing-care acceptance.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-05 · Kentucky · official source: Kentucky CHFS — Crisis Prevention and Response System
Verified official route
Kentucky’s Division of Mental Health page links official crisis, provider-directory, and treatment-locator starting points. A listed destination does not establish insurance acceptance, cost, capacity, or clinical fit.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-05 · Kentucky · official source: Kentucky CHFS — Division of Mental Health
Official details not yet verified
The routes above are the ones NOLO has checked against a named source. Other Kentucky and Louisville routes for this situation are not verified yet — confirm them with the responsible agency or provider.
No official link is published until it is verified. Ask the agency for current instructions.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
Preparation and practice guidanceGeneral advice that applies to most appointments and calls, not only to this journey.
Practitioner and helper guidance
Preparation ideas for the person and anyone helping
Stay within role and use qualified clinical or crisis escalation for safety decisions.
A directory or case-management script cannot perform a clinical risk assessment.
Ask before involving contacts unless emergency duties require otherwise.
Choice, privacy, trauma, and safety affect how support should be engaged.
Separate documents, client statements, agency instructions, and unconfirmed assumptions in the record.
Clear labels let the next helper reuse what is known without turning an inference into a fact.
End each handoff with a named owner, safe contact method, next check date, and fallback.
A referral is easier to resume when responsibility and the failed-route response are visible.
Practitioner guidance from field experience — not agency policy. Checked 2026-08-01 · Jurisdiction-neutral.
Immediate crisis response and ongoing care
This comparison does not recommend one option.
Qualified immediate response
- Documents
- Ask what information this route currently requires.
- Cost
- Unknown — confirm before choosing this route.
- When it may matter
- Use this when safety or medical needs cannot wait.
- When it may not
- Do not use it when it creates a safety or care risk.
Ongoing mental-health care
- Documents
- Ask what information this route currently requires.
- Cost
- Unknown — confirm before choosing this route.
- When it may matter
- Use this to confirm intake, coverage, transportation, and follow-up after immediate safety is addressed.
- When it may not
- Do not assume this route is available or appropriate.
Ongoing-care navigation must never delay an immediate safety response.
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Appointment strategy
- 1.Ask whether an appointment is required before you travel.
- 2.Ask how walk-ins are handled and whether arriving early changes the process.
- 3.Confirm the location, hours, and documents again on the day you plan to go.
- 4.Ask what safe contact method will be used for changes, cancellations, or follow-up.
- 5.Before ending, ask who to contact and what to do if the appointment or referral cannot proceed.
Scheduling links and phone numbers are pending verification.
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Day of the appointment or visit
At the office
- 1.Arrive early when practical, especially if you are walking in.
- 2.Ask for a realistic wait estimate.
- 3.Ask whether the office uses text messages, callbacks, or another queue-notification system.
- 4.Ask whether you can leave briefly and return without losing your place.
- 5.Prepare for a potentially long day.
- 6.Write down the name or department that gave each instruction, the date, and the next action.
Bring for the wait
- A charger
- Water and snacks where permitted
- Medications you may need during the wait
- All paperwork together in one folder
- Something to do while you wait
- A safe way to take notes and store confirmation or reference numbers
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Before you travelA final check of documents, opening hours, and the receiving contact.
Avoid a wasted trip
- 1.Recheck the location, hours, appointment rules, and current document instructions before leaving.
- 2.Keep originals and copies organized, and ask before handing over the only copy you have.
- 3.At the counter, explain what is missing and ask what replacement or workaround evidence can be reviewed.
- 4.Ask what was received, what is still missing, how status can be checked, and what happens if the normal route fails.
- 5.Keep a safe copy, receipt, confirmation, or reference number for anything you submit.
Ask before leaving the counter: “Is there anything else that could prevent this application from being approved today?”
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Related resources
The core guidance is ready while resource matches load.
- Use the emergency information at the top of this page for urgent options.
- Dial Kentucky 211
- Report a missing resource
What requires an agency or provider
- Crisis assessment, dispatch, emergency response, diagnosis, and treatment decisions
- Medication, hospitalization, discharge, consent, and confidentiality
- Kentucky and Louisville crisis routes, provider intake, capacity, accessibility, transportation, and follow-up
Take this with you
The referral packet is a one-page version built to print and hand over: numbers to call and when they answer, what to bring, what to ask, what to do if it does not work, and where each checked fact came from. It has blank lines to write on.
Open the referral packetYou can also print this full page with your browser’s print command. It keeps the preparation steps, recovery questions, day-of plan, and before-you-leave question while removing site navigation.