The Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services Department (BHSD) offers County residents a wide range of mental health and addiction treatment services to meet your behavioral health needs.  Available mental health services include psychiatric Emergency/Crisis, inpatient, and Outpatient care. Your eligibility for County mental health programs is based on your behavioral health needs.  You can learn about your eligibility for different services by calling the Mental Health Call Center at 1-800-704-0900.

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County Behavioral Health Call Center

Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services (BHSD) Call Center: 1-800-704-0900

The BHSD Call Center is the centralized entry point for those seeking services from Santa Clara County Behavioral Health.  People looking for mental health and/or substance use treatment treatment can call this number for:

  • Referrals to mental health or substance use treatment services. (Referrals are offered to individuals of all ages)
  • General information about BHSD services. (Behavioral Health services are offered to Santa Clara County residents who receive Medi-Cal or Medicare benefits, or have no insurance.)
  • To make a grievance or appeal a filing.
  • Behavioral Health System Navigators : Peer guidance for wellness and connection to resources

The County BHSD Call Center is free and available 24/7 in more than 200 languages. Trained and licensed mental health and substance use treatment professionals answer all calls

Call 1-800-704-0900 and choose

Option #1 for Urgent Mental Health Services, Mobile Crisis Response Team, or Suicide Prevention Hotline 

Option #2 for Referral to Mental Health/Substance Use Services

Option #3 for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT)

Option #4 for General Mental Health Information  (via the Behavioral Health System Navigator Program)

Option #5 for Complaint/Grievance/Appeal

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* Note: Below are listed the major County BHSD psychiatric services.  For a complete list of available County behavioral health programs and services, see the Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services web page.

Suicide & Crisis Services

Crisis and Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7: Dial 9-8-8*    *People with area codes other than 408, 650, and 669 should dial 800-704-0900 and press 1 for these services).

​​Crisis Text Line 24/7: Text RENEW to 741741
Crisis Text Line en español 24/7: Envía un mensaje de texto con la palabra COMUNIDAD al 741741

The Santa Clara County Crisis & Suicide Prevention Hotline is a 24-hour, toll-free confidential hotline available 7 days a week for phone intervention and emotional support to individuals in a mental health crisis. Highly trained volunteer crisis counselors assist people who are feeling suicidal, experiencing distress, or just need to talk with someone who will listen. Multi-lingual counselors are available.

 

Santa Clara County Crisis & Suicide Prevention offers the following Suicide Prevention and Crisis Trainings:

  • Suicide Prevention Adult Training Programs*
    • QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Online Suicide Prevention Course – a FREE one-hour online training available to anyone 18 years of age or older who lives or works in Santa Clara County. Learn the signs of suicide, and what to do to help prevent this most preventable of deaths. Registration.
    • LivingWorks Start – In just 90 minutes online, LivingWorks Start teaches trainees to recognize when someone is thinking about suicide and connect them to help and support.
    • Be Sensitive Be Brave (Suicide Prevention) – 2 hour online course available to anyone18 years of age or older who lives or works in Santa Clara County  Learn to define suicide and identify warning signs. Practice how to ask about suicide with compassion and how to connect individuals with supportive resources.
    • Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) – a highly interactive, FREE, practical, practice-oriented workshop on suicide intervention, especially useful to people working in the mental health field
    • Suicide 101 – .(for mental health professionals and licensed clinicians) Apply recent advances in clinical management through culturally competent suicide practice. Learn to address suicide risk, safety plan, case conceptualize and treatment plan for rmanaging suicide risk in diverse populations.
  • Mental Health Adult Training Programs*
    • Be Sensitive Be Brave (Mental Health) – 2 hour online course available to anyone18 years of age or older who lives or works in Santa Clara County. Learn the basics of mental health including definitions, coping with stress, and when it’s important to seek help, combating stigma and how to get help in our County.
    • Kognito – For educators and school staff.  Engage in virtual role-play simulator modules focused on increasing comfort and competency in managing critical conversations with youth exhibiting signs of psychological distress

* To arrange these trainings, contact jasmine.lopez@hhs.sccgov.org

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820 Enborg Court
San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: 1 (408) 885-6100
Fax: (408) 885-6117
Hours: Open 24-hours, 7 days a week

Emergency Psychiatric Services (EPS) is Santa Clara County’s only 24-hour locked psychiatric emergency room. Most EPS patients are have been placed on involuntary psychiatric holds (5150’s) by police or other authorized psychiatric professional.  EPS will determine if an individual needs further treatment at an inpatient psychiatric hospital, and will arrange safe transportation to these facilities.

Community Mobile Response Teams The County has developed mobile response program teams supporting various levels of risk and age groups to provide effective and compassionate crisis intervention to beneficiaries, families and the community who exhibit mental health symptoms and may be at risk for self-harm or harm to others and reduce hospitalizations and unnecessary incarcerations whenever possible.  Included in these teams are:
  1. Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) – Services for children and adults ages 4 – 21.  Call 1-800-704-0900 and choose Option #1.  Provides 24-hour in-person intervention or phone support to children, youth and young adults in Santa Clara County who are in acute psychological/emotional crisis .Post Crisis Stabilization services also offer referrals link people to ongoing mental health services
  2. Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) – Services for adults 18+. Call 1-800-704-0900 and choose Option #1,  MCRT screens and assesses mental health crisis situations over the phone. They may provide immediate in-person response at locations throughout the county, to individuals in crisis who exhibit mental health symptoms, may be suicidal or at-risk and need an evaluation for psychiatric hospitalization. Teams include Master’s level clinicians with training and expertise in crisis response.  Mobile Crisis Response Teams work closely with law enforcement, crisis hotlines, the community and family members.
  3. In-Home Outreach Team – Services for adults 18+ with Medi-Cal or no insurance. * Requires referral from County Behavioral Health Services. I-Hot provides brief clinical support and linkage to behavioral health services to residents of Santa Clara County identified as having multiple contacts with Emergency Psychiatric Services, Emergency Rooms, Behavioral Health Urgent Care, the Criminal Justice System, and/or Mobile Crisis Response Team within the span of a year.

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2221 Enborg Lane
San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: 1 (408) 885-7855
Hours: Monday – Sunday,  8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
After Hours: 7:00 p.m.​ – 8:00 a.m. use EPS rear entrance for psychiatric emergency services.
Languages Spoken: English, Farsi, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Vietnamese  (*Other languages can be made available as needed.)

Behavioral Health Urgent Care (BHUC) is a walk-in outpatient clinic for Santa Clara County residents with no insurance, or with Medi-Cal who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis and need immediate help.  The clinic provides screening, assessment, crisis intervention, referral and short-term treatment (including temporary medication) to adolescents and adults.  * Mental Health Urgent Care is not a hospital and provides voluntary services. 

Call 1-800-704-0900 and choose option 2.  Ask for Substance Use Services, or for “Gateway”
Hours: 24-hours, 7 days a week
Substance Use Services Gateway Program  Gateway is Santa Clara County’s central substance abuse screening, information, and referral program. Those who require addiction treatment services will receive a screening and referral to the most appropriate program.  Fees are based on clients’ ability to pay for services. Medi-Cal and private insurance are also accepted.

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Inpatient psychiatric hospitalization is available for individuals requiring psychiatric stabilization for mental health behavior or symptoms assessed as dangerous to self, to others, or gravely disabled and require 24-hour care in a secure and therapeutic setting. These individuals may have symptoms of anxiety, depression, or mania, or may be experiencing altered thought processes. Depending upon available openings, persons may be hospitalized at either the County’s acute psychiatric facility (Barbara Arons Pavilion – see details below), or at a county-contracted inpatient hospitals (for a partial list of these, see the County Inpatient Support Services web page)

Barbara Arons Pavilion, Valley Medical Center
820 Enborg Court
San Jose, CA 95128
​Phone: 1 (408) 885-6140
Fax: (408) 885-6180
​Phone: 1 (408) 885-6120
Fax: (408) 885-6126
Visiting Hours:
M – F, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sat. – Sun. and holidays: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

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The Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services Department offers a wide range of behavioral health services to ensure that our residents of Santa Clara County have access to help when they need it. The Behavioral Health Services Department contracts with various community based organizations that provide outpatient support for adults, older adults. To request these services, contact the County BHSD Line at 1-800-704-0900, option 2. To view a list of outpatient programs sorted by County regions (North, South, Central and West), go to the County’s Outpatient Support Services web page.

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In Santa Clara County, state and county-funded mental health and social services are provided either directly by the County, or by Non-Profit Agencies who contract with the County. Referrals to these agencies for county funded services are made by the Santa Clara County Mental Health Department and clients must be on Medi-Cal. Contact the County BHSD Line at 1-800-704-0900, option 2 for more information.

Full Service Partnerships (FSPs) are the means by which California funds and CA Counties provide mental health services.  The FSP model employs a “whatever it takes” recovery approach and offers a range of services, including intensive therapy, case management, rehabilitation, and medication support for clients.  In Santa Clara County, FSP services may be provided directly by the County or by non-profit agencies who contract with the County.  Multi-disciplinary FSP “Service Teams” teams consist of doctors, psychiatrists, therapists, and case managers and others who help coordinate and customize mental health care for each client.  All assignments to FSPs are made by the Santa Clara County Mental Health Department, and clients must be on Medi-Cal. Contact the County BHSD Line at 1-800-704-0900, option 2 for more information.  Here is a List of Full Service Partnership Service Teams in Santa Clara County.

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Operated by and for mental health consumers, the Santa Clara County Self-Help Centers offer peer-based support, activities and information for those dealing with mental illness. Services are offered at the Zephyr Central County Self-Help Center in downtown San Jose, and the Esperanza South County Self-Help Center in Gilroy.
(See below for location-specific information).  Available services include:

  • Mental Health and other resource information
  • Peer supported events and social activities
  • Peer facilitated support groups
  • WRAP® (Wellness Recovery Action Plan®) groups
  • One-on-one peer support
  • Self-Help for Transitional Aged Youth​​ (TAY) 18 – 25 yrs.
  • Computer Workshops and Basic Computer Functions Classes at the Consumer Learning Center 

Zephyr Central County Self-Help Center

Phone: 408-792-2140
1075 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose
1st floor, enter at rear of building
Hours:  Mondays  1:00 – 4:00 pm,  Tuesday – Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Consumer Learning Center – Call ​1 (408) 792-2150 to enroll in computer classes
Zephys Self-Help Center brochure

Esperanza Self-Help Center

Phone: 408-852-2640
1235 First St., Gilroy 95029
Located at the South County Mental Health Clinic
Hours: Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Esperanza Self-Help Center brochure

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