Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services

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 Lifeline 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.
  • 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 201 – (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.

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

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1. Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) – (See *Note above). Services for children and adults ages 4 – 21. 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 to link people to ongoing mental health services.
2. Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) – (see *Note above). Services for adults 18+. 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. Trusted Response Urgent Support Team (TRUST) – (see *Note above). Services for adults 18+. The TRUST team is a non-law enforcement mobile crisis response team that works closely with crisis hotlines, the community and family members to provide peer-based intervention and follow up services. TRUST onsite field teams can be dispatched to San Jose, Gilroy, or North County to assess for behavioral and medical needs, deliver de-escalation and intervention services to stabilize the situation, or provide transportation to another community service for stabilization when needed. The TRUST onsite field team includes a Crisis Intervention Specialist, First Aid Professional, and a Peer Support Specialist with training and expertise in de-escalation, crisis intervention, and stabilization.
   **NEW**  TRUST now has a direct line (in addition to access via 988).  For a faster response, call (408) 596-7290
4. Psychiatric Emergency Response Teams (PERT) – Services for adults 18+. (Local police agencies determine whether PERT is needed for 911 calls.) PERT teams are dedicated two-person units (a law officer and a licensed mental health clinician) who respond to 911 calls requiring a rapid mental health crisis response with law enforcement presence. PERT clinicians are trained to work with law enforcement, conduct mental health evaluations, and assist in determining outcomes that support individuals’ needs and safety. PERT units receive Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and Hostage/Crisis Negotiation training.
5. 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: Daily, 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.)

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Call 1-800-704-0900 and choose option 2.  Ask for Substance Use Services
Hours: 24-hours, 7 days a week
Substance Use Treatment Services  Substance use treatment services are provided to adult and older adults that have substance use and mental health needs. 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 hospital.

Barbara Arons Pavilion, Valley Medical Center
820 Enborg Court
San Jose, CA 95128
​Phone: 1 (408) 885-6140
Fax: (408) 885-6180
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, adolescents, children, and families. To request these services, contact the County BHSD call center 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 Behavioral Health Services Department and clients must be on Medi-Cal. Contact the County BHSD call center at 1-800-704-0900, option 2 for more information.

Full Service Partnerships (FSPs) are the means by which California funds and California 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” consist of doctors, psychiatrists, therapists, 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 Behavioral Health Services Department, and clients must be on Medi-Cal. Contact the County BHSD call center at 1-800-704-0900, option 2 for more information.

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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

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

Esperanza Self-Help Center

Phone: 408-852-2460
1235 1st St., Gilroy 95029
Located at the South County Mental Health Clinic
Hours: Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm