a cardboard cutout of a brain in someone's skull next to a mental health awareness ribbon
Mental Health (MH) Crisis and Emergency Services

Emergency Services provide rapid psychiatric and/or medical stabilization. They ensure the safety of persons who present a risk to themselves or others. The program types range from crisis counseling and residential services to comprehensive psychiatric emergency programs, better known as CPEP. Home-based crisis intervention services for children are designed to provide crisis services to families when a child is imminent risk for psychiatric hospitalization.

For information on the specific agencies that provide these services, please refer to the 2024 Interim Suffolk County Directory of Behavioral Health Services.

This hospital-based psychiatric emergency program establishes a primary entry point to the mental health system for individuals to receive emergency observation, evaluation, care and treatment in a safe and comfortable environment. Emergency visit services include provision of triage and screening, assessment, treatment, stabilization and referral or diversion to an appropriate program. Brief emergency visits require a psychiatric diagnostic examination and may result in further CPEP evaluation or treatment activities, or discharge from the CPEP program. Full emergency visits, which result in a CPEP admission and treatment plan, must include a psychiatric diagnostic examination, psychosocial assessment and medication examination. In Suffolk County, the CPEP is located at Stony Brook Medicine.

  • Mental Health Hotline (631-952-3333): The Crisis Hotline in Suffolk County is available 24 hrs per day, 7 days per week. It can be utilized by consumers directly, or their families. The trained hotline workers may provide verbal supports, or deploy the Mobile Crisis Team, or arrange for transport to DASH for further assessment and support.
  • Mobile Crisis Team Crisis: intervention services, applicable to adults, children and adolescents, are provided at the consumer’s home or other setting in the community. The team consists of a Licensed Social Worker and a Peer, who will evaluation the individual. In some instances they may arrange for transport to DASH, or CPEP if necessary, via police.
  • DASH (Diagnostic, Assessment, Stabilization Hub): Crisis intervention services, applicable to adults, children and adolescents, are provided at this Crisis Stabilization Center, to reduce acute symptoms and restore individuals to pre-crisis levels of functioning. Examples of services are screening, assessment, stabilization, triage, and/or streamlined referral to an appropriate program or programs.

A licensed residential (24 hours/day) stabilization program, which provides services for acute symptom reduction and the restoration of patients to pre-crisis level of functioning. These programs are time limited for persons until they achieve stabilization (generally up to 30 days). Crisis residences serve persons experiencing rapid or sudden deterioration of social and personal conditions such that they are clinically at risk of hospitalization but may be treated in this alternative setting. These programs are time limited for persons until they achieve stabilization (generally up to 30 days).

Intensive Crisis Residence Service (ICR)

Intensive Crisis Residence (ICR) is a voluntary short-term, residential treatment service for individuals who are 18 years or older who are experiencing a psychiatric crisis, which includes acute escalation of mental health symptoms. A mental health diagnosis is necessary for eligibility for this service. This program is for individuals being discharged from a higher level of care and need additional stabilization due to the need for medication prescription, monitoring and oversight and symptom stabilization. The immediate goal of ICR is to provide treatment and supports to help the individual stabilize and return to previous level of functioning or as a step-down from inpatient hospitalization, if applicable. The length of stay of this service should not exceed 28 days in a Crisis Residence.

Individuals receiving services at the Intensive Crisis Residence may also participate in treatment programs in the community that are not duplicative of services being provided to the individual within the ICR. If the individual receives duplicative services, a decision should be made by the individual in consultation with program staff and the MMCP. These services must be clearly outlined in the Individual Service Plan due to the higher level of care in the ICR. This service not to replace inpatient hospitalization.

Services that offered on site are as follows:

  • Comprehensive Assessment
  • Medication Therapy
  • Individual and group counseling
  • Engagement and support address co-occurring disorders

Residential Crisis Support (RCS)

Residential Crisis Support (RCS) is a voluntary, short-term residential service for individuals who are at least 18 years or older experiencing a mental health crisis and/or are experiencing challenges in daily life that create risk for an escalation of symptoms that cannot be managed in the individual’s home and community environment without onsite supports. A mental health diagnosis is not necessary to be eligible for this service. The length of stay of this service will not exceed 28 days in a Crisis Residence.

Services that offered on site are as follows:

  • Assistance in personal care and activities of daily living
  • Peer support
  • Engagement with identified supports
  • Safety planning
  • Integration of direct care and support services
  • Case management activities that emphasize discharge planning
  • Collaboration and linkages with service options in the community which provide continuation of ongoing treatment and rehabilitation
  • Medication management and training
  • Medication monitoring
  • Provides access to 3 meals per day

Crisis Respite Beds: Crisis respite beds provide individuals room and board in a supervised homelike environment. The program is intended for individuals who have a mental health diagnosis and are experiencing challenges in daily life that create risk for an escalation of symptoms that cannot be managed in the person's home and community environment without onsite supports. Crisis respite can be used as part of a discharge plan from an inpatient/CPEP setting. Crisis Respite is not intended as a substitute for housing.

  • IF YOU ARE HAVING THOUGHTS OF ENDING YOUR OWN LIFE, OR BECOME AWARE OF SOMEONE WHO IS CURRENTLY SUICIDAL, PLEASE CALL 911! This is a psychiatric emergency that may need police intervention, however where appropriate dispatchers may connect you or the individual in crisis with a Mental Health Hotline crisis worker who is specifically trained to handle this type of behavioral health crisis. If it is safe to do so, one may proceed to the nearest Emergency Room of a hospital, where there is immediate help if you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts.
  • Additional Suicide Prevention Hotlines include:

Important Numbers:

If you are experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, call for help!

  • Call Family Service League’s Diagnostic, Assessment, and Stabilization Hub (DASH) Program at (631) 952–3333 for 24/7 services for mental health, substance use, and crisis care for children and adults in Suffolk County

  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: If you are feeling suicidal, are in need of support or rescue, or are in crisis, call or text 988. Help is available 24/7

    • For local support, call the Response of Suffolk 24/7 Crisis Hotline (631) 751-7500

  • For a medical emergency, call 911