Mental Health Resources
Therapy is one part of a support system, not the whole of it. These are organizations we point clients toward regularly: national bodies that publish reliable information, Massachusetts-specific services, and groups that do something we cannot. Everything here is free or low cost unless noted.
We keep this list short on purpose. There is no shortage of mental health websites; there is a shortage of ones worth your time when you are struggling and have limited patience for sorting good information from bad.
If you need help right now
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential, 24 hours a day, across the United States. Support is available in Spanish, and there is a videophone option for Deaf and hard of hearing callers.
Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line. Call or text 833-773-2445, or visit masshelpline.com. This is the state's front door for mental health and substance use treatment, available 24/7, and it can connect you to a Community Behavioral Health Center for a same-day or next-day evaluation.
Crisis Text Line. Text HOME to 741741 to reach a trained volunteer counselor by text, free and 24/7. Useful when a phone call is not possible or not tolerable.
Emergency Services Programs. Every region of Massachusetts has a mobile crisis team that can evaluate someone in the community rather than requiring an emergency room. Reach yours through the Behavioral Health Help Line above.
Our crisis resources page covers what to do in more specific situations, including when you are not in immediate danger but cannot wait for a scheduled appointment.
Understanding a condition
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). nimh.nih.gov is the federal research agency for mental health. Its condition pages are the most reliable plain-language summaries available in the United States, and they are updated as the evidence changes rather than left to age.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). samhsa.gov publishes treatment guidance and runs a national helpline at 1-800-662-4357, free and confidential, 24/7, for substance use and mental health referrals.
American Psychological Association. apa.org/topics has accessible summaries of what the research supports for a given problem, which is useful when you are trying to evaluate a treatment someone recommended.
A note on searching: the quality gap between a federal or professional-body page and the average mental health content site is enormous. If you are reading about a diagnosis at 2am, the sources above will not sell you anything.
Support from people with the same experience
NAMI Massachusetts. namimass.org runs free support groups across the state for people living with mental illness and, separately, for their family members. The family groups are genuinely valuable and consistently underused. NAMI also runs a compass helpline at 617-704-6264.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. dbsalliance.org runs peer support groups, many of them online, specifically for mood disorders.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. adaa.org maintains resources and a support community, and publishes reasonable explanations of evidence-based treatment options.
Peer support is not a substitute for treatment and does not try to be. It does something therapy cannot, which is put you in a room with people who have been where you are.
Specific populations
The Trevor Project. thetrevorproject.org, or call 1-866-488-7386, or text START to 678-678. Crisis support and resources for LGBTQ young people, 24/7.
Trans Lifeline. translifeline.org, 877-565-8860. A peer support line staffed by trans people, for trans people.
Veterans Crisis Line. Dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255. Staffed by responders trained in military and veteran experience.
Postpartum Support International. postpartum.net, helpline 1-800-944-4773 or text 800-944-4773. Support and provider referrals for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Our perinatal and postpartum therapy page covers what that work looks like here.
Alzheimer's Association. alz.org, 24/7 helpline 1-800-272-3900. For families managing a dementia diagnosis, which reliably produces its own grief and caregiver strain.
Substance use and recovery
SAMHSA National Helpline. 1-800-662-4357. Free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral and information.
Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline. helplinema.org, 800-327-5050. Statewide, free, and specifically knowledgeable about what is available in Massachusetts.
SMART Recovery. smartrecovery.org runs meetings built on cognitive behavioral principles, which some people prefer to a twelve-step framework.
Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meeting finders are at aa.org and na.org. Both have extensive MetroWest coverage.
Our addiction and recovery counseling page explains how therapy fits alongside these rather than competing with them.
Finding a provider we cannot be
Sometimes the right clinician is not here. That is a normal outcome, not a failure, and these are the directories worth using:
Psychology Today at psychologytoday.com/us/therapists is the largest directory and lets you filter by insurance, specialty, and location. Listings are self-reported, so treat the specialty claims as a starting point rather than a credential.
Open Path Collective at openpathcollective.org connects people to therapists offering sessions at reduced rates for those without adequate insurance.
Your insurance company's directory. Clumsy but authoritative on one thing: who is in network. Call the member services number on your card and ask them to check availability while you are on the phone, because online directories are often out of date.
Community health centers. Massachusetts has a strong network of community health centers that provide behavioral health on a sliding scale regardless of ability to pay. The Behavioral Health Help Line can route you to your nearest one.
Practical support that affects mental health
Housing instability, food insecurity, and unmanageable debt are not separate from mental health, and treating the psychological symptom while the practical crisis continues rarely works.
Mass 211. Dial 211 or visit mass211.org. Free, confidential, 24/7 referral to food, housing, utility assistance, and other basic needs across Massachusetts.
MetroWest Health Foundation at mwhealth.org funds and tracks health services specific to our region, and its reports are a good picture of what exists locally.
Questions
Common questions
Are these resources free?
Should I use a crisis line if I am not suicidal?
What is a Community Behavioral Health Center?
Can you refer me directly to one of these?
Do you endorse everything on these sites?
Get started
Ready when you are
If you are trying to work out whether therapy is the right next step at all, that is a reasonable thing to talk through. Call 508-650-0991 or request an appointment and say exactly that.