Where your child can get mental health help in California

This page is not medical or legal advice. Do Not Lose Hope is not a clinic or a crisis line. Help for adults is at Mental health care without fear.

Does my child's immigration status matter?

Not for Medi-Cal. In California, children ages 0 to 18 can get full Medi-Cal no matter their immigration status, if they meet the other rules, such as income. The 2026 freeze on new sign ups for some adults does not apply to children. Children are not part of the adult Medi-Cal premium scheduled for July 2027. Mental and behavioral health care is covered.

At school, California law says school staff may not collect information or documents about the citizenship or immigration status of students or their family members, except where state or federal law requires it or to run a state or federally supported education program.

At the clinic, if a California health provider learns your family's immigration status or place of birth, the law treats it as private medical information. Providers may not share medical information for immigration enforcement except in limited cases, such as a California or federal court order or a search warrant signed by a judge. See Will my therapist share my information with immigration?

Where do I start?

You have several doors. Pick the one that feels easiest. Any of them can point you to the others.

1. Your child's doctor or clinic. Tell them what you have seen and for how long. Federal experts recommend anxiety screening for children 8 to 18 and depression screening for teens 12 to 18. The doctor can check for other health causes and refer you.
2. The school counselor. Ask for a meeting. Ask for an interpreter if you need one.
3. Your county line. You can call about your child. They ask a few questions and connect you to care.
4. A youth center or community clinic. Some teens can walk in on their own. See below.

If your child talks about wanting to die, has hurt themselves, or may be in danger, do not wait for an appointment. Call or text 988 now. If a life is in danger right now, call 911.

Can my child get Medi-Cal?

Very likely, if your income qualifies. Apply online, by phone, by mail or at your county office. Questions? Call the Medi-Cal helpline at 1-800-541-5555.

Medi-Cal covers mental health care for children and youth under 21, and these services are confidential. For mild to moderate needs, care usually comes through your child's Medi-Cal health plan or doctor. For more serious needs, the county behavioral health plan provides specialty care. You do not have to figure out which one. Start with the doctor or the county line, and they will route you.

If your child already has Medi-Cal, open and answer every letter from the county so coverage does not lapse.

If your child has private insurance, health plans regulated by California's Department of Managed Health Care must offer a non urgent appointment with a mental health provider who is not a doctor, such as a therapist, within 10 business days. If your plan does not help, call the Department of Managed Health Care at 1-888-466-2219.

What help is there at school?

Schools are often the fastest door, because your child is already there every day.

The school counselor. In California, what a student 12 or older shares with a school counselor is confidential and cannot go into the student's school record without written consent. There are exceptions: the counselor must report suspected child abuse or neglect, may tell the principal or parents to prevent a clear and present danger to the student, and must share if a court orders it. If the counselor believes telling the parents would put the student in danger, the counselor may not tell them.

Ravenswood City School District (East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park). The district says it offers school based counseling, group counseling, check ins with trusted adults and Student Success Teams at its schools. It also partners with Care Solace, a service that helps families find mental health and substance use care. Call Care Solace at 888-515-0595, 24 hours a day, or visit caresolace.com/rcsd. Ask whether any part of the service costs money. To ask about support at your child's school, call the school office, or the district at (650) 329-2800.

Sequoia Union High School District (including East Palo Alto Academy and Menlo Atherton High School). The district lists counseling and psychological services as part of its student wellness program. Call (650) 369-1411 and ask for Health and Wellness, or ask your child's school counselor what is available on campus.

Children's Health Council Ravenswood Initiative. This East Palo Alto program works with families, schools and teachers in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park. It offers bilingual parent support, evaluations for learning and mental health concerns, individual and family therapy, and skills groups, with a needs based model meant to remove cost and language barriers. 1765 East Bayshore Road, East Palo Alto. (650) 702-2487.

What does the county offer?

San Mateo County, including East Palo Alto. Call the ACCESS Call Center at (800) 686-0101, 24 hours a day, for residents with Medi-Cal or no insurance. Staff speak English, Spanish and Chinese, and a free phone interpreter can help in other languages. The county runs the East Palo Alto Community Counseling Center for youth and adults at 2415 University Avenue, Suite 301. Start with the ACCESS line.

Santa Clara County. Call Behavioral Health Services at (800) 704-0900 to start children's services. For a child or teen in an acute mental health crisis, the county's Mobile Response Stabilization Services team serves ages 4 to 20. Call (800) 704-0900 and press 1, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The county says that in the 408, 650 and 669 area codes, dialing 988 also reaches it.

Where else can my child get care?

• Ravenswood Family Health Center, East Palo Alto. Counseling for children and adults. You can ask for it yourself, or your child's doctor there can refer you. 1885 Bay Road. (650) 330-7400. Ask about cost when you call.
• allcove youth centers, ages 12 to 25. For mild to moderate needs. Counseling, peer support, physical health and family support. Free or low cost, and staff confirm the cost before an appointment. allcove San Mateo, 2600 South El Camino Real, Suite 300, (650) 226-7030. allcove Palo Alto, 2741 Middlefield Road, Suite 102, (650) 798-6330. Both open Monday to Friday, 1 to 7 p.m.
• Community health centers. Centers that get federal funds may not turn you away because you cannot pay. Find one at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov.
• Free state apps. BrightLife Kids is for families with children 0 to 12. Soluna is for young people 13 to 25. Both are free for Californians, in English and Spanish, with coaching by chat, video or phone, whatever your insurance or immigration status. BrightLife Kids says therapy is not included in its free coaching.

Can a teen get counseling without a parent's permission?

Yes, in many cases. Since July 1, 2024, California law lets a young person 12 or older agree to their own outpatient counseling or mental health treatment if the professional believes they are mature enough to take part. This applies in Medi-Cal too.

What parents should know:

• Parents are usually involved. The professional must involve the parent or guardian unless, after talking with the teen, they decide it would be inappropriate. They must write down that decision.
• Medicine still needs a parent. This law does not let a minor agree to psychiatric medicine without a parent or guardian.
• Records may stay private. A provider can deny a parent access to a minor's records in some cases, for example when access would harm the provider's relationship with the teen or the teen's safety or wellbeing.
• allcove says most of its services do not need a parent's consent, and it talks with parents only with the young person's permission or when state law requires it.

This can feel hard as a parent. Try to see it as a door that stays open for your child. A teen who gets help on their own is a teen who is getting help. For ways to stay close, see When your teen is struggling. For teens reading this, see Where a teen can talk to someone right now.

What happens after I call?

Someone will ask about your child, what you have noticed, and your insurance. They may set up an evaluation with a counselor or doctor. A careful evaluation matters, because other things, like trauma, can look like anxiety or depression.

Treatment for children often includes the child, the family, or both, and may involve the school. A common approach for older children is cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches new ways to handle thoughts and feelings. A doctor can tell you whether medicine should be part of the plan.

If you have to wait, ask: "What can we do while we wait, and who do I call if it gets worse?"

What should I say when I call?

Questions parents ask

Will counseling at school go in my child's record? What a student 12 or older shares with a school counselor cannot become part of the school record without written consent from the person who shared it.

My child refuses to go. What now? Start with you. A counselor or the county line can coach you as a parent. Try a different door, like a teen center or an app, and ask again in a few days.

My child is little. Is this only for teens? No. Medi-Cal covers children of every age, and BrightLife Kids is for families with children 0 to 12. Ask your pediatrician about very young children who have trouble with sleep, eating, tantrums or separation.

Do I need to know what is wrong first? No. Tell them what you see. Figuring out the cause is their job.

Who can help

These are public programs, schools, clinics and free lines. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• San Mateo County BHRS ACCESS Call Center: (800) 686-0101, 24 hours, TTY 711. smchealth.org
• Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services: (800) 704-0900. Youth crisis team, ages 4 to 20: press 1, 24 hours. Services for children and youth
• Ravenswood City School District: (650) 329-2800. Care Solace: 888-515-0595. Mental health supports
• Sequoia Union High School District, Health and Wellness: (650) 369-1411. Wellness
• CHC Ravenswood Initiative: (650) 702-2487. chconline.org
• Ravenswood Family Health Center: (650) 330-7400. ravenswoodfhn.org
• allcove San Mateo and Palo Alto: (650) 226-7030 and (650) 798-6330. allcove.org
• BrightLife Kids and Soluna: free state coaching apps. DHCS
• Medi-Cal helpline: 1-800-541-5555. Apply for Medi-Cal
• Department of Managed Health Care: 1-888-466-2219, if a private plan will not help. dmhc.ca.gov
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Free and confidential, available 24/7/365. 988lifeline.org

Asking for help for your child is an act of love. You are not failing them. You are standing beside them, and that is where hope starts.