“The mission of the Mental Health Division is to promote recovery and safety.”
Mental Health Services for Children and Youth
How Do I Find Mental Health Services?
Mental Health Services Brochure for Children
and Youth (Alternative Languages) PDF 
files:
English,
Cambodian,
Chinese,
Korean,
Laotian,
Russian,
Spanish,
Vietnamese
Private Mental Health Services
Crisis services are available to everyone through the public system at no charge. Even if you have private insurance, your child's stay in a Children's Long Term Programs facility will be publicly funded.
If you have private insurance, you can purchase services directly from a private therapist, psychiatrist, community mental health center, or an acute inpatient facility.
If you are a member of a Health Maintenance Organization, call your customer service representative for details about your mental health coverage.
If you are a military family, Tri-Care/Tri-West representative at 800-404-5076 or at www.Triwest.com.
If your coverage has reached its limit or you have no insurance, you may be able to purchase services on a sliding fee scale. Contact the Regional Support Network serving your area for agencies offering services on a sliding fee scale. The Regional Support Networks are listed on the back of this brochure. You can also contact mental health agencies directly to inquire about sliding fee scales.
Washington Basic Health Plan
The Washington Basic Health Plan has some mental health benefits. Check with your medical plan for coverage:
Basic Health Plan Contacts Basic Health Plan Telephone Asuris Northwest Health Plan 866-240-9560 Columbia United Providers 800-315-7862 Community Health Plan of Washington 800-440-1561 Group Health 800-901-4636 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan 800-813-2000 Molina Healthcare of WA Inc. 800-869-7165 Regence Blue Shield 800-669-8791 It is important that you check with your insurer for required authorizations before seeking any type of care for your child.
Public Mental Health Services
If you receive Medicaid you are automatically enrolled in a mental health managed care plan called the Regional Support Network (RSN). If you have no insurance, mental health services are available on a sliding fee scale. Call your RSN for providers offering services on a sliding fee scale.
If you receive Medicaid, you can only access mental health services from agencies authorized by the RSN. Outpatient and acute inpatient services must be authorized by the RSN serving your area. If you access services from a provider not authorized by the RSN, you may be financially responsible for the cost.Crisis Services
If there is a life-threatening emergency, call 911. If your child is in a mental health crisis, call the appropriate crisis line for your county listed on the back of this brochure. Help is available twenty-four hours every day. Crisis line staff will assess the situation and if necessary, evaluate your child.
Outpatient Services
Where you live determines which mental health agency will provide services to your child. Call your local RSN to request contact information for the mental health agency serving your area. Contact the agency for an appointment. Agency staff will evaluate your child to determine if your child has a mental illness and meets eligibility requirements for services.
Acute Inpatient Services
Acute inpatient services are provided in an emergency situation when your child is gravely disabled or is likely to do serious harm to self or others as a result of a mental illness. A Mental Health Professional (MHP) will evaluate your child's condition and make that determination. To access this service, call the RSN crisis line. If there is a life-threatening situation, call 911.
Long-term Inpatient Services
Long-term inpatient care is the most restrictive psychiatric placement for children in this state. It is for children with the most severe and intensive mental health needs. Children eligible for long-term inpatient care have ruled out all less restrictive options and meet federal and state criteria for services. The RSN will work with you and your support system to decide if long term inpatient care is warranted. Contact your RSN for more information.
Public Outpatient Services
If your child is under the age of thirteen, your permission is required for treatment. If your child is thirteen or older, your child can request and receive treatment without your consent.
The vast majority of all mental health services are provided in the community on an outpatient basis. Increasingly, outpatient mental health treatment for children and youth is moving away from the traditional office visit.
- Services may be provided in more familiar settings such as home, school or while participating in other leisure time activities.
- Parents, and if appropriate the child, and the therapist are developing service plans together. Service plans should meet the individual needs of your child and family.
- Service plans should include a mix of formal and informal services so your child can live a lifestyle as much as possible like other children.
- Parents are finding it effective to participate in support groups facilitated by other parents.
Treatment could also include:
- Talking with a therapist.
- Prescribing and monitoring medications.
- Group and family counseling sessions.
- Education on the disorder, resources, and other subjects of interest to families.
- Support groups and advocacy for families.
- Case management to help coordinate services.
- Referral to organizations in your community.
- Having a team to support your child and family.
Public Acute Inpatient Services
If an MHP decides that your child needs hospitalization, the MHP will assist you in locating an appropriate facility. If your child is under the age of thirteen, your child cannot be hospitalized without your permission.
Parent-initiated admissions: You may bring your minor child to an evaluation and treatment facility or another inpatient facility that provides mental health services and request an evaluation to determine if your child has a mental disorder and is in need of inpatient mental health treatment. IF you bring your minor child to the facility consent of your minor child is not required for evaluation. The facility is not obligated to provide mental health treatment for your child but they may not refuse to treat your child solely because your child has not consented to mental health treatment.
An evaluation to determine whether your child has a mental disorder will be completed within 24 hours by a mental health professional. The professional may determine that additional time is necessary to stabilize your child’s condition so as to complete the evaluation. In no event will your child be held longer than 72 hours for evaluation.
Parent-initiated admissions: You may bring your child age thirteen up to eighteen to an evaluation and treatment facility and request an evaluation to determine if your child has a mental disorder and is in need of inpatient treatment. The facility may or may not choose to evaluate your child. (RCW 71.34.052)
Voluntary hospitalization: If your child is thirteen or older your child may seek voluntary admission to a hospital for treatment or change an involuntary admission to a voluntary admission without your permission. Even if you disagree with your child's decision to seek treatment, it is to your child's advantage if you support your child through this difficult time.
Involuntary hospitalization: If it is determined that your child needs treatment and is not willing to be admitted, a Designated Mental Health Professional can authorize your child be detained for up to seventy-two hours for evaluation and stabilization. If the facility decides that continued treatment is necessary, your child can voluntarily agree to further treatment or the facility can seek involuntary hospitalization. The facility can request a court hearing for an additional fourteen days of hospitalization. At the end of those fourteen days the facility may file a petition with the court for hospitalization up to 180 days.
Child and Adolescent Specialty Inpatient Facilities Facility Children's Hospital Regional Medical Center
4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105(206) 987-2760
(866) 987-2000Fairfax Hospital
10200 NE 132nd St., Kirkland, WA 98034
(800) 435-7721Lourdes Counseling Center
1175 Carondelet Dr.Richland, WA 99352Sacred Heart Medical Center
101 West Eighth Ave.Spokane, WA 99220Public Long-term Inpatient Services: Long-term inpatient care is not a solution but a beginning to your child's road to recovery. Your support and participation in treatment will facilitate your child's recovery and return home.
Long-term inpatient services are provided in four residential facilities known as the Children's Long-Term Inpatient Programs (CLIP). Given that CLIP has the capacity to serve ninety-six children and youth at any one time, there is usually a wait before placement. Types of services provided include evaluation, medication, chemical dependency services, therapy, case management, parent support and advocacy.
A note to parents……
Raising a child with an emotional, behavioral, or mental disorder is the most difficult job you will ever have. Don't try to do this alone. Find other parents who have been there and understand the difficulties you are facing. They can give you information, ideas, emotional support, resources and assistance with finding your way through the system. Call:
SAFE WA: 1-866-300-1998
Mental Health Division: 1-800-446-0259 Extension 3
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files and you can download it for free. If you do not have an application that can display Microsoft Word documents (.doc), you can download a free Word Viewer.
For more ways to get in touch with the Department of Mental Health Services, go to the DSHS Contact Information Web page. Mental Health Related Questions Contact:
