King County’s Crisis Teams: Help is just a call away

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When you or someone you love is in a mental health or substance use crisis, help is available. In King County, call or text 988 to connect with trained crisis counselors right away.

If in-person support is needed, crisis teams can arrive in under 35 minutes. These teams include mental health clinicians and peer specialists with lived experience, and they meet people wherever they are—at home, in a park, or anywhere in King County.

Crisis teams respond to a variety of urgent situations, including feeling overwhelmed by:

Severe anxiety or panic attacks.
Thoughts of suicide or self-harm.
Confusion or disorientation (psychosis).
Difficulties with drugs or alcohol.

YMCA’s Crisis Teams respond in-person to support youth, children and families in a moment of crisis. Call 988 to get their help. Photo Credit: Eric Keto/KCTV

It is important to know that these teams provide a safe and compassionate non-police response. In Seattle, they are staffed by the YMCA and Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC). YMCA’s teams support youth and families, and DESC’s teams help adults.

Unlike traditional emergency calls, these teams respond without law enforcement unless there’s an immediate safety threat.

King County’s Crisis Teams for adults respond to calls in the community from their office in Seattle’s Judkins Park.

In Seattle, the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) team answers 911 behavioral health crisis calls, pairing a behavioral health professional with law enforcement.

People needing more support can be taken to King County’s Crisis Care Center in Kirkland, which offers free walk-in urgent mental health care, psychiatric services, and short-term stabilization. Additional centers—including one on First Hill and sites in South and East King County, plus a youth center—are planned.

Crisis services are free, available 24/7, and open to everyone in King County, regardless of insurance. Learn more: kingcounty.gov/crisis.