Important: This page provides general information, not medical or legal advice, a diagnosis, or a guarantee of services, coverage, cost, availability, or a particular privacy outcome. Policies and benefits can change. Consult a qualified professional for personal guidance and verify coverage and costs with the provider and health plan. Do not delay emergency help to check coverage.
How to Help Someone in a Mental Health Crisis in West Virginia
How to reach crisis help in Southern West Virginia: Southern Highlands' 24/7 crisis line, 988, when to call 911, our Crisis Stabilization Unit in Princeton, what to bring, and how insurance and the sliding fee scale work.
If someone is in immediate physical danger, call 911.
To talk to a crisis counselor right now, call or text 988, or call Southern Highlands’ 24/7 crisis line at 1-800-615-0122.
Both lines are answered around the clock. Neither one costs anything to call.
This page explains how crisis services work in Southern West Virginia: who to call, where to go, what happens when you get there, what to bring, and how it gets paid for. It is general information about our services and about publicly available crisis resources. It is not clinical advice, and it is not a substitute for talking to a trained counselor.
You Don’t Have to Decide Whether It’s a Crisis
People often wait to call because they aren’t sure the situation is “bad enough.” Sorting that out is not your job, and it isn’t something a website can do for you. It is exactly what crisis counselors are trained and paid to do, at any hour, including for callers who turn out not to need emergency services at all.
If you are worried about someone, call 1-800-615-0122 or 988 and describe what is going on. The counselor will take it from there.
You can also call on your own behalf. If you are the family member or friend trying to help and you are overwhelmed, the crisis line will talk with you.
Who to Call
| Situation | Who to call |
|---|---|
| Immediate physical danger, a weapon, an injury, an overdose, or any medical emergency | 911 |
| Anything else, including when you are unsure | 1-800-615-0122 (Southern Highlands, 24/7) or 988 |
Additional lines that serve West Virginia:
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (988lifeline.org)
- HELP4WV: 1-844-HELP4WV (1-844-435-7498), a statewide line for mental health and substance use
- Crisis Text Line: text “HELLO” to 741741
- Veterans Crisis Line: call 988 and press 1
What to Expect When You Call
A trained counselor answers. They will ask you questions so they can understand the situation and route it correctly. It helps if you have on hand:
- What you are observing, in your own words
- Any recent events or stressors you know about
- A list of current medications, if you have one
- Whether the person is already in treatment, and with whom
- Whether there is any alcohol or drug use involved
- Whether there are firearms in the home
You will not be quizzed, and you will not be in trouble for not knowing the answers. Say what you know.
Depending on what you describe, the counselor may stay on the line with you, connect you to a mobile crisis team, direct you to our Crisis Stabilization Unit, schedule follow-up care, or advise calling 911. Mobile crisis teams serve Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming counties. The crisis line can tell you what is available where you are.
Southern Highlands’ Crisis Stabilization Unit
Our Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) in Princeton is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No appointment is needed. You can walk in.
The CSU is the closest 24-hour psychiatric crisis service for much of Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming counties.
What happens at the CSU:
- Evaluation by a licensed clinician
- Medical screening, including vital signs and a review of current medications
- A discussion of next steps with you and, when appropriate, with your family
- Connection to follow-up care, which may include scheduling outpatient appointments before you leave, or a referral to an inpatient psychiatric hospital if that is what is needed
What that looks like in any individual case is a clinical decision made by the staff who see the person, not something that can be predicted in advance from a web page.
What to bring:
- Photo ID
- Insurance card (WV Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance)
- A list of current medications
- Contact information for any current providers
If you don’t have some or all of these, come anyway. Missing paperwork does not stop an evaluation.
Where We Are
Southern Highlands is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic serving Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming counties.
- Princeton (Mercer County) — main campus and the 24/7 Crisis Stabilization Unit
- Welch (McDowell County)
- Pineville, Mullens, and Rockview (Wyoming County)
For non-emergency appointments, intake, and questions about services, call (304) 425-9541 during business hours. For anything urgent, use the crisis line at 1-800-615-0122 instead.
Telehealth is available for many outpatient services, which matters if you are far out, don’t drive, or can’t take a full day off work for a drive into town.
Getting There: Distance and Transportation
Geography is a real barrier here, and it is worth planning around before you need to.
- If you cannot safely drive someone to us, call the crisis line first. We may be able to help arrange transport.
- Law enforcement can provide emergency transport when a situation requires it.
- The nearest inpatient psychiatric hospital is in Beckley, a significant drive from most of our service area. Our CSU is closer for most families in the three counties we serve.
- Cell service is unreliable in a lot of these hollows. If a call drops, try texting 988, or try again from a spot you know has signal.
Paying for Crisis Care
Cost should not be the reason someone doesn’t come in.
- Southern Highlands participates in WV Medicaid and Medicare and may participate with commercial plans.
- Coverage, network status, authorization, and cost-sharing depend on the crisis service and plan.
- Do not delay immediate safety help to settle an insurance question. Ask about cost before nonemergency or residential services when circumstances allow.
- Uninsured or underinsured? We use a sliding fee scale based on household income. Our billing staff can walk you through what you would owe, and can also help you find out whether you qualify for WV Medicaid.
As a CCBHC, we serve people regardless of their ability to pay. If you want to understand the specifics before coming in, call (304) 425-9541 and ask for billing.
Calling 988 is free. Calling our crisis line is free.
After the Immediate Crisis
The days after a crisis are when connection to ongoing care matters most, and it is also when things tend to fall through the cracks.
Southern Highlands offers outpatient behavioral health services, medication management, case management, peer recovery support, and substance use services across our Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming county sites. Whether any particular one of those is right for a given person is a decision for a clinician and the person themselves.
Practical things a family member can do:
- Ask, before discharge, whether a follow-up appointment can be scheduled on the spot
- Call (304) 425-9541 to set up outpatient care if one wasn’t scheduled
- Ask about case management if transportation, benefits, or housing are part of what is going on
- Ask whether telehealth is an option if getting to a clinic is the obstacle
Support for Families
Supporting someone through a crisis is exhausting, and the people doing it often have nowhere to put it.
- NAMI West Virginia runs family support groups across the state (nami.org)
- Southern Highlands offers peer recovery support services. Ask the crisis line or your clinic’s front desk what is currently meeting near you.
- SAMHSA’s National Helpline is 1-800-662-HELP (4357), free and confidential, 24/7 (samhsa.gov)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will they be hospitalized against their will? A: Involuntary hospitalization in West Virginia is a legal process with a specific threshold, and it is decided by clinicians and the courts, not by whoever called for help. Calling a crisis line is not the same as starting that process. If you have questions about how it works in West Virginia, ask the crisis counselor.
Q: What if they refuse help? A: Call 1-800-615-0122 or 988 and explain the situation. In West Virginia, law enforcement can initiate an emergency evaluation if someone meets the legal standard for being a danger to themselves or others. If there is immediate physical danger, call 911.
Q: Will this go on their permanent record? A: Behavioral health records are protected health information under HIPAA and are not public. If you have specific concerns about employment, licensing, or custody, those are worth raising directly with the clinic or with an attorney rather than guessing.
Q: Does insurance cover crisis services? A: Southern Highlands participates in WV Medicaid and Medicare and may participate with commercial plans. Coverage, authorization, network status, and cost-sharing vary by service and plan. Uninsured patients can ask about the sliding fee scale. Call (304) 425-9541 with billing questions, but do not delay immediate safety help to determine coverage.
Q: Can I call if I’m not sure it’s an emergency? A: Yes. That is a normal reason to call, and the counselors would rather hear from you early.
Q: Do I have to give my name? A: You can call 988 or our crisis line and describe a situation without a full workup of your personal information. If services are being arranged, more information will be needed.
Crisis Resources for Southern West Virginia
Southern Highlands 24/7 Crisis Line 1-800-615-0122 Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Crisis Stabilization Unit Princeton, WV. Open 24/7. Walk-ins accepted.
National and Statewide:
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
- HELP4WV: 1-844-HELP4WV (1-844-435-7498)
- Crisis Text Line: text “HELLO” to 741741
- Veterans Crisis Line: 988, press 1
- SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357
Local Emergency:
- Mercer County 911
- McDowell County 911
- Wyoming County 911
General information about mental health conditions and treatment:
- National Institute of Mental Health: nimh.nih.gov
- SAMHSA: samhsa.gov
You Are Not Alone
Helping someone through a mental health crisis is hard, and most people doing it are doing it for the first time with no training. You are not expected to know what to do. That is what the crisis line is for.
If you’re unsure whether it’s a crisis, call anyway. It is better to reach out and be told it can wait than to wait and find out it couldn’t.
For immediate crisis support, call Southern Highlands’ 24/7 Crisis Line at 1-800-615-0122, or call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call 911 if there is immediate physical danger. This article describes our services and publicly available resources. It is not medical advice.