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.
Crisis Support
What Is a Crisis Stabilization Unit? How It Works in WV
A crisis stabilization unit offers short-term support when you're in a mental health crisis. Here's what happens and how it's different from an emergency room.
A crisis stabilization unit — sometimes called a CSU — is a place where you can get short-term help during a mental health or substance use crisis. It’s not a hospital, and it’s not long-term treatment. It’s somewhere in between.
Most people have never heard of a CSU until they need one. This guide explains what it is, what happens there, and how it’s different from going to the emergency room.
What is a crisis stabilization unit?
A crisis stabilization unit is a safe place where you can stay for a few days when you’re in crisis. The goal is to help you feel stable enough to go home or move to the next level of care.
Southern Highlands generally offers CSU care on a voluntary basis. Before admission, ask staff how requests to leave are handled and whether any part of the unit is secured. Voluntary admission does not prevent a facility or another authorized person from starting an involuntary evaluation or hospitalization process when the legal criteria are met.
At a CSU, you’ll have access to:
- Psychiatric evaluation
- Medication evaluation and adjustments
- 24-hour nursing care
- Individual and group counseling
- Family support and intervention
CSU care is intended to be short term, but the length of a stay depends on the person’s needs, the program’s current policies, and the next safe level of care. Ask staff what to expect when you call; this page cannot promise a particular length of stay.
When would someone go to a CSU?
After an assessment, a crisis professional may recommend a CSU when someone needs short-term behavioral health support and the unit can safely meet their needs. Situations evaluated for CSU care may include:
- Thoughts of self-harm that require prompt professional assessment
- You’re struggling with substance use and need a safe place to stabilize
- Your mental health symptoms are overwhelming and you need more support than outpatient therapy can provide right now
- You need medication adjustments and want 24-hour monitoring while that happens
- A home situation that does not feel safe or stable
A clinician or crisis professional determines whether the CSU, an emergency department, inpatient hospitalization, or another service is appropriate. Do not use this list to decide on your own that hospital care is unnecessary. Call 911 for an overdose, severe medical symptoms, a weapon, or immediate physical danger.
How is a CSU different from an emergency room?
This is one of the most common questions.
Emergency Room (ER)
An emergency department evaluates medical emergencies and can assess urgent behavioral health needs, including situations involving an overdose, serious injury, severe medical symptoms, or immediate danger. The environment and wait depend on the hospital and what else is happening at the time.
ERs are the right choice if you’ve overdosed, have a serious medical issue, or are in immediate danger.
Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU)
A CSU focuses on behavioral health and substance use crises. Available staffing, services, admission criteria, and the physical environment vary by program, so ask what Southern Highlands currently provides when you call.
Call the crisis line to ask how to get assessed and where to go. Walk-in availability and wait times can change, and some people will be referred for medical or hospital care instead.
If you’re not sure which one you need, call the crisis line at (800) 615-0122. They can help you decide.
What happens when you arrive at a CSU?
When you first arrive, a counselor will sit down with you and ask what’s going on. They’ll want to know:
- What brought you in today
- How you’ve been feeling
- Whether you’re thinking about hurting yourself
- What medications you’re taking
- What kind of support you have at home
This is called an assessment. It usually takes about an hour. The goal is to figure out what kind of help you need and whether the CSU is the right place for you.
If you decide to stay, you’ll be shown to a room. CSUs aren’t fancy, but they’re clean and safe. You’ll have a bed, a bathroom, and access to common areas.
What does a typical day look like?
Days at a CSU are structured but not rigid. You’ll have:
- Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Time to talk with a counselor one-on-one
- Group sessions where you can talk with others going through similar things
- Medication times if you’re taking anything
- Quiet time to rest or watch TV
- Visits from family if you want them
You’re not required to participate in everything, but most people find the groups helpful. It can be a relief to talk to someone who gets it.
Can family visit?
Yes, in most cases. Family visits are encouraged. A counselor may also meet with your family to help them understand what you’re going through and how they can support you.
If you don’t want certain people to visit, you can say so. It’s your choice.
What happens when you leave?
Before you leave, the staff will work with you on a discharge plan. This might include:
- Setting up an appointment with a therapist or psychiatrist
- Connecting you to ongoing services like counseling or medication management
- Making sure you have medications to take home
- Giving you crisis numbers to call if things get hard again
The goal isn’t just to help you feel better for a few days. It’s to set you up with support so you don’t end up back in crisis.
Do you have to have insurance?
Insurance coverage, network status, authorization rules, and cost-sharing depend on the service and plan. Southern Highlands works with West Virginia Medicaid and Medicare and may participate with commercial plans; call the billing office or the number on your insurance card to verify your specific coverage. If you are uninsured, ask about the sliding fee scale and what income documentation is required.
As a CCBHC, Southern Highlands serves people regardless of ability to pay. That access standard does not mean every service is free or that no charge can apply, so ask what you may owe before nonemergency care begins.
What if you’re in a rural area?
Getting to a CSU can be hard if you live in a holler or a town without much public transit. If you can’t get to Princeton, you can call the crisis line at (800) 615-0122. They may be able to send a mobile crisis team to you, or help you figure out transportation.
Winter roads and long drives are real barriers in Southern West Virginia. The crisis line staff understand that and will work with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you leave whenever you want?
You may ask to leave voluntary care. Staff should explain the discharge process and your rights. In some circumstances, West Virginia law allows an involuntary evaluation or hospitalization process when the applicable safety criteria are met, so voluntary admission is not a guarantee that a person can always leave immediately. Ask staff how those rules apply to this program.
Will you be locked in?
Ask staff about the unit’s current door and movement policies before admission. Those policies and a person’s legal status can affect whether and how someone leaves the unit.
What if you change your mind after the assessment?
Tell the counselor immediately. Staff can explain other options, such as outpatient therapy or a follow-up appointment, along with any safety assessment or legal process that applies. Do not assume that changing your mind guarantees immediate departure in every circumstance.
Can you bring your phone?
Policies vary, but most CSUs allow phones during certain hours. You may not be able to have it with you 24/7, but you’ll have access to it.
What if you need medical care while you’re there?
CSUs have 24-hour nursing staff. If something medical comes up, they can handle it or arrange for you to be seen at a hospital if needed.
If you’re in crisis and need help right away, call (800) 615-0122 to reach Southern Highlands’ crisis line. You can also walk in during office hours at the Princeton clinic. If you feel like you might hurt yourself or someone else, call or text 988 or call 911.