The Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services Department (BHSD) offers County residents a wide range of mental health and addiction treatment services to meet your behavioral health needs. Available mental health services include psychiatric Emergency/Crisis, inpatient, and Outpatient care. Your eligibility for County mental health programs is based on your behavioral health needs. You can learn about your eligibility for different services by calling the Mental Health Call Center at 1-800-704-0900.
* Note: Below are listed the major County BHSD psychiatric services. For a complete list of available County behavioral health programs and services, see the Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services web page.
Psychiatric Emergency and Crisis Support
Suicide & Crises Hot Line:
Need Help? We Care!
Toll-Free 24 hours/ 7 Days: 1-855-278-4204
The Santa Clara County Suicide & Crisis Hotline is a 24-hour, toll-free confidential suicide prevention hotline available 7 days a week for phone intervention and emotional support to individuals in crisis. Highly trained volunteer crisis counselors assist people who are feeling suicidal, experiencing distress, or just need to talk with someone who will listen. Multi-lingual counselors are available.
The Santa Clara County Suicide Prevention Program offers suicide awareness and prevention training, including:
- Mental Health First Aid Training (MHFA) – a highly interactive, 8-hour program taught over two, 4-hour days to small groups. The stigma surrounding mental illness often prevents people from seeking help or even acknowledging that they need help. And it they do want help, they don’t know where to turn. Mental Health First Aid equips the public to help persons with mental illness connect to care. Find a Course near you.
- QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Online Suicide Prevention Course – a FREE one-hour online training available to anyone 18 years of age or older who lives or works in Santa Clara County. Learn the signs of suicide, and what to do to help prevent this most preventable of deaths. QPR Registration.
- SafeTALK (Suicide Alertness For Everyone!) – a half-day alertness workshop that prepares anyone over the age of 15, regardless of prior experience or training, to become a suicide-alert helper. SafeTALK helps expand the reach of suicide intervention skills in communities around the world. Be part of creating a suicide-safer community. SafeTALK Registration.
- Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) – a highly interactive, FREE, practical, practice-oriented workshop on suicide intervention, especially useful to people working in the mental health field. ASIST Registration.
Emergency Psychiatric Services (EPS)
820 Enborg Court
San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: 1 (408) 885-6100
Fax: (408) 885-6117
Hours: Open 24-hours, 7 days a week
Emergency Psychiatric Services (EPS) is Santa Clara County’s only 24-hour locked psychiatric emergency room. Most EPS patients are have been placed on involuntary psychiatric holds (5150’s) by police or other authorized psychiatric professional. EPS will determine if an individual needs further treatment at an inpatient psychiatric hospital, and will arrange safe transportation to these facilities.
Mental Health Urgent Care (MHUC)
871 Enborg Court #100
San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: 1 (408) 885-7855
Hours: Monday – Sunday, 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Languages Spoken: English, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese (*Other languages can be made available as needed.)
Mental Health Urgent Care (MHUC) is a walk-in outpatient clinic for Santa Clara County residents who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis and need immediate help. The clinic provides screening, assessment, crisis intervention, referral and short-term treatment (including temporary medication) to adolescents and adults. * Mental Health Urgent Care is not a hospital and provides voluntary services. People having a medical emergency must go to the Emergency Room.
Gateway Program, Department of Alcohol & Drug Services
Phone: 1 (800) 488-9919
Hours: Monday – Sunday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Gateway Program is the Department of Alcohol & Drug Services’ (DADS) central screening, information, and referral program. Those who require actual addiction treatment services will receive a screening and referral to the most appropriate level of care. Fees are based on clients’ ability to pay for services. The system also accepts Medi-Cal and private insurance.
Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitalization
Inpatient psychiatric hospitalization is available for individuals requiring psychiatric stabilization for behavior or symptoms assessed as dangerous to self, to others, or gravely disabled and require 24-hour care in a secure and therapeutic setting. These individuals may have symptoms of anxiety, depression, or mania, or may be experiencing altered thought processes. Length of inpatient care is determined by continued need for such services. Discharge planning from inpatient care includes linkage and/or coordination with an outpatient provider. Depending upon available openings, persons may be hospitalized at either the County’s acute psychiatric facility (Barbara Arons Pavilion – See details below), or at a county-contracted inpatient hospitals (for a partial list of these, see the County Inpatient Support Services web page)
Barbara Arons Pavilion, Valley Medical Center
820 Enborg Court
San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: 1 (408) 885-6140
Fax: (408) 885-6180
Phone: 1 (408) 885-6120
Fax: (408) 885-6126
Visiting Hours:
M – F, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sat. – Sun. and holidays: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Behavioral Health Adult and Older Adult Outpatient Support
The Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services Department offers a wide range of behavioral health services to ensure that our residents of Santa Clara County have access to help when they need it. The Behavioral Health Services Department contracts with various community based organizations that provide outpatient support for adults, older adults. To request these services, contact the County Mental Health Call Center at 1-800-704-0900. To view a list of outpatient programs sorted by County regions (North, South, Central and West), go to the County’s Outpatient Support Services web page.
Self-Help Centers
Operated by and for mental health consumers, the Santa Clara County Self-Help Centers offer peer-based support, activities and information for those dealing with mental illness. Services are offered at the Zephyr Central County Self-Help Center in downtown San Jose, and the Esperanza South County Self-Help Center in Gilroy.
(See below for location-specific information). Available services include:
- Mental Health and other resource information
- Peer supported events and social activities
- Peer facilitated support groups
- WRAP® (Wellness Recovery Action Plan®) groups
- One-on-one peer support
- Self-Help for Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) 18 – 25 yrs.
- Computer Workshops and Basic Computer Functions Classes at the Consumer Learning Center
Zephyr Central County Self-Help Center
Phone: 408-792-2140
1075 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose
1st floor, enter at rear of building
Hours: Mondays CLOSED, Tuesday – Friday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Zephyr Self-Help Center brochure
Esperanza Self-Help Center
Phone: 408-852-2640
1235 First St., Gilroy 95029
Located at the South County Mental Health Clinic
Hours: Mondays CLOSED, Tuesday – Thursday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, Friday 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Esperanza Self-Help Center brochure