Experiencing a mental health crisis?


We provide immediate help for children and teens in crisis.

Our Services


Crisis Walk-in Center

No appointment necessary. Evaluations, immediate interventions, and referral services are available at all times.

Crisis Stabilization

For children and young adults experiencing extreme distress, we provide short-term residential treatment.

Safety Planning

We will help you develop a safety plan for your child or teenager in times of behavioral or mental health crisis.

Continued Care

Our highly-skilled social work team will support each child or teen in obtaining community resources as a part of the aftercare planning process.

We are here to help.

Support from local mental health professionals is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

A mental health crisis can strike at any time. Don’t let it threaten the safety of your child or others. At Philadelphia Children’s Crisis Response Center, we provide stabilization and healing for children and young adults experiencing a crisis. Our team is available whenever you need us.

Frequently Asked Questions

What qualifies as a mental health crisis?

An intense, emotional, or psychiatric situation that, if left untreated, could result in an emergency situation.

How can crisis services help?

Crisis services offer immediate counseling and assistance to help avert an emergency and prevent the person in crisis from being placed in a higher level of care. Our team of experienced professionals can calm the crisis and lay out a plan for keeping everyone safe.

Who does our crisis response center serve?

We treat young adults and children ages 3-17* facing acute emotional and behavioral concerns such as:

  • Thoughts of suicide or self-harm
  • Aggression or other behavioral disturbances
  • Sudden changes in behavior or increased impulsivity
  • Worsening depression, anxiety, or other emotional problems

What are the admissions criteria?

Any child or adolescent who is in psychiatric crisis may walk into our center. To access our Crisis Stabilization Unit, potential patients must:

  • Be at risk of inpatient hospitalization
  • Be experiencing an acute crisis threatening the safety of self or others
  • Be present with an acute increase in mental health symptoms
  • Have symptoms that the family or current community-based services cannot manage
  • Exhibit symptoms resolvable with a managed level of care in approximately five days
  • Have a stable home or environment with supportive family or staff who are willing to collaborate in treatment

What is your admissions process?

Each child or young adult starts with meeting one of our crisis triage counselors. Next, they will move on to meet with members of our nursing, social work and psychiatry teams. Here is where we provide a thorough evaluation and the clinical team will determine the best stabilization plan. This may include therapy, a crisis plan, a referral to community services, or transferring to a higher level of care.

How much does treatment cost?

Most insurance companies cover emergency behavioral health treatment. If you are members of Community Behavioral Health (Philadelphia’s Medicaid behavioral health program), then treatment is provided at no cost to the patient.

How can I find out more?

You can speak to an experienced triage counselor 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling (844) 211-4652.

You can also visit our center in person at 3300 Henry Avenue, Falls Center 2, Suite 3N, Philadelphia, PA 19129.

Philadelphia Children’s Crisis Response Center is a service of Belmont Behavioral Health System, in partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the city of Philadelphia. To learn more about the services offered by Belmont Behavioral Health System, visit www.belmontbehavioral.com.