Teen Mental-Health and Crisis Help in St. Louis: Who to Call
Revised October 1, 2026
What number do you call for a teen mental-health crisis in St. Louis?
Call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time. In St. Louis, local counselors at Behavioral Health Response answer it, free and around the clock. For a youth counselor, call BHR's Youth Connection Helpline at 314-819-8802. If a teen is in immediate danger, call 911. LGBTQ+ teens can also reach The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.
Keep reading ↓Maybe it’s the bedroom door that stays shut now, or a text you weren’t meant to read. Maybe your teenager said the words out loud, and the floor dropped out from under you. Or maybe you’re the teenager, reading this late at night because everything feels like too much and you don’t know who to tell. Wherever you’re standing, take one breath. Help in St. Louis is closer, kinder, and more real than it can feel right now, and you don’t need the perfect words to reach it.
This guide keeps it simple. The exact number to call in a crisis, where a teen can talk to someone free and confidential, and how to find counseling that doesn’t hinge on having insurance or money. It covers the City, the County, St. Charles, and eastern Missouri. We keep a broader guide to help and assistance across St. Louis, but if tonight is hard, start with the first number below.
What number do you call for a teen mental-health crisis in St. Louis?
Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time. In St. Louis, local counselors at Behavioral Health Response answer it, free and around the clock. For a counselor who works specifically with young people, call BHR’s Youth Connection Helpline at 314-819-8802. If a teen is in immediate danger, call 911. LGBTQ+ teens can also reach The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.
Here’s the part that matters most: a teen can reach any of these on their own. No parent has to be in the room, and the call or text is confidential. If you’re a parent, you can call too, to talk through what you’re seeing and what to do next. These are the numbers to keep on the fridge and saved in a phone.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential, 24/7. In the St. Louis region a local BHR counselor answers. Press 1 for Veterans, Press 2 for Spanish.
Behavioral Health Response (BHR)
Address: 5501 Delmar Blvd., Suite B300, St. Louis, MO 63112
Local crisis line: 314-819-8811
Youth Connection Helpline: 314-819-8802 (toll-free 844-985-8282)
Web chat: bhrstl.org
Free, all ages, 24/7, no insurance needed. BHR is Missouri’s largest 988 provider and runs mobile crisis outreach across the region.
The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ young people under 25)
Call 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or chat at TheTrevorProject.org. Free, confidential, 24/7, with counselors trained on LGBTQ+ experiences.
Call 911 for immediate danger to life: an active suicide attempt, an overdose, or a serious injury.
What happens when a teen calls or texts 988, and will they send the police?
You reach a trained local counselor, not a dispatcher. The large majority of 988 contacts are handled entirely by phone or text, start to finish. Emergency services are sent only in the smaller number of cases where someone is in imminent danger to life. The call is free, confidential, and a teen can end it whenever they want.
We say this plainly because the fear of police showing up is the single most common reason a teen won’t pick up the phone. The counselor’s whole job is to listen, help the moment settle, and figure out a next step together. Sometimes that’s a plan for the night. Sometimes it’s a follow-up call. Only rarely is it anything more.
988 or 911: which one do you use?
Call 911 or head to the nearest emergency room when life is in immediate danger, an active attempt, an overdose, a serious injury. Call or text 988 for an emotional or mental-health crisis, frightening thoughts, or when a teen simply needs someone to talk to. Not sure which fits? 988 counselors can help you decide, and connect you to mobile crisis help when it’s needed.
Is there a crisis line just for teens in St. Louis?
Yes. BHR’s Youth Connection Helpline (314-819-8802, toll-free 844-985-8282) connects young people to counselors trained for their age, free and 24/7. KUTO, Kids Under Twenty One, runs a helpline answered by trained teen and young-adult volunteers, so a struggling teen can talk to a peer who actually gets it. Both are free and confidential.
KUTO (Kids Under Twenty One)
Crisis Helpline: 314-644-5886 (toll-free 888-644-5886)
Business office: 314-963-7571
Free, confidential, youth-to-youth peer support for teens, LGBTQ+ youth, and parents across Missouri. Hours vary, so call to confirm when the helpline is staffed. For overnight or immediate help, use 988.
Website: kuto.org
Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741, or text HOLA to 741741 in Spanish. Free, confidential, 24/7, staffed by trained volunteer counselors. Texting can feel easier than talking out loud, and that’s completely okay.
Where can your teen get free or low-cost counseling in St. Louis?
More places than you’d expect, and cost should not be the wall it seems. Youth In Need offers counseling at no cost for kids under 19. Compass Health Network, Provident, and Saint Louis Counseling all use sliding-scale fees and accept Medicaid (MO HealthNet). CHADS Coalition offers youth suicide-prevention counseling through partner schools. Our guide to free and low-cost mental-health help in St. Louis goes wider still.
Free counseling for kids and teens
Youth In Need
Central office: 1815 Boone’s Lick Road, St. Charles, MO 63301; 636-946-5600
Counseling appointments: 314-594-5010 (St. Louis County) or 636-946-0101 (St. Charles & Lincoln Counties)
All counseling services are provided at no cost, for young people under 19. No referral needed, with community-based and school-based options plus outreach for older youth.
Website: youthinneed.org
Sliding-scale counseling and Medicaid
Compass Health Network (formerly Crider Health Center)
Metro clinics in O’Fallon and Wentzville (St. Charles County) and Union (Franklin County)
Appointments and new clients: 844-853-8937 (Mon-Fri 7:30am-6pm)
Sliding Fee Program; accepts Medicaid/MO HealthNet and insurance. For a crisis, use 988. Parents searching for “Crider Health Center” will land here: that clinic is now part of Compass Health Network.
Website: compasshealthnetwork.org
Provident (Provident Behavioral Health)
Main office: 2650 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103
Also in Creve Coeur (12141 Ladue Rd, 63141), South County (11166 Tesson Ferry Rd, Ste 300, 63123), and Jefferson County
General: 314-371-6500; first appointments: 314-533-8200; toll-free intake: 800-782-1008
Sliding fee scale based on ability to pay; accepts Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, TRICARE, VA, and self-pay.
Website: providentstl.org
Saint Louis Counseling (a Catholic Charities of St. Louis agency)
Address: 5 Premier Drive, Suite 200, Fenton, MO 63026, with eight offices across metro St. Louis
Phone: 314-544-3800
Sliding fee scale based on income for uninsured families, and accepts Medicaid and some insurance. Serves children, teens, adults, and families. Confirm current fees when you call to schedule.
Website: saintlouiscounseling.org
If your family also needs medical care without insurance, our guide to free and low-cost health clinics in St. Louis lists clinics that see patients regardless of ability to pay.
School-based suicide prevention
CHADS Coalition for Mental Health
Address: 4121 Union Rd., Suite 224, St. Louis, MO 63129
Office: 314-952-2046
Family Support Warm Line: 314-952-8274 (Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm)
Youth suicide-prevention counseling, mentoring, and Signs of Suicide education through partner schools, plus support for families after a suicide loss. It is not a 24/7 crisis line and directs emergencies to 988.
Website: chadscoalition.org
How do you know when a teen needs help right now?
Trust the shift you can feel. Watch for talk of death, suicide, or being a burden; giving away treasured belongings; pulling away from friends and the things they used to love; big changes in sleep or eating; new drug or alcohol use; self-harm; deep hopelessness; or a sudden, eerie calm after a dark stretch. Any talk of suicide is a reason to call 988 today, not next week.
You will not “plant the idea” by asking directly. Ask the plain question: are you thinking about hurting yourself, or about dying? Naming it out loud, gently and without panic, tells a teen they can finally put the weight down. If drugs or alcohol are part of the picture, our guide to addiction and substance-use treatment in St. Louis can help you find the next door.
Where to start if it isn’t an emergency
Start with the people who already know your teen. A pediatrician can screen and refer. A school counselor sees them five days a week. NAMI St. Louis can point you toward the right kind of support, and the sliding-scale providers above take new clients without a referral. You don’t have to diagnose anything to make the first call.
NAMI St. Louis
Address: 12125 Woodcrest Executive Dr., Ste 205, St. Louis, MO 63141
HelpLine: 314-962-4670 (Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm)
Free peer support groups, family education like Family-to-Family, and “Ending the Silence” presentations for middle and high schoolers. This is information and referral, not a crisis line, so use 988 for emergencies. National NAMI HelpLine: 800-950-6264, or text “NAMI” to 62640.
Website: namistl.org
A last word, for the parent and for the teen
You found this page. That already counts for something. Reaching out isn’t weakness or failure, it’s the bravest, most ordinary thing a person can do on a hard day. Every number here exists because someone believed a young life is worth answering the phone for, at 3 a.m. or 3 p.m., insurance or no insurance.
Being found, and finding help, is how the worst night stays just one night. Save 988 in the phone right now, before you close this tab. Then, when you’re ready, our full St. Louis help and assistance network is here for whatever comes next, from housing to food to counseling. You are not doing this alone.
Frequently asked questions
How to help a teenager with mental health issues?
Trust the shift you feel, and ask directly; you won’t plant the idea by asking. Start with people who know them: a pediatrician can screen and refer, a school counselor sees them daily, and NAMI St. Louis can guide you. Any talk of suicide means calling or texting 988 today.
What to do when your child needs mental help?
For a crisis, call or text 988; local BHR counselors answer, free and around the clock, and a teen can reach them alone. If it isn’t an emergency, a pediatrician or school counselor can refer, and sliding-scale providers take new clients without one. BHR’s Youth Connection Helpline is 314-819-8802.
What are some signs that a teenager might have mental illness?
Trust the shift you can feel. Common signs include pulling away from friends, big changes in sleep or eating, new drug or alcohol use, giving away belongings, self-harm, deep hopelessness, or talk of death and suicide. A sudden, eerie calm after a dark stretch can also be a warning.
What are 5 warning signs of depression in teenagers?
Five to watch: pulling away from friends and the things they used to love; big changes in sleep or eating; deep hopelessness; self-harm; and talk of death or being a burden. These overlap with crisis warning signs, so any mention of suicide means calling or texting 988 today, not next week.
What is the best treatment for teen depression?
There’s no single fix, but professional counseling is the usual starting point. A pediatrician can screen and refer, and sliding-scale providers like Youth In Need, Compass Health Network, Provident, and Saint Louis Counseling offer teen therapy, many accepting Medicaid. For a crisis, call or text 988 before anything else.
Where can I send my troubled child for free in Missouri?
Youth In Need provides counseling at no cost for young people under 19 across St. Louis, St. Charles, and Lincoln Counties, no referral needed. CHADS Coalition offers free youth suicide-prevention counseling through partner schools. For free, confidential crisis support any time, a teen can call or text 988 or the Youth Connection Helpline.
What happens when you call or text 988, and will they send the police?
You reach a trained local counselor, in St. Louis that’s BHR. The large majority of contacts are handled entirely by phone or text. Emergency services are sent only when there’s imminent danger to life, a small share of cases. It’s free, confidential, and you can hang up any time.
Is there a crisis line for LGBTQ+ teens in St. Louis?
Yes. The Trevor Project is free and 24/7 for LGBTQ+ young people: call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678, with counselors trained on LGBTQ+ experiences. KUTO also serves LGBTQ+ youth. Note that 988’s dedicated LGBTQ+ youth “Press 3” option ended in July 2025.
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