Resources for Health Professionals

Local Resources

Select each category below to find resources for local services and programs.

Hospitals
Health/Mental Health Clinics
  • Achieve Palo Alto: 650-494-1200
  • Adolescent Counseling Services: 650-424-0852
  • Alum Rock Counseling Center: 408-294-0500
  • Asian American Community Involvement 408-975-2730
  • Bill Wilson Center: 408-243-0222
  • Billy DeFrank Lesbian & Gay Community Center: 408-293-2429
  • Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County: 408-468-0100
  • Children’s Health Council: 650-326-5530
  • Chinese Community Center of the Peninsula: 650-324-4786
  • Community Solutions Crisis Hot Line: 408-683-4118
  • Drop-In Self Help Centers: Central County, South County: (408) 792-2140 & (408) 686-2365
  • Eastfield Ming Quong (EMQ) Suicide Assessment: 408-379-9085
  • Esparanza in South County: (408) 852-2460 (closed on Mondays, best time to call is Tuesday
  • Family and Children Services: 650-326-6576
  • Gateway Referral Services:1-800-488-9919
  • Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital: (650) 723-7704
  • Mental Health Urgent Care (MHUC) walk-in: (408) 855-7855
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Santa Clara County: (408) 453-0400 (10 am- 2 pm M-F)
  • Palo Alto Medical Foundation: (888) 398-5677
  • Project Safety Net: (650) 463-4928
  • Office of Family Affairs: (408) 792-2166
  • Ravenswood Health Clinic Referral: 1-800-704-0900
  • San Francisco Suicide Prevention: (415) 781-0500
  • Santa Clara County Toll Free Call Center Mental Health Dept. 24 hr: (800) 704-0900
  • San Mateo County Mental Health Access Referral Team: 1-800-686-0101
  • San Mateo County Mental Health Access Referral Team: Behavioral & Recovery Services: 1(800) 686-0101
  • SCC Health and Human Services Information and Referrals: (408) 248-4636
  • Survivors of Suicide (S.O.S) loss support group: (408) 885-6216
  • Zeffer Self Help: (408) 793-2140 (T-F)
School District Initiatives
  • Sources of Strength
    Sources of Strength is a best practice suicide prevention program designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture. The mission of Sources of Strength is to prevent suicide by increasing help seeking behaviors and promoting connections between peers and caring adults.
  • Break Free From Depression
    Break Free From Depression is a project within the Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnerships in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital. Consisting of a 4-module curriculum focused on increasing awareness around adolescent depression it is designed for use in high school classrooms. Program goals are to increase adolescents’ awareness about depression, teach them how to recognize it in themselves and in their friends, and give them strategies for finding help.
  • bring change to mind
    As part of their effort to erase the stigma surrounding mental illness, Bring Change to Mind encourages individuals to change the language and perceptions of mental health conditions. For more information about BC2M and their high school program, Bring Change to Mind, dedicated to raising awareness and student empowerment.
  • Changing the Narrative (at Gunn)
    In their efforts to change the narrative, Gunn High School students in Palo Alto have created a space to help shift the conversation and the mindset on its campus. Their goal is to help change the narrative by normalizing everyday struggles and highlighting vulnerability through the sharing of personal narratives.
Hotlines
National/State Resources 1 855 208 4204
  • California Youth Crisis Line: (800) 843-5200
  • National Mental Health Association (NMHA) Hotline: (800) 273-8255 (TALK) / (888) 628-9454 (Spanish)
  • National Crisis (Suicide) Hotline: (800) 784-2433
  • Reach Out Online Forum (trained peers, monitored by professionals)
    Reach Out Boys Town National Hotline: 1-800-448-3000
  • Trevor Project Lifeline (LGBTQ crisis intervention): (866) 488-7386
  • Spanish Language Lifeline Number: (888) 628-9454

Santa Clara Mental Health Resources
  • Bilingual Spanish Hotline: (800) 572-2782
  • Community Solutions (Teen Crisis & Parental Stress): 24 hr 408-683-4118
  • Santa Clara County Suicide and Crisis Hotline (English and Spanish): (855) 278-4204
  • San Mateo StarVista Crisis Center: (650) 579-0359
  • YWCA Rape Crisis Center 24 hour crisis line: (650) 493-7273

Other Counties:
  • San Francisco Suicide Prevention: (415) 781-0500
  • Alameda Suicide Prevention: 1-800-309-2131 or Text SAFE to 20121
  • San Mateo Psychiatric Emergency Services: (650) 573-2662
  • Contra Costa Crisis Center: (800) 833-2900
  • Crisis Support Services of Alameda County: (800) 309-2131
  • Suicide Prevention and Community Counseling of Marin: (415) 499-1100
Books
For Parents
  • Beardslee, William. Out of the Darkened Room: When a Parent is Depressed: Protecting the Children and Strengthening the Family. 2002.
  • Rapee, Ronald et al. Helping your anxious child: A step by step guide. 2000.
  • Manassis, Katharina & Levac, Anne Marie. Helping your teenager beat depression: A problem-solving approach for families. 2004.
  • Lezine, DeQuincy and Brent, David. Eight Stories Up: An Adolescent Chooses Hope over Suicide. 2008.
  • Bourne, Edward. The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook. 2005.
  • Riera, Michael. Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. 2004.
    Phelan, Thomas. Surviving Your Adolescents: How to Manage and Let Go of Your 13-18 year olds.1998.
  • Sachs, Brad. The Good Enough Child: How to Have an Imperfect Family and Be Totally Satisfied. 2001.
  • Apter,Terri. The Confident Child: Raising Children to Believe in Themselves. 1997.

For Teens
  • Hipp, Earl. Fighting Invisible Tigers: A Stress Management Guide for Teens. 2008
  • Fox, Annie. Too Stressed To Think? A Teen Guide To Staying Sane When Life Makes You Crazy. 2005
  • Seaward, Brian. Hot Stones and Funny Bones: Teens Helping Teens Cope with Stress and Anger. 2002.
  • Espeland, Pamela. Life Lists for Teens: Tips, Steps, Hints, and How-Tos for Growing Up, Getting Along, Learning, and Having Fun. 2003.
  • Covey, Sean. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. 1998.