Find Help - Lawrence

We have created and updated this list of resources, because finding adolescent services can be challenging.  

However, we are not affiliated with, have any additional knowledge, nor can we guarantee quality of care or responsiveness. 

Crisis & Counseling Hotlines

Safety Issues (you or your young person): Call 911

Parent Crisis Line: (800) 488-3000

KC Youth Crisis Line: (888) 233-1639

Crisis Text Line:  Text HOME to 741-741

Suicide Prevention Hotline:  (800) 273-TALK (273-8255)

Teen Self-Harm Hotline:  (800) USA-KIDS (872-5437)

Crisis Intervention & Counseling:  1(800) 999-9999


Others

Alcoholics Anonymous

CDC National HIV and AIDS Hotline 

(800) 232-4636

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline 

(800) 422-4453

Crisis Text Line 

Text HOME to 741741

Disaster Distress Helpline Online Peer Support Communities

Disaster Distress Helpline Videophone for American Sign Language Users (PDF, 180KB)

Gamblers Anonymous

Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio 

(888) 628-9454

Narcotics Anonymous

National Domestic Violence Hotline 

(800) 799-7233

National Grad Crisis Line 

(877) 472-3457

National Sexual Assault Hotline 

(800) 656-4673

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 

(800) 273-8255

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Options for Deaf and Hard of Hearing)

For TTY Users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline (800) 662-4357

Veterans Crisis Line

(800) 273-8255, PRESS 1

Text 838255

Chat online

Navigating the Mental Health System

Thoughts from  "Why Do they Act that Way?" By David Walsh, Ph.d

Because the mental health system is so frustrating to navigate, it takes some active efforts to get good care and how to avoid some of its various pitfalls.  Here’s how.


Why Therapy?

Taking the first step to seeking treatment for anxiety, depression and other disorders can be difficult, because we can all experience some degree of anxiety, depression, moodswings, etc. in our lives as a normal part of human experience. Common signs of needing to seek treatment might be general anxiety or depression, mood swings, life transitions, career or value confusion and more. Some more severe signs you can look for to seek treatment include (but are not limited to): excessive worrying or fears that affect multiple domains of life (home, work, school, for example), frequent and unmanageable panic attacks, intrusive thoughts and/or urges, increased irritability or outbursts, frequent avoidance of social situations or other feared situations, suicidal thoughts, self-harm or self-harm urges, excessive or increased substance use, and frequent and not developmentally appropriate risky behaviors. 


Essentially, if what you’re experiencing is interfering with your ability to function on a daily basis, it is likely time to seek some professional help. The type of therapy that will be most helpful varies based on presenting concerns, personal goals and severity of overall impairment. It is also important to note that any type of treatment is often a process that involves both triumphs and setbacks. It is normal and expected that you might feel worse before you feel better. Discomfort or pain may arise when processing thoughts and/or feelings you may have tried to not think about for a long period of time. In addition, the counseling process may impact/disrupt your relationships with others as you begin to process these emotions relevant to your treatment. Please consider whether these risks of treatment are worth the benefits that can come from participating in counseling. Most people who take the risk associated with counseling have found therapy to be helpful. Below are some different treatment options and examples of when they are most useful. 

Support and Therapeutic Groups

Support groups 

Support groups generally meet weekly (sometimes more) and are typically centered on a specific topic. Examples of support groups include Parenting, Alcoholics Anonymous, divorce support, bullying, etc. These groups are often open to new members at all times and can be considered less structured/more informal than other types of group therapy. 

Individual Therapy

Individual therapy:  

If you’re noticing some anxious or depressed feelings, or just notice you’re feeling off, but are largely functioning on a day-to-day basis, individual counseling might be a good place to start. Common issues seen and successfully treated in individual therapy include life transitions, grief, general anxiety and depression, relationship difficulties, and more. There are dozens of different treatment approaches, so it is important to research or consult with a professional about which type of treatment might align best with your needs.

Counseling Centers that Provide Individual Counseling:

Individual Clinicians with Specialties (age ranges provided, when known)

Psychological Testing 

Psychological Testing/Evaluations:

Family Therapy & Younger Children

Family Therapy & Younger Children: 

Family therapy is often warranted when one or more family member(s) are struggling with any of the above-mentioned difficulties. It is particularly useful when there are problems with communication, intimacy, anger, or contempt between members and general support. Additionally, family therapy is helpful to open up lines of communication and to ensure each member is heard and understood in a safe environment. Adolescents with their parents, in particular, often benefit from family therapy to be able to express emotions and concerns in a productive way, with the guidance and coaching of a trained professional. Making structural changes in a family system often has a ‘spillover’ effect on individual lives as needs and expectations become clearer and relationships are built back up. 

  How to identify you might need family therapy:  If your young person shuts down when you try to have a meaningful conversation with them. 

Couples & Co-Parenting Therapy

Couples therapy: 

Couples therapy can be helpful in improving communication, parenting, conflict resolution, and overall relationship satisfaction. As with any type of treatment, there are varying approaches. Some deal with family histories and learned or passed-down relationship patterns, while others focus on interpersonal communication or increasing intimacy between partners. Therapists often work with couples to try something different, particularly if the couple feels they are in some sort of rut or cycle that cannot resolve itself. Reasons couples seek counseling are difficulty communicating, high amounts of conflict, lack of intimacy (physical and/or emotional), parenting difficulties, lack of trust or infidelity, and more.

Co-Parenting Therapy:  

Co-parenting means we are tied for years to someone we no longer want as a partner. Instead of being able to leave this person in our past, we now have to try to move on while still communicating with them on a regular basis. This can make our lives a nightmare and these conflicts can inadvertently start to affect children.


Co-parenting therapy is designed to help parents put their anger and hurt aside and move forward in a civil way for the well-being of their children. Rather than being controlled by the past, people can use co-parenting therapy to find balance in their lives while remaining the best parents they can be. Co-parenting therapy helps in three main ways – by reducing conflict, improving communication, and implementing helpful parenting strategies. 

Medication with a Psychiatrist

Psychiatry:

Intensive Outpatient Programs

Intensive Outpatient (IOP) groups

IOP is a good option to consider when individual therapy is not effective alone, but a residential treatment facility is not yet warranted. IOP groups are typically structured and are focused on psychoeducation and skills-based modalities, as well as emotional processing and peer support. Examples include an Anxiety IOP based in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) or a program specifically designed to treat eating disorders. While IOP programs can be extremely beneficial, they are not often sufficient alone long-term. It is also important to recognize that as life continues after intensive treatment, skills may become less easy to use or feel less effective if you are not practicing/reviewing them regularly. Therefore, it is recommended to continue with regular individual outpatient treatment, including talk-therapy and psychiatric medication management if applicable to ensure the best continuation of progress made during intensive treatment. Continuation of this sort means the client and their support system (family, providers, etc.) need to keep involved in reinforcing skills and concepts learned from IOP. Without this reinforcement, the individual has a greater chance of relapsing to the point of needing to return to IOP treatment.


Short-Term Inpatient Hospitalization

In-Patient care is usually acute (short-term) to stabilize during a crisis.

Long-Term Residential Placement

Residential psychiatric facilities offer a home-like atmosphere and strong sense of community that help residents build self-esteem, develop relationships, and improve life skills. In clinical residential treatment programs, clinicians can view the full picture of a resident’s functioning and use that perspective and insight to fine-tune psychiatric therapy. Residential facilities are unique in this respect, being that they can assess people in a different atmosphere than other types of treatment. Residential care also offers structure, peer support and 24/7 care from trained professionals. Residential treatment is typically warranted after individual counseling and IOP treatments have been tried and deemed not enough, or if an individual has been hospitalized for safety reasons and cannot discharge safely to individual or IOP options. Residential treatment often involves group therapy in addition to structured activities, medication management, individual therapy and family services. 


Residential treatment:



Wilderness treatment:


Miscellaneous & Alternative Strategies

Low Cost Options:  https://www.opencounseling.com/kansas/olathe 


Options for Family Members:  https://www.rediscoveringyoullc.com/ Whether it be through providing financial assistance for mental health care, supporting those who have lost a loved one to suicide, or providing supports for those in recovery from any mental illness and their loved ones, Rediscovering You is here to walk with you on your journey.


National Mental Health Support Groups

National Association for Mental Illness: NAMI https://nami.org/Home

Depression and Bipolar Alliance: DBSA https://www.dbsalliance.org/ 


Local Community Resources #ZeroReasonsWhy:https://www.zeroreasonswhy.org/new-page 


Axis: Free weekly email designed to help you connect with your adolescent on relevant topics such as social media, technology, etc. There are also options to take online classes or download resources for a small fee. https://axis.org/


Alternative Treatment Strategies