This is a short, curated list of tools, directories, and platforms I send clients, supervisees, and colleagues to. It covers national crisis and support lines, topic-specific helplines, local-resource locators, and a small set of directories. Each entry tells you who it helps and how to reach it.
If you are in crisis right now
Two lines to call or text if you or someone you are with needs help right now. Both are free and operate 24/7.
Crisis line · 24/7
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
A national crisis line for anyone in emotional distress, thinking about suicide, or worried about someone else. Calls and texts route to the nearest crisis center by area code. English and Spanish, with interpretation for other languages on request. Operated by SAMHSA in partnership with Vibrant Emotional Health.
Crisis line · Text only · 24/7
Crisis Text Line
Free, text-based crisis support staffed by trained volunteer crisis counselors with clinical supervisor oversight. Useful for people who cannot or would rather not speak aloud, including those in shared housing, school, or work environments. The first response usually arrives within a few minutes. English and Spanish.
Directories and platforms
Directory · Therapy and support groups
My Therapy Groups
A directory of therapy and support groups indexed by topic, population, and format (in-person, virtual, or hybrid). Each listing shows the facilitator’s credentials, the group’s structure and schedule, and how to contact the facilitator directly. Built for the actual question someone asks when they are looking for a group: who runs a group on this topic, where, in what format, and how do I get in.
Disclosure. I founded and operate My Therapy Groups. It is my second site, and it exists because most provider directories index individual therapists rather than groups, which leaves the group-search question mostly unanswered online.
National crisis and support lines
Crisis lines built for specific populations and forms of harm, all free and operating 24/7 unless noted on the card.
Crisis line · Veterans · 24/7
Veterans Crisis Line
Confidential crisis support for U.S. veterans, active service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and the family and friends who support them. Responders include trained VA staff, many of them veterans themselves. You do not need to be enrolled in VA healthcare or VA benefits to use the line.
Peer support · Trans community · 24/7
Trans Lifeline
Peer support hotline run by and for trans people. Operators are trans-identified and trained in non-coercive crisis support, including support around identity questions, transition decisions, family rejection, and discrimination.
Trans Lifeline publicly states a policy of not contacting emergency services without explicit caller consent.
Crisis line · LGBTQ+ youth · 24/7
The Trevor Project
Crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ young people under age 25. Phone, text, and chat are all staffed by trained counselors. The organization also publishes research on LGBTQ+ youth mental health and offers a moderated peer-support community for ages 13 to 24.
Crisis line · Native and Indigenous · 24/7
StrongHearts Native Helpline
Culturally specific helpline for Native and Indigenous people experiencing domestic, dating, or sexual violence. Advocates are trained in trauma-informed support and familiar with the safety, jurisdictional, and cultural considerations facing Native survivors, including questions of tribal court, tribal services, and reservation context.
Crisis line · Intimate partner violence · 24/7
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Support for people experiencing domestic violence, dating abuse, or coercive control, plus consultation for friends, family, and professionals trying to help someone in an abusive relationship. Advocates can help with safety planning and connect callers to local shelters, legal advocacy, and emergency services on request. Multilingual support available.
Topic-specific national helplines
Lines built for specific clinical questions: substance use, sexual assault, eating disorders, perinatal mental health, mental illness information, and disaster-related distress.
Helpline · Substance use and mental health · 24/7
SAMHSA National Helpline
Treatment referral and information service for individuals and families facing mental health or substance use disorders. Operators connect callers to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. A useful starting point when someone is ready to begin treatment but does not know where to start, or when a clinician is making a referral outside their region. English and Spanish.
Helpline · Sexual assault · 24/7
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
Support for survivors of sexual violence, friends and family supporting someone after assault, and professionals making referrals. Run by the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. Phone and chat are both staffed by trained staff and volunteers. RAINN can route callers to a local sexual assault service provider for in-person resources.
Helpline · Mental illness information and referrals
NAMI Helpline
Information, support, and referrals for people affected by mental health conditions, run by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Useful for the practical questions families face after a diagnosis: insurance, finding a clinician, supporting an adult who refuses treatment, understanding civil commitment, finding peer support.
Not a crisis line. Operates Monday to Friday during business hours. For crisis support, use 988.
Helpline · Eating disorders · Clinician-staffed
National Alliance for Eating Disorders Helpline
Weekday helpline staffed by licensed therapists who specialize in eating disorders. Useful for treatment referrals, screening conversations, and consultation for clinicians who want help identifying the right level of care for a specific client. The organization also runs free virtual support groups and a treatment-finder tool.
Helpline · Perinatal mental health
Postpartum Support International
Support and referrals for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, available to pregnant and postpartum people, partners, and family members. Coordinators can connect callers to a local PSI-trained provider. PSI also runs free weekly online support groups for various populations: postpartum dads, military families, NICU parents, pregnancy and infant loss, and more.
Helpline · Disasters · 24/7
Disaster Distress Helpline
SAMHSA-run line offering crisis counseling related to natural and human-caused disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires, floods, mass violence, and community traumas. Multilingual, with services available for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers via TTY and videophone.
Local resources
One number to know when someone needs concrete, practical help and you do not know which local agency handles it.
Local resource locator · United Way
211
A free, confidential service that connects callers to local resources for housing assistance, food, utility help, healthcare access, child care, employment services, legal aid, transportation, and disaster recovery. Operated by United Way Worldwide in partnership with regional 211 centers. Availability, hours, and depth of services vary by area, but 211 is often the most efficient single first call when someone needs concrete, practical help and you do not know which agency in their area runs which program.
How I curate this page
Every entry on this page is something I use or actively recommend in my own clinical work, teaching, or supervision. Nothing here is an affiliate placement. I review each resource on three fit criteria: clinical or professional usefulness, transparency about who runs it and how it works, and stability (the resource has to still be around and functioning when a client or supervisee gets to it). Phone numbers and web addresses change. If you find a broken entry, send me a message and I will fix it.
Have a resource that belongs here?
If you use a tool, directory, helpline, or platform you would refer a client or supervisee to, and you think it should be on this list, send me a message at Stephanie@TheSocialWorkProgressive.com. I review every suggestion against the three criteria above before adding it.