The Crisis Department provides various services and interventions to support children and adolescents who are experiencing a mental health crisis. For more information on the Crisis Services provided at Crawford County Mental Health Center, please click here.

If you, or a family member, are experiencing and mental health crisis, please call 620-232-SAVE (7283) or call/text the National Suicide Hotline at 988. Both options are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit (YCSU) is a safe, short-term care program designed for children and teens, ages 10 to 17, who are experiencing a mental health or behavioral crisis. Located at our Children’s Services building in Pittsburg, the unit provides a calm, supportive setting where youth can take time to regulate, reflect, and receive therapeutic support.

With room for up to four youth at a time, this trauma-informed space helps bridge the gap between crisis and long-term stability, giving children and families the time and support they need to plan the next step forward.

This service is intended for youth who may be:

• Struggling with emotional or behavioral challenges

• At risk of hospitalization or removal from their current home

• In a state of distress that requires short-term, supportive intervention

• Needing a safe space to stabilize outside of home, school, or placement

Before admission, youth must be screened to ensure they are medically and behaviorally stable.

What to Expect During a Stay

Every youth receives personalized, compassionate care from our trained team. While at the YCSU, youth will:

• Be supervised 24/7 in a safe, structured environment

• Work one-on-one with a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP)

• Practice calming and coping strategies

• Participate in supportive activities to promote emotional regulation

• Benefit from care coordination with families, schools, and other providers

We also offer support for caregivers during this time, helping them feel more confident and prepared for the return home.

If your child—or a child you’re working with—is experiencing a crisis, help is available any time, day or night.

• Call our 24/7 Save Line at 620-232-SAVE (7283)

• Or call/text 988, the national mental health crisis line (calls will route locally when needed)

Our crisis team will assess the situation and help determine if the YCSU is the right fit for the youth’s needs.

Length of Stay

Stays at the YCSU last up to 72 hours, though some may be shorter depending on the situation. During this time, our team works with the youth and their support system to create a plan for what comes next — whether that’s returning home, accessing additional services, or exploring other care options.

What Happens After Discharge?

Before leaving the unit, every youth receives a clear and personalized aftercare plan. Based on their needs, this may include:

• Individual or family therapy

• Case management

• Medication evaluation by our psychiatric team

• Parent peer support

• Referrals to additional community resources or supports

Our goal is to ensure each child and family has a strong, supported transition out of crisis and toward lasting stability.

Individual and family therapy is a one-on-one collaboration between a licensed therapist and a client and/or their family, which is used to explore challenges and negative thought patterns or behaviors, with the ultimate goal of identifying paths to improved functioning, the development of healthy thoughts and behaviors, and the identification of strategies to manage symptoms to support a healthy life.

Our therapists are trained in a variety of evidenced based practices and will work with you to determine which treatment approach is best suited to meet your individual needs.

Some of the treatment modalities we offer include:

• Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

• Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)

• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
• Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Community-base therapy in client homes and schools is also offered to clients.

Case management is a one-on-one service provided to children and adolescents, which involves consistent communication and collaboration with your case manager to help you make progress towards the goals that are set in your treatment plan. Case managers can assist with planning, facilitation, care coordination, advocacy, and providing informed choice for your options with services using existing resources.

Services are client driven and customized to each individual. These services are intended to be convenient for clients and can support them in their home, community, or school.

A Crawford County Mental Health Center Children’s Case Manager is assigned to every school in Crawford County, where they carry a designated case load. 

Case Managers collaborate with schools, families, and outside agencies for continuity of care. They work closely with the therapy and clinical team to provide the best quality of care to each client enrolled in services.

Severe Emotional Disturbance (SED) Waiver services are a more intensive level of care provided for children at risk of being removed from the home or hospitalized due to severe behaviors. Services that this program offers include parent and family support, Mental Health Support Workers (one-on-one support), respite care, case management, and therapy.

Wrap-around facilitation is provided for SED Waiver children, which facilitates the identification of child and family strengths and need through a process of pulling together a community and child/family support team. This aids in the access of formal and informal resources in the community to assist in successful mental health and behavioral health outcomes for children and family in all contexts.

A qualified staff member will guide families through the process of applying for and maintaining Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) supports for families and children who are in need of SED Waiver services.

Crawford County Mental Health Center provides specialized psychiatric care for children and adolescents at our Broadway location in Pittsburg. Our pediatric psychiatric provider is based on-site, offering families a convenient and consistent option for managing mental and behavioral health needs.

Medication Services are available to children aged 5 and older. These services are designed to prescribe, monitor, and oversee psychotropic medications that help manage a range of mental health conditions. Our providers are experienced in treating:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with required testing and verified diagnosis

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Bipolar disorder

• Schizophrenia

Each child receives an individualized treatment plan, guided by ongoing evaluation and support. When appropriate, we also offer GeneSight® testing to help tailor medication choices based on a child’s unique genetic profile—supporting more informed and effective care decisions.

Our goal is to ensure children and their families feel supported every step of the way, with services grounded in compassion, clinical expertise, and a commitment to long-term wellness.

To learn more about the Medication Services provided at Crawford County Mental Health Center, please click here.