When someone is experiencing a mental health emergency, it can be hard to know what to do, what to say or where to turn for help. We sat down with Ellen Todd, LCSW, LAC, director of crisis services, and Mica Stone-Reinig, LPC, program manager at WellPower’s Walk-In Crisis Center (WIC), to find out how people can support someone needing mental health help in the moment.
1. What does a mental health crisis actually look like?
Mica Stone-Reinig (MSR): It’s really based on an individual’s needs. At times that can look like a need that’s not being met – food, shelter, safety. Sometimes it looks like a traditional mental health crisis with significant symptoms, dangerous thoughts and feeling out of touch with reality. It could also look like someone who just really needs to talk with someone. It might also involve a substance use emergency – someone who needs medication for withdrawal or stopping substance use altogether.
Ellen Todd (ET): We often have people who come to the WIC reporting they feel bad using the resource because they think it’s for people in “real” crisis. And we tell them that we are here to help people with their crisis, whatever that means to them.
2. How can the average person help someone who’s having a mental health emergency?
ET: What you can say is, “Hey I’m here, I care about you and I’d like to support you – how can I support you? Here are some resources I know about – we could call the crisis line, or go to a walk-in center. Or if you don’t feel like going anywhere, we can call 988 or the non-emergent police line and request STAR.”
One really important consideration is safety. If someone says “I am actively suicidal, I have a plan and I am going to kill myself,” that’s where I would call 911, or even the crisis line – then they determine the next step. If you ever feel like you’re in over your head, you can always come to a walk-in center or call the crisis line to consult, and we will advise on the best course of action.
3. What happens when someone goes to WellPower’s Walk-In Center?
MSR: Safety is our top priority. First, they’re greeted by our safety team, who ensures that there aren’t any dangerous items being brought inside, then meet with a peer support specialist for an initial conversation about their situation, if one is available. Peer specialists are people with lived experience with a mental health concern who have received specialized training about how to support others going through similar situations. They can see a nurse to address any medical concerns, and then meet with a therapist to talk more in depth about why they’ve come to see us. It’s all voluntary, so if at any point the person doesn’t want to continue, they don’t have to and can leave at any time. They’re always informed about some options and next steps. We really want to provide therapeutic interventions, recommendations, resources, options and thoughts about what might be best – or just be an ear if they want to talk.
4. Is it true that if someone calls for help, the police always get involved?
ET: No, that’s not true. The police typically only get involved if there are significant safety concerns If someone calls 988, they’re going to talk to a therapist. Depending on the needs of the person who’s calling, the therapist might dispatch a specialized team of clinicians who go out to these types of calls as part of a mobile crisis response program. Police are a last resort – if they do become involved, it’s generally because there are weapons, or 911 dispatch has no one else to send for a behavioral health call. This sometimes happens overnight, but even when other types of responders aren’t working, mobile crisis operates 24/7 so they can be dispatched in the middle of the night.
5. What happens after the crisis is stabilized?
ET: It can really vary. Our goal is to stabilize in the moment and then talk about next steps and what the options are. If someone’s not already connected to ongoing services, we’re there to help connect them. At the WIC we can do intakes to get people connected directly to WellPower case management instead of going through our formal access process. If the person is interested in an external provider, we’ll connect them with one. If they have substance use concerns they want to address, we’ll connect them to a MAT [medication assisted treatment] provider or another SUD [substance use disorder] resource.
MSR: And beyond that, we don’t always know what happens after a crisis. We might not see the person again. But what’s really cool is when we can see the outcome. There’s one person who came in several years ago who believes that the WIC saved her life back then. Ever since, she brings treats and a card to the staff every year as a thank you. We also have people who are “regulars” who aren’t in a crisis, but stop by anyway to chat and tell us how they’re doing.
ET: We also have a guy who will utilize the services when he’s in crisis, and then about once a year will stop by to tell us, “I want you to see me when I‘m not in crisis.”
6. Can you share a moment in your work that stands out to you?
MSR: One night, I was short staffed and covering as a clinician. Towards the end of the night a gentleman came in to the WIC. It was his birthday and he said he needed to get clean off drugs – that’s what he wanted for his birthday. We connected the gentleman with a drug rehab program that had a spot available, but they were requiring him to have a mobility device. So, we reached out to our STAR team to see if they had any leads on resources and they happened to have access to a durable medical supply donation. We were able to get him some equipment, which enabled him to enter the program on his birthday. He told us, “You guys saved my life,” and he meant it – literally.
Every part of our team took part in navigating this situation. It’s not always this involved, but that’s an example of the kind of work we do – how we remove barriers to allow people the opportunity to get their needs met.
7. If WellPower’s crisis services disappeared tomorrow, what would the impact be?
ET: So many of the services in the community are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, so not having the WIC would take away that 24/7/365 support, including people who need things on the weekend. Mental health crises tend not to observe standard business hours.
We are often folks’ first step on their mental health journey, so we wouldn’t be there for that, to consult with families to help a loved one. Sometimes people lose their electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card, and there’s not a food bank that’s open outside of business hours and we get them through the weekend with the food donations we’re able to provide them.
MSR: When people say we’ve saved their life, that’s often literally true. Without the WIC, people would die. The entire reason walk-in centers were created was to deal with mass casualty events, in particular following the Aurora theater shooting in 2012. We all see what the streets of Denver are like – how many people are struggling with things like fentanyl. At the WIC, we have the ability to use Narcan to help prevent overdose and save lives.
Crisis by its nature is inconvenient – mostly for the person experiencing it. One of the main benefits of this place is that we are here, around the clock, on holidays, on weekends, during Broncos games and heat waves and all the moments people realize that they need us. You can’t schedule that.
8. What would you say to someone who might be considering whether to go to a walk-in center or call the crisis line?
MSR: If you’re on the fence, it’s better to try it and see what it’s like, and then decide you don’t need it, than to need it and not try. It happens all the time that people call and say they don’t want it today, they just to see what we have – just in case.
ET: Sometimes people spend 45 minutes in the parking lot just deciding, and that’s OK. It can feel overwhelming sometimes, especially when you’re already dealing with a crisis in the moment. We’re going to be there whenever you’re ready.
So, I’d say: reach out to us. Call us, stop by. We’re very open to explaining more about what we do. You are welcome here!
How to get help in a mental health emergency:
- Visit WellPower’s Walk-In Crisis Center at 4353 E. Colfax Ave. (near the northeast corner of Colorado Blvd. and Colfax Ave.). Open 24/7/365. Find another Colorado location closest to you here.
- Call, text or chat 988 – the Colorado Mental Health Lifeline – for immediate, human support from trained professionals. 988 is operated separately but is part of the same crisis services system as WellPower’s WIC.
- Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency. 911 dispatchers are trained to assess the call and send a Co-Responder or STAR team to certain mental health calls.
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