CRISIS SUPPORT
Mental Health Crisis Support for Families
What to do when a family member is in a mental health crisis in Los Angeles. Who to call, what a 5150 hold is, and when a structured intervention helps.
Contact Us →If this is happening right now
Who to call, in order
Emergency numbers
If there is immediate danger to life, call 911. Say clearly that this is a mental health crisis, and describe what you have seen rather than what you fear. For a mental health crisis that is not immediately life threatening, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is confidential, available at any hour, and carries no cost to the caller. Los Angeles County residents can reach the Department of Mental Health ACCESS line on 800-854-7771.
That ACCESS line can dispatch a mobile crisis team, which is often a better fit than a patrol response.
What families get wrong about holds
Three things that surprise almost every family
A 5150 hold is a 72 hour involuntary psychiatric hold under California law. It allows certain trained professionals to detain someone for evaluation when a mental health disorder makes them a danger to themselves, a danger to others, or gravely disabled.
You cannot place one yourself. Only peace officers, designated county mental health professionals and certain approved facility staff have that authority. Substance use alone usually does not qualify, because the criteria require a mental health disorder. And it is an evaluation, not a treatment plan. The 72 hours buys assessment time. Sometimes that is all it buys.
There is a fuller explanation on the dedicated page about 5150 holds, including what a 5250 is and how the process works for minors.
When it is both
Mental health and substance use together
Many of the families I work with are dealing with a mental health condition and substance use at the same time, which is often called dual diagnosis or co-occurring conditions.
That combination is where families most often get bounced between services: too unwell for one programme, not the right fit for another. Treating one side alone frequently does not hold.
What a structured intervention does here
Interventions work on patterns, not on emergencies
An intervention is usually associated with addiction. It applies to mental health situations too, and the principle is the same: a planned, prepared conversation where the people closest to someone present a united request that they accept help.
What changes is the detail. Who should be in the room looks different when psychosis, mania or severe depression is involved. The timing matters more. And in some situations a planned conversation is not the right tool at all. If someone is acutely psychotic, actively suicidal, or in a medical emergency, that is not the moment for a family meeting. That is the moment for 911, 988 or a mobile crisis team.
Why Us
Why families and clinicians choose to work with me
CADC-III
Credentialed
I hold the Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor III credential (Sober College), one of the highest-level counseling credentials in California.
CCMI-M
Intervention-specific
I also hold the Certified Case Manager Interventionist credential (Breining Institute), the dedicated intervention-methodology credential. The strongest practitioners hold both.
2 Models
Matched to your family
I work in both the Johnson Model and the Invitational Model, and recommend the one that actually fits your family’s situation.
When a conversation is not the right tool
Interventions work on patterns, not on emergencies
I want to be direct about this, because a page like this could easily imply that an intervention is always the answer.
If someone is acutely psychotic, actively suicidal, or in a medical emergency, that is not the moment for a family meeting. That is the moment for 911, 988 or a mobile crisis team. The planned conversation comes afterwards, if and when the pattern needs to change.
If someone you love is in immediate danger, call 911. If they are talking about not wanting to be here, call or text 988. Los Angeles County residents can reach the Department of Mental Health ACCESS line on 800-854-7771.
Talk With Me
Talk with me in confidence
Call 866-826-0985 or email info@lifestyleinterventions.com to start a confidential conversation.
Frequently Asked
Frequently asked questions
What is a 5150 hold?
A 72 hour involuntary psychiatric hold under California law, for someone who is a danger to themselves, a danger to others, or gravely disabled as a result of a mental health disorder.
Can I have my family member placed on a hold?
Not directly. You can request an evaluation and describe what you have observed. The decision belongs to the responding professional.
Can a hold force someone into addiction treatment?
No. It is a psychiatric provision, and substance use alone rarely meets the criteria.
What if they refuse help but are not in danger?
That is the most common situation and it is where a planned conversation usually fits. Legal options in California are narrow.
Do you work with mental health crises, not just addiction?
Yes. I work with families facing substance use, alcohol concerns and mental health struggles.
What is the ACCESS line?
The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health line on 800-854-7771, which can dispatch a mobile crisis team.