Crisis Services

When you call our office during business hours, you will speak with one of our receptionists. They may ask you some questions about the nature of your concerns and the services you are seeking. Please give them a brief overview of the nature of the crisis (e.g., “I’m thinking about hurting myself”). The receptionist may place you on a brief hold while connecting you with a crisis counselor (in some cases, the receptionist may end the call and your crisis counselor will call you from an unlisted number). If you are calling after hours, you will be prompted to press 2 on the automated menu.

The crisis counselor will start the call by gathering some basic information including your name, phone number, and current address. They will ask you about the nature of your crisis and will likely ask follow up questions. The types of questions you may be asked will depend on the nature of your crisis. You and your crisis counselor may also come up with a plan for how you can stay safe. This can involve ideas such as coping skills you can use on your own, people you can contact, places you can go, and things you can do to make your environment safer. If you don’t feel like you can keep yourself safe, you and your crisis counselor may talk about other steps such as contacting family members or other trusted adults, or arranging transportation to a nearby hospital for additional support. Your crisis counselor may also encourage you to schedule an initial consultation, which would typically be scheduled for the same or next day.

These calls are not intended to be therapy sessions, are usually brief (most calls last about 15-20 minutes), and are meant to be focused on the specific crisis you are experiencing at the time.

When in doubt, call us. If you are unsure whether your situation is a crisis, you can let us know and we will help you figure it out. Sometimes, things like depression or trauma can trick us into thinking that our concerns are not important or that we would be burdening people if we reached out for help. Sometimes, we just go through situations that are stressful but not necessarily a crisis. Part of the process when we provide crisis services involves determining what resources might be helpful for you and how urgently you may need them.

The short answer: Only in certain rare situations.

The longer answer: Some students worry that if they use crisis services or mention suicide, they’ll be forced to go to the hospital against their will. In reality, mental health providers have an ethical–and in some cases legal–responsibility to provide care using the “least restrictive means” possible. In practical terms, this means that we usually try several other approaches before referring someone for hospitalization. In most cases, even if you’re thinking about suicide or self-harm, we’ll be able to come up with a plan to keep you safe without going to the hospital. We also want your honest input on what kinds of services you feel you need. In nearly every case that we refer a student for hospitalization, this is done after the crisis counselor and student agree that hospitalization is the best option for them.

Yes. We cannot disclose any information that you share during a crisis call without your written permission, except in the following situations:

• you are at clear, imminent risk of causing serious harm or death to yourself or another person
• there is suspected abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult (e.g., an adult with a developmental disability)
• the records are court-ordered as part of an ongoing legal proceeding

In cases where we are legally or ethically obligated to break confidentiality, we share only the minimum required by law or to keep you or others safe. We also make every attempt to let you know in advance, and still seek your permission to do so.

When using crisis services, you may wonder what counts as “clear, imminent risk of causing serious harm.” There are several factors that we take into account when determining this risk. Statements like, “I wish I would get hit by a car” or “my brother is so annoying, I could just punch him sometimes,” are typically not enough on their own to warrant breaking confidentiality.

Another good rule of thumb is that we only break confidentiality to protect–not to punish. For example, we would not tell anyone if you attempted suicide five years ago, unless that history was directly related to your risk of attempting suicide in the near future.

No. Because we are legally and ethically responsible for your care and safety, and because we only provide services to UIC students, we need to know some basic information about who you are when we provide crisis services.

Knowing your location helps us determine what resources and emergency services may be available nearby. There are certain times when we might need to use this information. For example, if you lose consciousness during a phone call, are in an actively abusive situation, or experience some other unexpected crisis, we would need to be able to get emergency services to you right away. Although situations like these are rare, we need to be prepared to respond to these types of emergencies.

The Crisis Text Line lets you text your feelings to someone who cares. Text HOME to 741741 and a trained crisis counselor will text back.

The CARE team responds to 911 calls with a mental health component Monday-Friday 10:30am-4:00pm in the following pilot areas: Auburn Gresham, Chatham, Chicago Lawn, Gage Park, Lakeview, the Loop, Near South, North Center, Uptown, West Elsdon, West Englewood, and West Lawn.

The CARE team may include a CFD Community Paramedic, CDPH Mental Health Clinician, and CPD CIT Officer. When the CARE team responds to an individual in crisis they offer de-escalation, mental health assessment, referrals to community services, and transport to community-based destinations as appropriate. Learn more about this program here.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and need to speak with someone in Spanish, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.

Spanish-speaking counselors and translation services for more than 100 languages also are available 24 hours a day at the Boys Town National Hotline. Call 800-448-3000 or text VOICE to 20121.

Call 1-877-990-8585 to reach the Asian LifeNet 24-Hour Hotline (Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Fujianese are offered).

Contact Blackline at 1(800)-604-5841 for crisis support or to anonymously and confidentially report negative, physical, and inappropriate contact with police and vigilantes. This service is open to anyone but is intended to support Black, Black LGBTQI, Brown, Native and Muslim communities.

• From their website, “We are here to answer messages from anyone who may be in crisis, wants to describe and interaction with law enforcement or vigilantes, or simply needs to talk through an experience. You do not have to provide any personal information to use the service. All calls remain private and will never be shared with law enforcement or state agencies of any kind.”

Similarly, you can call 503-575-3764 (M-F, 9am-5pm PST) to reach the Crisis Line for Racial Equity Support. “For POC by POC, this crisis line is answered by people with real-life experience with racism.

We are aware that many of our students struggle with immigration-related distress, and these concerns can contribute to mental health crisis. Call 1-510-465-1984 to reach the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, to talk about your immigration concerns, regardless of your immigration status.

The Trevor Project specializes in supporting people in the LGBTQ community. You can call them any time at 866-488-7386. They also have a chat service and a text service (text START to 678-678) that are available 24/7/365.

The Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860) provides crisis and non-crisis peer-support services for people who are transgender, non-binary, and questioning their gender identity.

See the Domestic Violence section below for Domestic Violence services for the LGBTQ community.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides crisis support for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. For TTY Users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255.

The speech and hearing-impaired can also call the Boys Town National Hotline at 1-800-488-1833 or email hotline@boystown.org

The Veterans Crisis Line is a 24/7 service available to all veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve, and their family and friends. Call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online to talk to a VA professional, many of whom are veterans themselves.

You can call Safe Horizon  at 866-621-HOPE (4673) or the Illinois Domestic Violence Help Line  at 877.863.6338 (or 1-877-863-6339 TTY) any time. Safe Horizon also offers an online chat from 9am-6pm, Monday through Friday.

To reach a specialist in domestic abuse among LGBTQ relationships, call the 24-hour crisis line at The Network/La Red by dialing 617-742-4911. 

For a 24/7 safe, confidential and anonymous domestic and sexual violence helpline for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, call the Strong Hearts Native Helpline at 1-844-762-8483, or chat online from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT.

If you are in immediate danger, you can also call the UIC Police at 312-355-5555.

The National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 by calling 800-656-HOPE (4673). They also offer an online chat and an app.

The YWCA also offers a 24/7  Rape Crisis Hotline help to those who have been affected by sexual assault. You can call them at 888-293-2080 (Chicago Metro Area), 630-971-3927 (DuPage County), or  708-748-5672 (South Suburbs).

The Counseling Center has partnered with the Wellness Center and other UIC offices to prepare a resource guide for students who have experienced sexual harassment, discrimination, or assault.