Crisis Hotlines & Immediate Support

If your teen is in immediate danger, call 911. If your teen is thinking about suicide or in overwhelming distress, call or text 988 now. Everything else on this page can wait until that call is made.

These teen crisis hotlines & support lines are free, national, and answered by trained people – most of them around the clock. Save it now, while things are calm. Austin Center for Teens is not an emergency service – our 24/7 line is for what comes after the danger has passed.

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If Your Teen Is in Danger Right Now

Call 911

if your teen has harmed themselves, is unresponsive, is in immediate danger, or you cannot keep them safe where you are

Call or text 988

the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7, for thoughts of suicide or any mental health crisis. Chat at 988lifeline.org. Press 2 for Spanish, or text AYUDA

Text HOME to 741741

Crisis Text Line, 24/7, if your teen (or you) would rather type than talk. Text HOLA for Spanish

While you wait to be connected: stay with your teen, keep them in sight, speak calmly, and let the counselor guide the next steps. Once your teen is safe, our team in Austin is available at (866) 638-6171, 24 hours a day and in confidence, for what comes next – our Contact Us page works in writing.

(866) 638-6171

Crisis and Support Lines by Situation

Find the row that fits tonight. Hours are as published by each organization – confirm on their sites, since they can change.

Situation	Who to Contact	How	Hours
Thoughts of suicide or overwhelming distress	988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline	Call or text 988 · chat at 988lifeline.org · press 2 or text AYUDA for Spanish	24/7
Would rather text	Crisis Text Line	Text HOME to 741741 · HOLA for Spanish	24/7
LGBTQ+ teen in crisis	The Trevor Project	Call 1-866-488-7386 · text START to 678-678 · chat online	24/7
Transgender or questioning teen who wants a trans peer	Trans Lifeline	Call 1-877-565-8860	Check current hours on their site
A teen who wants to talk to another teen	Teen Line	Call 1-800-852-8336 (6–10 p.m. Pacific) · text TEEN to 839863 (6–9 p.m. Pacific)	Evenings – 988 counselors answer outside those hours
Abuse or neglect, or a teen who discloses it	Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline	Call or text 1-800-422-4453 · chat online	24/7
Sexual assault	RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline	Call 1-800-656-4673 · chat online	24/7
Violence at home or in a relationship	National Domestic Violence Hotline	Call 1-800-799-7233 · text START to 88788	24/7
A teen who has run away or is thinking about it	National Runaway Safeline	Call 1-800-786-2929	24/7
Possible overdose or poisoning	Poison Control	Call 1-800-222-1222 – call 911 first if your teen is unresponsive	24/7
Eating disorder concerns	National Alliance for Eating Disorders	Call 1-866-662-1235 – therapist-staffed helpline and referrals	Weekdays – hours on their site
Substance use, or finding treatment	SAMHSA National Helpline	Call 1-800-662-4357	24/7, English and Spanish
Not a crisis, but you need guidance	NAMI HelpLine	Call 1-800-950-6264 · text HelpLine to 62640	Weekdays – hours on their site

What to Say When You Call

You do not need the right words

“I’m worried about my teenager and I don’t know if this is an emergency” is a complete sentence, and counselors hear it every hour

Have three things ready if you can

your teen’s age, what you have seen or heard tonight, and whether they are safe right now. If you cannot answer the last one, say so

Your teen can call instead of you, or with you

every line above takes calls from teens directly, and Teen Line and The Trevor Project are built for that

Ask what happens next

a counselor can tell you what they would do if safety cannot be established. Asking commits you to nothing

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After the Crisis: Where We Fit

A hotline gets a family through the night, not the month after. Once the danger has passed – or a teen is being discharged from an emergency room or psychiatric hospital – the question is what kind of care keeps them safe next. That is what our 24/7 line is for: a free, confidential assessment that points to Residential Treatment at our center when 24/7 clinical support is needed, our on-site IOP or OP – or Virtual IOP at home across Texas – when it is not, or a different resource if none fits.

Post-Hospitalization Residential Care exists for that hand-off, with same-day admission when residential care is the right fit. Organizations that support families between crises are on our Family Resources page.

Teen Crisis Hotlines & Support: Parent FAQs

Should we call 988 or 911?

911 when there is a physical emergency or immediate danger – an injury, an overdose, a teen who cannot be kept safe. 988 when the crisis is emotional and your teen is not in immediate physical danger: suicidal thoughts, panic, a breakdown you cannot talk them through. If you cannot tell which, call 988 and say so – the counselor will help you decide, including whether 911 is needed.

What if our teen refuses to call anyone?

Then you call. 988 and the other lines above support parents directly, and a counselor can coach you through the next hour with a teen who will not talk. It also helps to leave the teen-facing options where your teen can see them – Teen Line and The Trevor Project take texts, which many teens will send when they would never make a call.

Will calling 988 bring police to our door?

Most 988 contacts are handled entirely by conversation, and the counselor’s first goal is to help you keep your teen safe where you are. Emergency services can be involved when a counselor cannot establish safety, and practices vary by area, so ask the counselor directly what they would do and when. Ask before you decide how much to share.

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