In West Virginia, public mental health care is overseen by the Bureau for Behavioral Health within the Department of Human Services, and it's anchored by 13 regional behavioral health centers. Call or text 988 in a crisis, or call or text 1-844-HELP4WV (1-844-435-7498) at any hour for support and help finding treatment for mental health or substance use. There's no NAMI state organization in West Virginia right now, so NAMI Greater Wheeling serves the whole state with support groups and classes.
Families can reach the Children's Crisis and Referral Line through 844-HELP4WV, which can connect children and young people up to age 21 with mobile crisis teams that help by phone or come to them. In West Virginia, 988 is answered by First Choice Services, the same Charleston group that runs HELP4WV.
West Virginia's publicly funded behavioral health system is built around 13 regional behavioral health centers, nonprofits such as Prestera, FMRS, Westbrook, and Seneca that provide psychiatric assessment and outpatient counseling. HELP4WV is the main front door: many of the people answering are peer recovery coaches, and they can refer you to counseling, psychiatric care, crisis care, or residential treatment wherever you live and whatever your insurance. For children and youth, the state's mobile crisis response and stabilization teams are available statewide through the same line. Academic psychiatry is centered at WVU Medicine's Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute and at Marshall Health in Huntington, which also has a clinic in Point Pleasant, and WVU offers some of its therapy by telemedicine.
Crisis lines
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 anywhere in the United States, including from West Virginia. Free and confidential, 24 hours a day. For chat, visit 988lifeline.org.
- WV988. West Virginia's 988 site, run by First Choice Services with funding from the Bureau for Behavioral Health. It explains how 988 works and has guidance for people worried about a loved one.
- HELP4WV. A helpline for any West Virginian dealing with a mental health or substance use problem. Call or text 1-844-HELP4WV (1-844-435-7498) or chat online at any hour; staff can refer you to counseling, psychiatric care, or treatment, even if you have no insurance.
- Children's Crisis and Referral Line (HELP4WV). A line for parents and caregivers worried about a child's mental health, behavior, or substance use, open 24 hours a day at 844-HELP4WV (844-435-7498). It offers crisis counseling and parenting support and can connect families with children's mobile crisis teams, Wraparound, and local services.
- West Virginia 211. Dial 211 or text your ZIP code to 898-211, any hour, for referrals to food, housing, utility help, counseling, support groups, and other services. It's a project of the United Ways of West Virginia.
Crisis care and mobile crisis
- Children's Mobile Crisis Response and Stabilization (BBH). Statewide mobile crisis teams for children and young people up to age 21 and their families, reached through the Children's Crisis and Referral Line at 844-HELP4WV. Teams help calm the immediate situation and then connect the family with services close to home.
State mental health authority
- Bureau for Behavioral Health (Department of Human Services). The state bureau that oversees West Virginia's public mental health and substance use services, including adult services, children's services, and the regional behavioral health centers.
- West Virginia Medicaid behavioral health services (Bureau for Medical Services). Explains which mental health services Medicaid covers in West Virginia, including care at licensed behavioral health centers, outpatient therapy with licensed psychologists, social workers, and counselors, and Assertive Community Treatment.
NAMI Greater Wheeling (NAMI in West Virginia)
West Virginia doesn't currently have a NAMI state organization. NAMI Greater Wheeling serves the whole state.
- NAMI Greater Wheeling / NAMI in West Virginia. Based in Wheeling, it offers free NAMI Connection and Family Support Groups (including virtual groups), classes such as NAMI Basics, Family to Family, and Peer to Peer, and a drop in center. Call 304-905-0635 (not a crisis line).
Community mental health centers
- Regional behavioral health centers (BBH). Lists and links all 13 regional centers, from Prestera and Valley HealthCare to Westbrook and Seneca, plus a map of the centers. Call your regional center to start outpatient care.
Treatment locators
- FindTreatment.gov. The federal SAMHSA locator for mental health and substance use treatment. Search by address or ZIP code.
University and academic medical centers
- WVU Healthy Minds, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. WVU Medicine's adult outpatient mental health service, offering CBT for anxiety and mood problems, DBT, EMDR, and medication management, with some therapy by telemedicine. Call 304-598-4214 for an appointment.
- Marshall Psychiatry (Marshall Health). Marshall Health's outpatient psychiatry and psychology clinic in Huntington, seeing adults, children, and older adults for therapy, medication management, and more. Call 304.691.1500; there's also a Point Pleasant location.
Other state programs
- Prevent Suicide WV (West Virginia Suicide Prevention Council). Suicide prevention information for West Virginians, with pages for teens, parents, veterans, seniors, and people who've lost someone to suicide. The site isn't monitored around the clock; in a crisis, call or text 988.