Youth Mobile Crisis Response Team

Young people have a lot to deal with, and all the stresses of daily living can lead to mental health problems. Children and teens can feel like they have nowhere to turn and have no hope for a better future. This can lead to kids shutting down, lashing out, or engaging in harmful behaviors. Catholic Charities has a fully-staffed, credentialed team to respond to youth in crisis in Chelan and Douglas Counties.

Referrals to the Catholic Charities Youth Mobile Crisis Response Team come through the national 9-8-8 crisis response and suicide prevention line and the region’s Crisis Connection Line at 509.662.7105. Those calls are screened, and the team is contacted if a crisis response is needed. A young person or their parent may call the crisis line for various reasons. The youth may be struggling with stress, emotional, angry outbursts, or is having some suicidal ideation. Youth are considered as age 20 or under. When a youth is struggling, the mobile team can go to them, respond, and provide service. A crisis does not need to meet any requirement to qualify for support. The team, often the first responders, can go wherever the adolescent is – whether it’s in their home, the hospital emergency room, school, or even in a neutral area like a park.

The stabilization phase, which takes from 2-8 weeks, includes teaching coping skills to the youth and the parent, connecting them with resources and services, and monitoring them.