Mental Health Awareness Month; Crisis Intervention and Ongoing Care
Published on May 26, 2026
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, a time focused on drawing attention to mental health challenges, reducing stigma, and sharing resources. Tompkins County Whole Health (TCWH) is using this opportunity to remind the community about TCWH’s Mental Health Services, as well as other resources available in our county to support you and your family.
Crisis Intervention Services
Resources are available in our community, 24/7. Our Mobile Crisis Team and CARE Team (co-response law enforcement and mental health services) provide crisis intervention and de/escalation services, responding to mental health crisis calls, suicidal or homicidal concerns, or providing wellness checks.
These services can be reached by calling 911 or 988, where operators will connect you to the appropriate resource. Collectively, our crisis intervention services are available every day, at any time. The Mobile Crisis Team provides services weekdays from 8pm-9am, as well as all-day support on weekends and holidays. The CARE Team (in collaboration with both the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Ithaca Police Department) is available weekdays from 9am-8pm.
Mental Health Clinic
If you are experiencing problems with mental health and want to get help now, come to our office at 201 E. Green Street (Ithaca) for Open Access Hours to begin treatment as soon as you walk into our building. Open Access Hours are walk-in, first come first served, and allow you to begin the intake process and see a clinician, no appointment needed. Open Access Hours take place on:
- Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM
- Wednesdays from 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM
In addition to our primary location at 201 E. Green St., downtown Ithaca, TCWH offers mental health clinical appointments at our 55 Brown Rd. office in Northeast Ithaca, offering free on-site parking, brand new construction and first floor, accessible meeting spaces. Clinicians from both the Adult and Children/Youth teams can meet with clients at this location. Clinicians on the Children/Youth team can also meet with students at their home school district during the school day. Call our office to learn more or to schedule an appointment at your preferred location: 607-274-6200.
Our mental health clinicians also provide a variety of virtual therapeutic group offerings, covering topics ranging from anger management to mindfulness skill building, even offering an emotional support program for parents! Check out the current lineup of offerings online and call our office to register: 607-274-6200. You do not need to be a mental health client in order to participate, but the groups are considered a billable mental health service and enrollment is required.
Our clinic also includes psychiatric providers, community health nurses and peer support specialists. Our Psychiatric providers offer ongoing medication monitoring of symptoms, progress, and side effects. Community Mental Health Nurses providing on-site and in-home medication management and support, in addition to counseling, coaching, emotional and wellness support and health check-ins.
Our NYS Certified Peer Support Specialists supports individuals on their mental health recovery journey by providing person-centered support both individually and in groups, onsite in the clinic and through offsite community visits. Drawing on the strength of lived experience, the Peer Specialist helps clients build coping skills, strengthen self-advocacy, navigate services, and remain engaged in treatment goals. Peers can also work with those who are not ready to enroll in our clinical services.
PROS (Personalized Recovery Oriented Services)
PROS is a comprehensive recovery-oriented program for adults with severe and persistent mental illness. The main goal of the program is to help people work on all aspects of their life — social, work, education, housing, finding purpose — when mental health or substance use creates barriers. PROS provides group-based programming in addition to individualized services, all designed to support skill building in areas such as problem-solving, coping, and communication. To learn more about PROS, go online or call the office at: 607-274-6200. PROS classes are offered in person at 201 E. Green St. (downtown Ithaca).
EMERGENCY AND CRISIS CONTACTS FOR 24-HOUR HELP if you or someone you know needs to speak with a mental health professional:
- For life-threatening emergencies, dial 911
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, DIAL 988 (1-800-273-8255)
- Crisis Text Line, text HOME to 741-741
- Ithaca’s Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service hotline, 1-607-272-1616
Additional Community Resources for Mental Health and Substance Use Support
Tompkins County Whole Health: envisioning a future where every person in Tompkins County can achieve wellness. Find us online at: https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/health and follow us on Facebook, Instagram or X. Sign up to receive Whole Health updates or other county announcements via email or text.
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