Your (Unofficial) Guide to State-Sponsored Therapy in Minnesota

There’s a way to get affordable mental health care that you might not know about. That’s Minnesota’s mental health system.

If you qualify, you can get mental health care at a community mental health center or licensed mental health clinic for a small co-pay or low sliding-scale fee. But even if you don’t qualify for services at a state-funded agency, Minnesota’s system can still give you information, referrals to affordable local providers, and other essential help for free.

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If you’re in a hurry and want to get the most important information about what’s available in the Minnesota mental health system and who it’s for, you can read our quick start guide below.

To learn more about public mental health services in Minnesota, keep reading. We’ve done the research to uncover essential facts about who’s eligible, what services you can get, when to go, where to call, and how it works so you can decide if Minnesota’s mental health system might be right for you.

Who Is Eligible?

You should consider looking into the Minnesota mental health system if you (or a loved one) are having a mental health crisis, have a severe mental health condition, have Medicaid, or have a limited income.

Everyone in Minnesota can use the state-funded mental health emergency response system. If you or someone you love is in crisis, you can call a state or local crisis line to get the help you need, quickly.

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Public mental health services are usually the best option if you’re having a mental health crisis and need help right away.

State mental health programs are required to provide mental health crisis response services and are one of the fastest ways to get care when you’re having a mental health emergency.

The people who answer state and local crisis lines can provide caring attention and support as they help you determine the best response to a crisis, whether it’s inpatient treatment or an appointment with a counselor.

Even if you’re not in crisis, you can call your local mental health hotline for information about affordable mental health services in your area. When you call, you can find out whether you might qualify for state-funded mental health services, schedule an assessment or intake appointment, or get free information about other affordable local providers.

In general, the Minnesota mental health system is pretty accessible. Minnesota’s community mental health centers do not have restrictive clinical eligibility criteria and many CMHCs and mental health clinics offer services to anyone who needs treatment for a mental health condition.

However, availability of counseling and other services depends on each CMHC’s funding and staff at any given time. In addition, eligibility criteria and which services are available vary depending on which county you live in. Services tend to be more limited in rural counties, though most rural programs serve people from neighboring counties as well.

Many Minnesota counties directly provide some mental health services, and these services usually have stricter eligibility criteria than services at CMHCs. For example, each county in Minnesota offers case management, but only to people who have a serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI).

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You don’t have to have a serious mental illness (SMI) to be eligible for services like therapy and medication at most programs that participate in the Minnesota mental health system.

However, some specialty services are only for people who have SMI or SPMI (SMI over a long period of time along with a history or high risk of hospitalization). In addition, when demand is high or staffing is low, people with SMI are given priority admission at some programs.

So, what is SMI? Serious mental illness is usually defined as a condition that causes you severe distress, limits your ability to function, makes it hard for you to live independently without support, or puts you at risk of hospitalization. Conditions that can qualify as SMI include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression.

If you’re not able to get services at a nearby CMHC or if your local CMHC doesn’t offer the type of service you need, you may have another option: a licensed mental health clinic.

All CMHCs in Minnesota are state-licensed mental health clinics, but not all mental health clinics are CMHCs. Non-CMHC clinics are typically smaller and have a narrower range of services, but most of them offer counseling and other kinds of outpatient mental health care.

You can find listings for a wide range of mental health clinics below, as well as links to directories and search pages where you can look for types of mental health providers that aren’t listed in our directory.

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County mental health programs and community mental health centers in Minnesota are great places to find intensive mental health services like case management and day treatment that can be hard to find anywhere else. These specialty programs can give you extra help when you’re dealing with severe symptoms.

The primary way Minnesota provides state funding assistance for mental health services is through Medicaid. If you’re not eligible for Medicaid, you will need to use a different type of insurance or pay out of pocket for CMHC services.

Most programs that participate in the Minnesota public mental health system accept Medicaid and MinnesotaCare as well as many other insurance plans. If you don’t have insurance, you can often get counseling for reduced fees at many state-licensed clinics and CMHCs. Many offer sliding-scale fees based on your income.

To find out how fees at your local CMHC, county program, or state-licensed agency compare to fees for other providers, you can call the program you’re interested in and ask about their payment options.

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Medicaid is a great way to access the public mental health system in Minnesota. Not only do most programs in the public mental health system accept it, but you can also use it to get services from many other programs and private practitioners.

Minnesota accepted federal Medicaid expansion in 2014, so you’re eligible for Medicaid if your income is 138 percent of the federal poverty level or less. You may also qualify based on a combination of your income, your medical history, and your mental health condition.

If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible, it’s worth looking into. You can apply for Medicaid in person, by phone, or online. To learn more, you can go to a local human services office or fill out an online application on the MNsure page or Healthcare.gov.

If you’re not eligible for Medicaid, you may be eligible for low-cost insurance through MinnesotaCare. You can apply at a human services office or on the MNsure page.

You can call your county mental health program, CMHC, or state-licensed mental health agency to learn more about what services they offer, whether you’re eligible, and whether there’s a waitlist. You can find the numbers for local programs in the directory below.

We encourage you to call even if you’re not sure whether you’re eligible or whether you’ve found the right program. Even if you don’t meet the program’s requirements or they don’t offer the service you want, they can probably still help you.

People who work at CMHCs and county mental health programs are knowledgeable about local resources and will often give you free information or even referrals to other affordable providers nearby, including local non-profits that provide free or low-cost counseling.

Where Do You Call to Get Started?

The easiest way to learn more about state mental healthcare in Minnesota is to call your county’s mental health program or crisis line. You can find the contact information for your county’s program and hotlines in the directory in the next section.

There are also many other numbers you can call for help no matter where you are in Minnesota. You can find the numbers for statewide helplines and hotlines in the information box directly below.

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The statewide Minnesota mental health crisis hotline is 988.

The Crisis Text Line for the state of Minnesota is 741741.

For help and referrals for mental health and many other needs, you can call 211.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline is 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).

You can reach the non-emergency NAMI Minnesota Helpline by calling (651) 645-2948.

You can connect with Mental Health Minnesota’s Information and Referrals Helpline by calling (800) 862-1799.

If you just need to talk to someone, you can call the Minnesota Warmline from 9AM to 9PM daily at (651) 288-0400 or (855) 927-6546.

You can contact the Adult Mental Health Division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services by calling (651) 431-2225.

Public mental health services in Minnesota are managed on the state level by the Behavioral Health Division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services. For general information about Minnesota’s system, you can contact the Adult Mental Health Division at (651) 431-2225.

However, you’ll probably get the best results by calling your county mental health department or the program you’re interested in directly. You can find the contact information for your county in the directory below.

County-by-County Directory

There are 87 counties in Minnesota and each has a human services office that manages local mental health services.

Most Minnesota counties provide some mental health services directly. However, these are usually specialty programs for people with serious mental illness.

Most of the basic outpatient mental health services in the Minnesota mental health system are provided by community mental health centers and licensed mental health clinics.

Each county has a phone number you can call to get information about mental health services or to get help in a crisis. You can find listings for the CMHCs and other programs that serve your county, as well as the numbers for your local mental health department and crisis line, in the directory below.

Note that many providers that participate in the public mental health system also provide services to residents of nearby counties, so don’t assume you’re limited to the providers listed for your county. You can call any program you’re interested in to learn more.

If you need information after hours or aren’t sure whether you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, it’s okay to call a crisis line for help. The staff who answer are trained to quickly figure out what you need and can tell you what steps you need to take to connect with the right services.

If your county crisis line has limited hours, you can call 988 from anywhere in Minnesota to connect with 24-hour mental health crisis and information services. You can call 211 throughout Minnesota to learn more about local resources including mental health programs.

You can also use the provider directories and search engines on the Minnesota Human Services Department webpage to search for providers in your area. You can search for different licensed provider types on the DHS Licensing Information Lookup page.

Also Consider: Federally Qualified Health Centers

Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are another great way to get affordable publicly-funded mental health services in Minnesota.

These federally-funded programs provide cutting-edge care in places where good primary healthcare was once hard to find. Most provide integrated care so you can get primary medical and mental health services at the same location. Each FQHC accepts Medicaid and Medicare and offers low sliding-scale fees if you don’t have insurance.

You can search for FQHCs near you by using the online search tool on the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration website.

Troubleshooting Guide

The state mental health system is complicated and can be confusing to navigate. If you’re having any issues, we’re here to help. Here are some of our solutions to common problems you might experience.

If you’ve run into a problem that we haven’t addressed, don’t give up. Call someone at the program (or a state or local mental health hotline) and tell them what’s going on.

You’re much more likely to get the help you need when you advocate for yourself and are persistent. Tell the person you talk to what you need or what problem you’re having.

If they don’t help the first time, call them back and tell them. If you keep calling and keep calm and focused, you should eventually get through to someone who can help you.

Deep Dive: How Does the System Work?

To understand Minnesota’s mental health system, it helps to understand how it started and how it’s changed since then.

Public mental health services have been around for a surprisingly long time. But for over a hundred years in America, the only way to get them was in a psychiatric hospital.

In the 1960s, Americans started thinking differently about mental health care. Conditions in psychiatric hospitals were getting worse and new medications made it possible to provide mental health treatment on an outpatient basis.

In response, new laws were passed that required state and local governments to establish community mental health programs as alternatives to institutionalization for people with serious mental illness. The most important was the Community Mental Health Act, which President John F. Kennedy signed into law in 1963.

DEEP DIVE

To learn more about what the public mental health system was like in the early days—and how psychiatric inpatient care has evolved since then—you can read our article “Do Insane Asylums Still Exist? The Surprising Past and Present.”

To learn more about what inpatient mental health treatment is like now, and the differences between how it works in general hospitals and specialized psychiatric facilities, you can read our article “How Inpatient Mental Health Treatment Works.”

Many state mental health programs trace their origins back to the 1960s when these important changes started to happen.

Minnesota was ahead of the curve. It passed its own Community Mental Health Services Act in 1957, establishing funding for statewide community mental health services six years before the federal Community Mental Health Act was passed. Minnesota opened many community mental health programs over the following decades.

However, Minnesota fell behind in establishing a connected statewide network of essential community mental health services and didn’t establish a full statewide mental health crisis response system until the 2010s.

DEEP DIVE

Mental health services in Minnesota are managed on the state level by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) and on the county level by county human services departments.

The Department of Human Services oversees Minnesota’s adult mental health and child mental health systems and operates the only remaining large state psychiatric hospital, the Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center. It also manages the state’s network of community behavioral health hospitals.

The county divisions that administer mental health services are designated by DHS as local mental health authorities. This means they are responsible for maintaining a local mental health network and helping county residents connect with mental health services.

Each county has its own mental health crisis line as well as an adult mental health division of its human services, social services, or community services department. County mental health divisions provide case management services to qualifying residents. Some counties provide other mental health services as well.

However, most other mental health services are provided by private programs. Most county mental health divisions contract with independent local providers that have been licensed as mental health clinics or community mental health centers to provide additional mental health services to area residents.

In the last decade, Minnesota has made significant investments in its mental health system. It was one of only eight states selected for the federal Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic project, and it has continued to make progress in converting its CMHCs into CCBHCs.

Like many other states, Minnesota has shrunk its state psychiatric hospital system, but unlike other states, it has funded community-based alternatives. In addition to a range of outpatient mental health services, Minnesota has also created a system of community behavioral health hospitals that provide inpatient crisis stabilization services.

Recently, Minnesota has taken additional steps to expand and update its mental health crisis response system. It launched the statewide 988 mental health crisis line in 2022 and passed a bill in 2023 that increased funding for mobile crisis response services and inpatient mental health facilities. Many counties have also invested in expanding their local mental health workforce.

You can use these new state services to get the help you need. If you’re in crisis or need mental health care and aren’t sure what to do, you can start by calling 988 or a local crisis line—the people who answer know how the system works and will help you get where you need to go.

Conclusion

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only 50 percent of people in Minnesota who have mental health conditions get treatment for them. Many of them qualify for public mental health services but don’t know about them.

You can make a difference by reaching out and connecting with local mental health resources to get the care you need. If you’re not sure whether you qualify for Minnesota state mental health services, call your county mental health program, community mental health center, or a state or local crisis and information hotline. You may find out you can get mental health services through a local state-funded program or that there’s another affordable option nearby.

The most important thing is to get started—the help you need may be only a call or click away.

Are You Thinking of Online Therapy? Start Here to Get Matched with a Licensed Therapist Right For You.

Therapy with No Waiting Rooms or Driving. Take a quick quiz about your preferences and needs and get matched to a therapist in as little as 48 hours.

Your (Unofficial) Guide to State-Sponsored Therapy in Minnesota

Are You Thinking of Online Therapy? Start Here to Get Matched with a Licensed Therapist Right For You.

Have you been in therapy before?

Quick Start Guide

Who Is Eligible?

PRO TIP

Use the State System When You're in Crisis

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What Is Serious Mental Illness?

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Check Out the State System If You Need Specialized Services

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Check If You're Eligible for Medicaid

Where Do You Call to Get Started?

PRO TIP

Important Numbers in Minnesota

County-by-County Directory

Minnesota Clinics and Crisis Lines

Northwest Minnesota Clinics and Crisis Lines

Northeast Minnesota Clinics and Crisis Lines

West Central Minnesota Clinics and Crisis Lines

Central Minnesota Clinics and Crisis Lines

Twin Cities Metro Area Clinics and Crisis Lines

Southwest Minnesota Clinics and Crisis Lines

South Central Minnesota Clinics and Crisis Lines

Southeast Minnesota Clinics and Crisis Lines

Also Consider: Federally Qualified Health Centers

Troubleshooting Guide

Problems and Solutions

Deep Dive: How Does the System Work?

DEEP DIVE

For More Information

DEEP DIVE

What Is the Structure of the Minnesota Mental Health System?

Conclusion

Are You Thinking of Online Therapy? Start Here to Get Matched with a Licensed Therapist Right For You.

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