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

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

If you qualify, you can get mental health care at a community agency for a small co-pay or low sliding-scale fee. But even if you don’t qualify for services at a state-funded program, Nebraska’s mental health system can still give you information, referrals to affordable 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 Nebraska mental health system and who it’s for, you can read our quick start guide below.

Quick Start Guide

Quick facts about Nebraska’s mental health system:

What services are available?

  •     Nebraska’s mental health system offers specialty mental health services that can be hard to find anywhere else, like case management, day treatment, and community-based care.
  •     Outpatient mental health services including psychiatric evaluation, medication, and therapy are also available in most programs that participate in the Nebraska mental health system.

Who’s eligible?

  •     Some services, such as state and local crisis and information lines, are available to any Nebraska resident without exception.
  •     Some services are only available to people who have severe conditions like major depression or schizophrenia. However, more people have one of these conditions than realize it! In fact, 1 in 10 Americans experience major depression each year.

Where can you get started?

  •    You can reach local mental health crisis and information services from anywhere in Nebraska by dialing 988.
  •     You can find numbers for local programs (as well as local crisis lines) by scrolling to your region in the directory below.

To learn more about public mental health services in Nebraska, 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 Nebraska’s mental health system might be right for you.

Who Is Eligible?

The Nebraska public mental health system can help with a wide range of mental health needs, but you should especially consider looking into it 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 Nebraska 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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Use the State System When You're in Crisis

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 Nebraska mental health system is pretty accessible. There are no statewide eligibility criteria for public outpatient mental health services in Nebraska and most state-funded programs serve people with a wide range of mental health needs. At many programs, you’re eligible for therapy as long as you live in one of the counties the program serves.

However, in order to qualify for financial assistance to help pay for therapy at a state-funded program in Nebraska, you need to meet income and clinical eligibility criteria. To meet clinical eligibility criteria, you need to have a serious mental health condition (a diagnosable condition that affects your daily functioning). To qualify for some specialty services, you need to have a serious mental illness.

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What Is Serious Mental Illness?

You don’t have to have a serious mental illness (SMI) to be eligible for most basic outpatient mental health services in the Nebraska mental health system, but some services are only for people who have SMI. 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.

Whether you can get the services you’re looking for at a state-funded program depends on their staffing and funding at the time. Nebraska doesn’t have strict statewide eligibility criteria for public mental health services, but it does prioritize admission for people with serious mental illness and limited means. So, some programs may restrict admission when resources are low and demand is high.

There are six regions in the Nebraska mental health system. Each region’s system works a little differently. In some regions, some community mental health services are directly provided by the regional government agency that manages the system. However, most public mental health services are provided by independent programs that contract with the regional mental health department. As a result, eligibility criteria vary widely from provider to provider and region to region in Nebraska.

The services offered at publicly-funded providers also vary. Most agencies that participate in the public system offer therapy and other basic outpatient mental health services, but some focus on providing specialty services for people with serious mental illness. So, it’s important to check with providers to see if they offer the service you’re looking for before you sign up for services there.

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Check Out the State System If You Need Specialized Services

Publicly-funded mental health programs in Nebraska are great places to find specialized and 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.

In general, you need to have a limited income (200 percent of the federal poverty level or less) to qualify for state financial assistance for mental health services in Nebraska.

If you have insurance that covers mental health services, you are required to use it to pay for your care. Most providers in the public system accept a range of private and public insurance plans. If you don’t have insurance, there are some funds for people who lack insurance or lack adequate mental health coverage and meet other financial eligibility criteria.

If you don’t have insurance, most providers in the public mental health system will help you check if you’re eligible for Medicaid or other insurance through the state insurance exchange. If you’re not eligible for insurance coverage, your income and other factors will determine whether you’ll be assigned a full or discounted fee.

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Check If You're Eligible for Medicaid

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

Nebraska accepted federal Medicaid expansion in 2018 (and implemented it in 2020), 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 Department of Health and Human Services office or fill out an online application on iServe Nebraska or Healthcare.gov.

You can call a local agency directly 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 state-funded agencies 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 Nebraska is to call the program you’re interested in directly or call your region’s behavioral health authority. You can find contact information for regional programs, behavioral health authorities, and crisis lines in the directory in the next section.

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

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Important Numbers in Nebraska

The statewide Nebraska mental health crisis hotline is 988.

The Crisis Text Line for the state of Nebraska 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 Nebraska Helpline by calling (402) 345-8101.

If you just need to talk to someone, you can call the 24/7 Community Alliance Warm Line at (402) 715-4226.

You can also talk to a peer by calling MHA Nebraska’s 24/7 Keya House Warm Line at (402) 261-5959.

You can contact the Behavioral Health Division of Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services by calling (402) 742-8314.

Public mental health services in Nebraska are managed on the state level by the Behavioral Health Division of the Department of Health and Human Services. For general information about Nebraska’s system, you can contact BHD at (402) 742-8314 or the DHHS Main Switchboard at (402) 471-3121.

However, you’ll probably get the best results by calling a regional mental health office, local program, or crisis line directly. You can find contact information for programs in your region in the directory below.

Nebraska Mental Health Directory

The Nebraska mental health system is divided into six regions. Each region has a mental health authority that plans and manages the provider network for publicly-funded mental health services in their catchment area. Each region also has a region-specific mental health crisis and information line.

Some regional authorities provide some outpatient services directly, and all of them have networks of local programs that contract with them to deliver state-funded mental health services.

You can find the websites and contact numbers for all regional mental health authorities, crisis lines, and contracted adult outpatient mental health providers in the directory below.

Nebraska Clinics and Crisis Lines

Region 1 (Panhandle) Clinics and Crisis Lines

 

 

Region 2 (Southwest Nebraska) Clinics and Crisis Lines

 

 

Region 3 (Central Nebraska) Clinics and Crisis Lines

 

 

Region 4 (Northern Nebraska) Clinics and Crisis Lines

 

 

Region 5 (Southeast Nebraska) Clinics and Crisis Lines

 

 

Region 6 (Omaha Metro) Clinics and Crisis Lines

 

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.

Also Consider: Federally Qualified Health Centers

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

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.

Problems and Solutions

 1.   You can’t get through to someone on the phone.

Except in extremely rare circumstances, someone should answer a state or local crisis line any time you call. But if you’re not in crisis, the person you talked to gave you another number to call, and you’re having a hard time getting through, you can try going to a walk-in clinic instead.

Many programs in the Nebraska mental health system run walk-in centers where you can be seen during regular business hours on Monday through Friday. Some let you walk in and wait without an appointment. You can often be seen the same day. If the wait is long or they don’t have availability, you can schedule an appointment and come back.

We recommend checking local program websites for walk-in locations and hours.

2.    There’s a long waiting list.

State-funded services are often in high demand. Nebraska is working to shorten waiting times and make sure you can get seen for essential services right away. However, if you’re not in crisis, you may still have to wait before you can be seen by a therapist or other mental health provider.

Sometimes, it’s worth it to wait if you’ve found a good therapist or service. You can read our article on what to do before your first therapy session for tips on how to maintain your mental health while you wait.

If your symptoms are getting worse and you’re worried you can’t wait, you should call a crisis line. The caring people who answer can help you figure out if you need help right away and tell you where and how to get the level of care you need.

If you’re not in crisis but don’t want to wait, you can call a state or local mental health hotline, an intake worker, the main number, or your contact person at the agency to ask if there are other options. There may be another affordable local program they could tell you about that could meet your needs but has a shorter waiting list.

3.    You’re not eligible for state-funded services.

If you’re not eligible for state-funded mental health services in Nebraska, you’re not eligible for the service you want, or your local program doesn’t offer that service, the people who work there should still be able to help you.

Intake workers usually keep lists of affordable local mental health resources for people who aren’t eligible or would prefer to go somewhere else. Ask for information, a printed resource list, or even a direct referral to another provider.

4.   The state system doesn’t offer the service you want.

State mental health programs sometimes have to change or limit the services they offer based on their current funding. If you’re admitted to a state-funded program but it doesn’t offer the service you need, you have two options.

One is to try an alternative service that they do offer. The other is to ask if they can recommend an affordable alternative provider who does offer that service.

If they do offer the service you want, but it’s limited, stand up for yourself if they try to get you to do something else. Don’t accept getting pushed into something you don’t want just because it’s easier for them or because they can get you in faster.

If you’re willing and able to wait, tell them you would prefer to wait for the service you want, whether that’s therapy, medication, or something else.

5.    You don’t like your therapist.

You should never accept bad therapy—or bad mental healthcare of any kind—for any reason. This is just as true in the public system as it is anywhere else. If you have a bad therapist, ask for a new one. Tell your main contact person at the agency, an intake worker, or a manager that you want to try a different therapist.

If you’re not sure whether you have a bad therapist, you can read our articles on how to spot an unethical therapist and how to do a background check on a therapist. If you don’t like your therapist but wonder if it the problem might be fixable, you can read our articles, “What If I Don’t Like My Therapist?” and “How to Fix Problems with Your Therapist.”

If you don’t like the first therapist you’re assigned, ask someone at the agency if they have a webpage or list of therapists you can review. You can read their bios and see if you think one might be a better match. Not all agencies do this, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. You can read our article on how to choose a therapist for information on what to look for.

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 Nebraska’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

For More Information

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. Nebraska is no exception.

Many of the programs that are part of the public mental health system in Nebraska were founded in the late 1960s and early 1970s using funds from the 1963 federal Community Mental Health Centers Act.

Nebraska passed its own community mental health bill, the Nebraska Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services Act (LB302), in 1974. This law created the current Nebraska mental health service regions and gave them the power to set up regional mental health networks.

However, Nebraska continued to rely heavily on its state psychiatric hospitals even after these community mental health laws were passed. It wasn’t until Nebraska passed its mental health reform law (LB1083) in 2004 that the state began to pull its focus and funding away from state inpatient institutions and to invest more heavily in community-based mental health services.

DEEP DIVE

What Is the Structure of the Nebraska Mental Health System?

Public mental health services in Nebraska are managed on the state level by the Division of Behavioral Health (DBH) within the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

In addition to operating the state’s three psychiatric hospitals in Lincoln, Hastings, and Norfolk, DBH oversees state mental health policy and funding and coordinates with the state’s six regional behavioral health authorities to manage the statewide network of outpatient and community-based mental health service providers.

Each of Nebraska’s regional mental health authorities operates under the oversight of DBH, but each makes independent decisions about how to run its region’s mental health program. Some provide services directly, while others do not. All of them authorize private providers in the area to deliver state-funded mental health services.

Despite these reforms, provider shortages and lack of funding continued to make community-based care difficult to access across much of Nebraska during the 2000s.

Advocates, consumers, and providers banded together to help improve access to care. In the last decade, their pioneering efforts have extended high-quality mental health services to even the most rural parts of Nebraska and helped to increase the total number of mental health providers statewide.

In 2022, Nebraska launched the statewide 988 mental health crisis hotline. In 2023, the Nebraska state government passed a bill to expand community-based and outpatient public mental health services by expanding existing programs into Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. Since the pandemic, telehealth and integrated care have made it even easier to access mental health care in rural parts of Nebraska.

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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska state mental health services, call a local program or a state or regional mental health hotline. You may find out you can get mental health services at a 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.

Sponsored by BetterHelp
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.

Have you been in therapy before?

   

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