Your (Unofficial) Guide to State-Sponsored Therapy in New Hampshire

You should consider looking into the New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire can use the state-funded mental health emergency response system. If you or someone you love is in crisis, you can call the state crisis line to get the help you need, quickly.

Even if you’re not in crisis, you can call the state 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.

Other parts of the system have stricter eligibility requirements. You need to have a serious mental health condition (a diagnosable condition that affects your daily functioning) to qualify for public outpatient mental health care in New Hampshire. However, more people have a qualifying condition than realize it. Don’t assume you’re not eligible!

If you meet these clinical eligibility criteria, you don’t have to meet any specific income criteria.

New Hampshire’s mental health system prioritizes people who are uninsured or underinsured (as well as people who have or qualify for Medicaid). However, the Bureau of Mental Health does not list any insurance or financial criteria as requirements on their official list of mental health eligibility criteria.

This means you can receive services at a New Hampshire CMHC regardless of your ability to pay as long as you have a qualifying mental health condition. And if you do have a serious mental illness, it’s worth looking into your local community mental health center.

In addition to basic outpatient services like medication and therapy, New Hampshire CMHCs offer specialty and intensive services that can give you the support you need to regain or maintain stability while living at home in your local community.

You can find the number for your local CMHC in the directory below. You can call to learn more about what services they offer, whether you’re eligible, and whether there’s a waitlist. We encourage you to call even if you think a CMHC might not be the right fit for you.

Even if you’re not eligible, or if the program doesn’t offer the service you want, they can probably still help you. Community mental health workers 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.

The easiest way to learn more about state mental healthcare in New Hampshire is to call your local CMHC or to call the statewide mental health hotline. You can find contact information for your local CMHC in the directory in the next section.

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

Public mental health services in New Hampshire are managed on the state level by the Bureau of Mental Health Services in the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. For general information about New Hampshire’s mental health system, you can contact BMHS at (603) 271-5000 or DHHS at (844) 275-3447.

However, you’ll probably get the best results by calling the New Hampshire mental health hotline or your local CMHC. You can find the numbers for all New Hampshire CMHCs in the directory below.

Public outpatient mental health services in New Hampshire are provided by community mental health centers. These comprehensive programs specialize in both outpatient and intensive community-based mental health services.

Each CMHC serves a geographic region defined by the counties and towns it serves. There are 10 mental health regions in New Hampshire and 10 CMHCs that serve them. You can find a list of the specific towns each CMHC serves on this page. (The counties they serve are listed below.)

Each CMHC has a main phone number you can call to get information about mental health services as well as a crisis line you can call to get help in a crisis. Most CMHCs advise you to call the statewide crisis hotline at (833) 710-6477, but some have their own local crisis lines.

You can find the contact information for all New Hampshire CMHCs, clinic locations, and local crisis lines in the directory below.

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.

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

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. Their eligibility requirements are generally less strict than the requirements for the state-funded system.

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

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only 49 percent of people in New Hampshire who have mental health conditions get treatment for them. Many people who don’t get the care they need 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 New Hampshire state mental health services, call your local community mental health center or the state mental health hotline. You may find out you can get mental health services at a CMHC 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.