Your (Unofficial) Guide to State-Sponsored Therapy in Vermont
There’s a way to get affordable mental health care that you might not know about. That’s Vermont’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, Vermont’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 Vermont mental health system and who it’s for, you can read our quick start guide below.
Quick Start Guide
Quick facts about Vermont’s mental health system:
- Vermont has recently updated its mental health system by launching the statewide 988 crisis line, expanding mobile crisis services, opening new mental health urgent care facilities, and enhancing community mental health programs.
- Public outpatient mental health services in Vermont are provided by programs called designated agencies.
- Most designated mental health agencies in Vermont accept Medicaid and offer low sliding-scale fees to people without insurance coverage.
What services are available?
- Vermont’s mental health system offers specialty and intensive mental health services that can be hard to find anywhere else, like case management, day treatment, and community-based support services.
- Outpatient mental health services including psychiatric evaluation, medication, and group and individual therapy are also available at most designated agencies.
Who’s eligible?
- Some services, such as state and local crisis and information lines, are available to any Vermont 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 Vermont by dialing 988.
- You can find contact information for the designated agency that serves your area by scrolling to your region in the directory below.
To learn more about public mental health services in Vermont, 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 Vermont’s mental health system might be right for you.
Who Is Eligible?
You should consider looking into the Vermont 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 Vermont 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.
PRO TIP
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 a state or 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.
While there are some services that have stricter eligibility requirements than others, in general, the Vermont public mental health system is pretty accessible. There are no statewide eligibility criteria for public outpatient mental health services in Vermont.
On its official website, the Vermont Department of Mental Health states, “Not all programs have the same eligibility criteria or services available.” Individual designated agency websites also state that eligibility criteria depend on the service you’re looking for. In general, specialty and intensive services have stricter eligibility criteria than basic outpatient services like therapy and medication. These unique services are an important option if your symptoms are severe enough for you to be eligible for them.
PRO TIP
Check Out the State System If You Need Specialized Services
Vermont’s designated agencies are great places to find specialty 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.
Howard Center, one of Vermont’s designated agencies, states, “Each program has different eligibility requirements. You may be eligible for just one of our programs, or you may be eligible for several. Our staff will explain the requirements for each program or service and guide you through the application process.”
The Counseling Service of Addison County, another designated agency, states simply, “We provide a wide range of services for those seeking treatment of a mental health condition.”
Most designated agencies also state that you need to live in their service area to get mental health care there. So, in general, to be eligible for mental health services at a designated agency, you need to be a Vermont resident with a mental health condition.
PRO TIP
Check with Your Designated Agency for Accurate Local Eligibility Information
One of the most important things to know about the Vermont public mental health system is that not all designated agencies are the same.
On its official website, the Vermont Department of Mental Health states, “Not all programs have the same eligibility criteria or services available.”
This means that which services you can get through the state system and whether you’re eligible depends on which designated agency serves your county or town. So, it’s important to check with your local designated agency to find out what’s available where you live.
A designated agency is a great option if you’re an area resident with a public insurance plan. Most DAs accept Medicaid, and it can be hard to find other providers who do.
It’s also a good option if you have no insurance or don’t have good mental health coverage. You can get care in Vermont’s mental health system if you have Medicaid, are uninsured or underinsured, or have a limited income. Most designated agencies offer affordable sliding-scale fees based on your income.
Even if you don’t qualify for a discount, designated agencies may still be an affordable option. To find out how fees for your local designated agency compare to fees for other providers, you can call the programs you’re interested in and ask about their payment options.
PRO TIP
Check If You're Eligible for Medicaid
Medicaid is a great way to access the public mental health system in Vermont. 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.
Vermont 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. You can find an assister to help you apply in person or fill out an online application on Vermont Health Connect or Healthcare.gov.
You can find the number for your designated agency 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 designated agency 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.
Where Do You Call to Get Started?
The easiest way to learn more about state mental healthcare in Vermont is to call a designated agency or a local mental health hotline. You can find the numbers for your designated agency and local crisis line in the directory in the next section.
There are also many numbers you can call for help no matter where you are in Vermont. You can find the numbers for statewide helplines and hotlines in the information box directly below.
PRO TIP
Important Numbers in Vermont
The statewide Vermont mental health crisis hotline is 988.
The Crisis Text Line for the state of Vermont 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 Vermont Helpline by calling (800) 639-6480.
If you just need to talk to someone, you can talk to a peer any time of day by calling the 24/7 Pathways Vermont Support Line at (833) 888-2557.
You can contact the Vermont Department of Mental Health by calling (802) 241-0090.
Public mental health services in Vermont are managed on the state level by the Department of Mental Health in Vermont’s Agency of Human Services. For general information about the public mental health system in Vermont, you can contact DMH by calling (802) 241-0090.
However, you’ll probably get the best results by calling your designated agency directly. You can find the number for your DA in the directory below.
Vermont Mental Health Directory
Public outpatient mental health services in Vermont are provided by designated agencies. These comprehensive programs offer both outpatient and intensive community-based mental health services.
Each DA serves a geographic region defined by the counties and towns it covers. There are 10 mental health regions in Vermont and 10 designated agencies that serve them.
Each designated agency 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.
You can find the numbers for all Vermont designated agencies, clinic locations, and local crisis lines in the directory below.
Vermont Clinics and Crisis Lines
- Northwestern Counseling and Support Services
- Serving Franklin and Grand Isle Counties
- Crisis Line: (802) 524-6554 or (800) 834-7793
- Main Number: (802) 524-6554 or (800) 834-7793
- Office Location (St. Albans): (802) 524-6554
- Northeast Kingdom Human Services
- Serving Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia Counties
- Crisis Line: Call your closest NKHS office
- Mobile Crisis Team: (800) 649-0118
- Main Number: (802) 334-6744
- Office Locations:
- Newport Office: (802) 334-6744
- St. Johnsbury Office: (802) 748-3181
- Howard Center
- Serving Chittenden County
- Crisis Line: (802) 488-7777
- Main Number: (802) 488-6000
- Adult Outpatient Office Locations:
- Adult Services (Burlington): (802) 488-6200
- Crisis Stabilization Unit (Burlington): (802) 488-6411
- Chittenden Clinic (South Burlington): (802) 488-6450
- Pine Street Counseling Services (Burlington): (802) 488-6100
- Northern Vermont Outpatient Services (St. Albans City): (802) 524-7265
- Lamoille County Mental Health
- Serving Lamoille County
- Main Number: (802) 888-5026
- 24-Hour Crisis Line: (802) 888-5026
- Office Locations:
- Main Office (Morrisville): (802) 888-5026
- Oasis House CSU (Hyde Park): (802) 851-8368
- Valley Counseling (Morrisville): (802) 888-1916
- Plaza Mall Office (Morrisville): (802) 888-5026
- Counseling Service of Addison County
- Serving Addison County
- Main Number: (802) 388-6751
- 24-Hour Crisis Line: (802) 388-7641
- Office Location (Middlebury): (802) 388-6751
- Clara Martin Center
- Serving Orange County, Windsor County, and the Greater Upper Valley
- Main Number: (802) 728-4466
- Access Line: (802) 728-4466 x468
- 24-Hour Crisis Line: (800) 639-6360
- Adult Outpatient Office Locations:
- Main Office (Randolph): (802) 728-4466
- Ayers Brook Office (Randolph): (802) 728-4466
- Community Support Services (Randolph): (802) 728-6000
- Chris’s Place Crisis Center (Randolph): (402) 728-4466 x367
- Bradford Outpatient Mental Health (Bradford): (802) 222-4477
- Bradford Farmhouse Outpatient Services (Bradford): (802) 222-4477
- White River Family Practice (White River Junction): (802) 295-6132
- Wilder Adult Outpatient Services (Wilder): (802) 295-1311
- Chelsea Health Center (Chelsea): (802) 728-4466
- Washington County Mental Health Services
- Serving Washington County and the Towns of Orange, Washington, and Williamstown in Orange County
- Main Number: (802) 229-1399
- 24-Hour Crisis Line: (802) 229-0591
- Adult Outpatient Office Locations:
- Counseling and Psychological Services (Berlin): (802) 479-4083
- Intensive Care Services and Centralized Intake (Berlin): (802) 229-0591
- Community Support Program (Montpelier): (802) 223-6328
- Sunrise Wellness Center (Montpelier): (802) 229-8000
- WellSpace Wellness Center (Barre): (802) 479-4055
- Health Care and Rehabilitation Services of Southeastern Vermont
- Serving Windham and Windsor Counties
- Main Number: (802) 886-4500
- Crisis Line: (800) 622-4235
- Access Lines:
- Springfield Area: (855) 220-9429
- Brattleboro Area: (855) 220-9428
- Hartford Area: (855) 220-9430
- Office Locations:
- Alternatives Crisis Respite (Springfield): (802) 885-7280
- Brattleboro Regional Office: (802) 254-6028
- Springfield Regional Office: (802) 886-4500
- Hartford Regional Office: (802) 295-3031
- Bellows Falls Office: (802) 463-3947
- Windsor Office: (802) 674-2539
- United Counseling Service
- Serving Bennington County
- Main Number: (802) 442-5491
- 24-Hour Crisis Line: (802) 442-5491
- Adult Outpatient Office Locations:
- Bennington UCS (Bennington): (802) 442-5491
- Northshire UCS (Manchester): (802) 362-3950
- Community Rehabilitation (Bennington): (802) 442-5491
- Rutland Mental Health Services
- Serving Rutland County
- Main Number: (802) 775-2381
- 24-Hour Crisis Line: (802) 775-1000
- Adult Mental Health: (802) 775-4388
- Office Location (Rutland): (802) 775-2381
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 Vermont.
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 designated agencies in Vermont 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 your designated agency’s website for walk-in locations and hours.
2. There’s a long waiting list.
State-funded services are often in high demand. Vermont 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 services at a designated agency, you’re not eligible for the service you want, or your designated agency 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 designated agency 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 Vermont’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. Vermont is no exception.
Vermont Care Partners, the umbrella organization for all of the state’s designated agencies, states that “Many of our agencies came into being as the result of the 1963 Community Mental Health Act.”
Among the earliest community mental health programs in Vermont are the Clara Martin Center, founded in 1966, and Health Care and Rehabilitation Services of Southeastern Vermont, founded in 1967. United Counseling Service traces its history back even further to 1958.
According to a Valley News article by Rick Jurgens, Vermont “can plausibly claim to have been on the road to deinstitutionalization since 1953, when a state panel considering a proposal to extend the flagship mental hospital in Waterbury recommended that community programs be added instead.”
Vermont had been seeking to shut down its main state hospital for years when Tropical Storm Irene flooded and finally closed it in 2011. The following year, the Vermont Legislature passed Act 79, the state’s mental health reform bill, to press for an even stronger shift from institutional to community-based services. Now, Vermont works with designated private hospitals for state-funded inpatient care.
DEEP DIVE
What Is the Structure of the Vermont Mental Health System?
Public mental health services in Vermont are managed on the state level by the Department of Mental Health in Vermont’s Agency of Human Services.
Community mental health services are provided by designated agencies and inpatient mental health services are provided by designated hospitals. Designated agencies are responsible for crisis as well as outpatient and community-based specialty services.
There are currently ten designated agencies, two specialty designated agencies, and six designated hospitals in the public mental health system in Vermont.
However, despite these innovations and despite having a top-rated mental health system, Vermont has still struggled to maintain public mental health services at a level that meets demand.
Even after opening a cutting-edge new inpatient facility in 2014, Vermont still didn’t have enough inpatient treatment beds to meet the need, leaving Vermonters waiting for days in emergency rooms to be admitted to an inpatient facility. Others waited for months to get outpatient mental health care as the state continued not to meet the community mental health funding goals proposed by Act 79.
Fortunately, Vermont has taken many significant steps to address these issues. To address the ER boarding problem, Vermont has opened many new crisis stabilization units and mental health urgent care centers across the state. It launched the statewide 988 crisis line in July 2022 and has expanded mobile crisis teams. It is also investing in a program to modernize, improve, and expand community mental health services.
You can use these new state services to get the care 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—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, 59 percent of people in Vermont who have mental health conditions get treatment for them. Many of the 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 public mental health services in Vermont, call a state or local mental health hotline. You may find out you can get mental health services at a designated mental health agency 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.
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