Behavioral Health Crisis Support Team

Connecting behavioral health clinicians with specially trained public safety officers to respond appropriately and effectively to those in crisis, seven days a week.

The Johns Hopkins University Behavioral Health Crisis Support Team (BHCST) pairs experienced, compassionate crisis clinicians with specially trained public safety officers on every shift on and around the Homewood campus, seven days a week.

This team and its approach were developed in response to a growing need, as supported by data and a desire from our community, for a more comprehensive, public health response to individuals who may be experiencing a behavioral or mental health crisis. The BHCST will provide immediate assistance to those who need it and, just as importantly, link individuals in crisis to ongoing support services in the days and weeks that follow.

How It Works

If you or a friend are in crisis, the Behavioral Health Crisis Support Team is here to help. Here are a few quick steps to take when you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help.

Step 1: Reach the BHCST

Call Public Safety at 410-516-4600 or the BHCST hotline at 410-516-WELL (9355) and let them know you want to speak with a crisis support clinician.

Step 2: Let’s Connect

About our BHCST crisis support clinicians

Our BHCST Crisis Support Clinicians are licensed mental health professionals who come to Johns Hopkins with strong backgrounds in crisis counseling and de-escalation. Within their first month on the job, they underwent an extensive orientation, which included diversity, equity, and inclusion training; introductions to Hopkins programs; and meetings with organizations representing JHU’s neighbors. The team also participated in collaborative training—alongside their public safety counterparts—which included a trauma-to-trust workshop that explored the ways in which trauma presents in their work and how to use those experiences to create mutual trust within the communities they serve.

Separately, our public safety officers have also participated in trainings focused on LGBT+-informed language and pronouns, crisis de-escalation, countering implicit bias, and response adaptations for providing care to trauma victims, those who are unhoused, and those with disabilities. For more about the Behavioral Health Crisis Support Team, please click here.

Additional resources to support the emotional and mental health of the Hopkins community: