Crisis & counseling resources
Help in Collin County, whether or not you ever enroll here.
Many families find this page long before they are ready to think about school placement. The directory below is the one we give people on the phone — assessment, counseling, crisis response, and treatment options across McKinney, Plano, Allen, Frisco, and Denton.
Right now
Call or text 988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24 hours a day, every day.
LifePath Systems Mobile Crisis Unit: 1-877-422-5939 — Collin County mental health crisis response.
Life-threatening emergency or suspected overdose: call 911.
Emergency & 24-hour assessment
Where to go when the situation cannot wait for an appointment
- Suicide & Crisis LifelineCall or text, 24/7, nationwide. Trained counselors for suicidal crisis, substance use crisis, and emotional distress — for the person in crisis or for someone worried about them.
- LifePath Systems Mobile Crisis UnitCollin County’s mobile mental health crisis response. Can dispatch to a home or school.
- Seay Behavioral Health Center — PlanoFree assessments weekdays 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m., plus 24-hour emergency access. Accepts insurance.
- University Behavioral Health — DentonFree assessment services available 24 hours a day.
- Children’s Health Outpatient PsychiatryServing ages 0–18, with inpatient and day-treatment options available.
- SAMHSA National HelplineFree, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral and information service for substance use and mental health, in English and Spanish.
Counseling by appointment
Sliding-scale and low-cost counseling across Collin and Denton counties
Cost is the most common reason families delay getting help. Every provider below has historically offered sliding-scale or reduced-fee services — confirm current rates and availability directly.
- Harold Murphy Counseling CenterSliding-scale counseling services.
- Starry FamilyFamily-focused counseling and support services.
- LifePath SystemsCollin County’s local mental health authority — assessment, counseling, and crisis services.
- STAR Family ConnectionCounseling and family support.
- Child & Family Guidance CenterCounseling for children, adolescents, and families.
- TWU Counseling and Family Development ClinicUniversity training clinic offering low-cost counseling.
- UNT Child and Family Resource ClinicUniversity clinic serving children and families at reduced cost.
- Family Health Center at Virginia ParkwaySliding-scale medical, dental, and behavioral health services.
Adolescent treatment & specialized support
Programs built specifically for teenagers
- Grace to ChangeAddiction treatment services.
- Collin County Substance Abuse ProgramCounty substance abuse services.
- Connections Wellness GroupDay-treatment program with an adolescent focus.
- Grant Halliburton Foundation — Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation LineFree navigation help finding mental health providers and resources, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Psychology Today provider directorySearchable directory filtered by specialty, insurance, and location — useful for finding an adolescent substance use specialist near you.
This directory is provided for family convenience. Serenity High does not endorse, supervise, or receive compensation from any listed provider, and the school is independent of any single treatment facility. Verify licensure, current services, and cost directly with each organization.
Peer support
Twelve-step and family groups in North Texas
Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous hold meetings throughout McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Allen, and the surrounding communities, including meetings that welcome young people. Serenity High hosts AA and NA meetings on campus during the school day so students do not have to solve transportation to attend.
For parents and siblings, Al-Anon and Nar-Anon family groups meet across Collin County. Families consistently report these groups as the single most useful thing they did for themselves during a child’s recovery.
Campus staff can point you toward current local meeting times and toward young people’s meetings in the area.
Naloxone (Narcan)
Opioid overdose reversal medication is available without a prescription in Texas pharmacies, and free through a number of North Texas harm-reduction programs. Families of any teenager with an opioid history should keep it in the house and know how to use it. Fentanyl-involved overdose deaths among adolescents rose 182 percent between 2019 and 2021.
School-based support in your district
Every Collin County district has counselors and student support staff. If your student is not yet ready for a recovery school placement, start with your home campus counselor — and tell them plainly what is happening. They cannot help with a version of the story.
Still stuck?
Call the campus. We will help you find the right door.
Even if Serenity High is not the right placement, we know this county’s system well and we will tell you what we know.