The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) is pleased to announce that three community‑based providers have been selected to operate the county’s first Post-Crisis Follow-Up teams:
- Consejo Counseling & Referral Service
- Purpose Dignity Action (PDA)
- Sound Behavioral Health
Post-Crisis Follow-Up teams will provide short-term care for people who have just received treatment at a Crisis Care Center and need hands-on support transitioning to ongoing care and recovery.
Each organization brings deep experience serving our local communities and will tailor their services to meet the cultural, linguistic, and lived‑experience needs of the people they support.
These new teams complete King County’s crisis care continuum—ensuring that when someone is in a behavioral health crisis, they have:
- Someone to call: The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Someone to respond: Mobile response crisis teams, for youth and adults
- Somewhere to go: Five Crisis Care Centers opening countywide
- Someone to follow up: Short‑term post‑crisis support to help people stabilize and connect to ongoing care
Together, these services create a more accessible, connected system that meets people where they are and supports them through every step of a crisis and recovery.
“Post-Crisis Follow-Up teams are a critical part of our promise to the community and stand to help break the cycle of repeat crises,” said Dr. Susan McLaughlin, Interim Director, DCHS. “People deserve support not only during a crisis, but after it. By partnering with trusted community providers, we’re building a system that helps our most vulnerable community members move toward stability and recovery.”
As soon as someone walks in or is dropped off at a Crisis Care Center, staff will begin planning for a patient’s discharge and will at that point begin engaging post-crisis teams for patients that meet certain criteria, including for example: risk of harming self or others after their crisis, homelessness, lack of access to behavioral health care, socioeconomic status, lack of social supports, facing systemic discrimination/trauma or part of marginalized and/or underserved communities requiring Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS).
What Post‑Crisis Follow‑Up Care Looks Like
Post‑Crisis Follow‑Up is short-term care for people who have just received treatment at a Crisis Care Center’s 23-hour observation or crisis stabilization units and need hands-on support transitioning to ongoing care and recovery.
Each team includes mental health professionals, peers with lived experience and care coordinators, and anticipate being able to serve people for 30-90 days with a multidisciplinary wraparound service. Examples of care can include:
- Checking in frequently—by phone, text, or in person—to make sure someone is safe and stable
- Helping people get to appointments, including transportation to mental health, substance use, medical, or housing‑related visits
- Connecting people to longer‑term services, such as outpatient therapy, medication management, case management, or peer support
- Supporting people with basic needs, like getting ID documents, applying for benefits, employment programs or finding a safe place to stay
- Problem‑solving with the person when new challenges come up, to help prevent a crisis
- Coordinating with family, friends, or trusted community members—with the person’s permission—to rebuild a support system
- Connecting them to positive social and cultural activities to support their overall wellbeing
A significant component includes outreach to our most vulnerable populations, including people experiencing homelessness, to meet individuals where they are.
Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS)
The Crisis Care Centers Implementation Plan’s Post-Crisis Follow Up program prioritizes the need for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) because many communities in King County are inequitably impacted by barriers to accessing behavioral health care—especially Black, Indigenous and People of Color; immigrants and refugees; people experiencing homelessness; and people who speak languages other than English.
Consejo Counseling & Referral Service, Purpose Dignity Action and Sound Behavioral Health all have practical experience providing CLAS services and specialize in supporting specific cultures and communities. In practice, CLAS means:
- Services in the language a person prefers, including interpretation and translated materials
- Staff who share cultural backgrounds or lived experiences with the people they serve
- Understanding how culture, identity, and past experiences shape someone’s relationship to care
- Respecting different beliefs about mental health, healing, and family roles
- Providing care in places that feel safe and familiar, not just clinical settings
- Building trust first, especially for people who have been harmed or dismissed by systems in the past
These approaches help reduce barriers to care, improve engagement, and lead to better outcomes — especially for communities that have historically faced inequities in behavioral health access.
Discharge Planning
A top community concern is whether people leaving a Crisis Care Center will be left without support. Crisis Care Centers have robust discharge protocols for every person, including:
- A clear safety plan
- Connection to ongoing services
- Transportation home or to another preferred place
- Warm handoffs to Post-Crisis Follow Up teams when appropriate
- Coordination with housing, shelter, or family supports
- Follow‑up appointments scheduled before discharge
While most people who walk-into a Crisis Care Center—around 80%—have their needs met through the urgent care and after through the discharge protocols, the new Post-Crisis Follow-Up teams strengthen this support net by providing additional individualized support for our community members who may not have a safe place or support network to return to.
For individuals who need a higher level of care, rather than being discharged, they can receive full-service psychiatric treatment in the 23-hour observation unit, and also a place to stay and stabilize for up to 14 days onsite at Crisis Care Centers. Some of these individuals will benefit from having Post-Crisis Follow-Up teams support them after they discharge.
“After a crisis, follow‑up care and support are crucial and immediate next steps for healing and recovery”, said Katrina Egner, President and CEO of Sound Behavioral Health. “We currently have mobile crisis teams in the field 24/7 responding in-person to help people who call 988 in a crisis, and we’re honored to build on that role supporting our communities. Both our mobile rapid response crisis teams, and our future post-crisis teams focus on meeting people where they are — in their homes, in the community, wherever they feel safest.”
“For people experiencing homelessness or living without a support network, the period after a crisis can be an especially critical time,” said Tara Moss, Purpose Dignity Action, Co-Executive Director/Programs. “Our work is creating bridges to systems of care for people who have often had difficulty accessing them. We’re committed to providing that bridge with compassion and consistency.”
As more Crisis Care Centers open and the Post-Crisis Follow-Up teams launch, residents will have access to a system designed to ensure that no one has to navigate a behavioral health crisis alone—not during the crisis, and not after.