As of July 2021, StarVista Crisis Center services, including the Teen Crisis Chat and Text Line, can be accessed on www.sanmateocrisis.org.
StarVista’s 24/7 Crisis Hotline: 650-579-0350
StarVista is here to help!
At StarVista, we support people in talking about their challenges and are working every day to reduce the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Our work is essential for reducing incidents of crisis, self-harm, and suicide. Currently, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (1), the 2nd leading cause of death among 15-34 year olds, and the 4th leading cause of death among 35-44 year olds (2).
Every suicide is unique and the contributing factors vary from person to person. What we do know is that there are risk factors affecting the likelihood that someone may contemplate suicide or act on suicidal thoughts. Risk factors can include mental and physical health concerns, or environmental challenges, like abuse, trauma, bullying, job loss, or divorce.
In 2017, the Suicide Prevention Committee of San Mateo County, alongside StarVista and local partners, created the Suicide Prevention Roadmap, which seeks to ensure resources are available to anyone reaching out for help. Dedicated staff and volunteers at our Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week educating, fostering awareness, supporting, and building resilience in our community.
StarVista’s Crisis Center
StarVista’s Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center (a.k.a. The Crisis Center) began operations in 1966 as Peninsula Suicide Prevention Inc. Since opening its doors, it has offered a range of services related to suicide prevention. Today, the Center’s essential services include:
24-hour Crisis Hotline
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- The only 24-hour, 365-day-a-year suicide and crisis hotline in San Mateo County
- Certified by the American Association of Suicidology and one of only 150 centers in the country in the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network.
- Trained staff and volunteers answer calls and direct callers toward appropriate services and care providers.
- 24-hour Crisis Hotline (FREE & ANONYMOUS): 650-579-0350 (or 800-273-8255)
- Our hotline also takes calls from the Parent Support Line and Alcohol and Drug line
To learn more, watch a panel of volunteers discuss their work here.
Teen Website and Chat Room
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- Chat room is open during the school year Monday-Thursday from 4:30 pm- 9:30 pm and summer hours are 3:30 pm – 8:30 pm
- Youth volunteers ages 14-17 serve as trained peer-counselors and answer chat messages; all chats are supervised by trained adult supervisors.
- The website also features mental health information, data, resources, and blogs.
Check out OnYourMind.net today!
Educational Presentations
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- Designed to increase knowledge, reduce stigma, and increase help seeking behaviors in youth.
- Offered to schools and communities across the county, students and adults engage in workshops on topics including mental health, suicide myths and facts, risk factors, warning signs, and how to talk to someone who is experiencing suicidal ideations.
Training and Volunteer Opportunities
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- Crisis Center Volunteers undergo 30 hours or training over 5 weeks and learn how best to engage with individuals who reach out to the center.
- Volunteer opportunities for adults (21 years+) include answering calls on the crisis line, for teens (14-17 years old) include helping out on the teen chat site, and for young adults (18-20 years old) includes becoming a teen chat supervisor. Interested in becoming a center volunteer? Click here.
- StarVista’s HAP-Y program is available to school-aged youth and young adults (ages 16-24) who are trained to become mental health ambassadors and resources in their community. To learn more about the HAP-Y program, click here. Watch a video of a recent HAP-Y graduate here.
Clinical Services
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- Our highly skilled clinicians are ready to provide counseling, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, and post-intervention support to the San Mateo County school community.
- Our highly skilled clinicians are ready to provide counseling, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, and post-intervention support to the San Mateo County school community.
Program Manager, Islam Hassanein, shares her perspective:
“As September is Suicide Prevention Month, we want to ensure that our community has accurate information and knows about all of our local resources. Unfortunately, suicide is still a very stigmatized and taboo subject. Part of how we help break down the stigma around suicide is through the work we all do at the crisis center, and it really starts with education and awareness. What we’ve noticed in every component of our program is that people actually do want to talk about suicide, but for a lot of reasons they’re not able to. What we do is provide a language for young people, adults, parents, school personnel, and community members, which gives them the tools they need to talk about suicide in a way that is more open and engaging. Personally, I’ve seen the impact of what we do and the change we’re able to make; there’s something special and unique about being able to help support some of our most vulnerable youth and adults in a non-judgmental and caring way, and every single staff and volunteer at the Crisis Center is a part of that change.”
What we do matters!
The Crisis Center’s high-impact services are reaching more folks in San Mateo County than ever before. Compared to previous years, people throughout our community are more open to having discussions about mental health and suicide prevention, and there has been a rapid increase in the demand for the Crisis Center’s educational presentations.
In 2018:
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- We served 18,897 total clients.
- Page views on onyourmind.net totaled 15,339.
- We answered 13,351 calls.
- We provided presentations to 23 county schools.
- We engaged in 183 one-on-one live teen chat sessions.
- 94% of surveyed students who attended presentations said they were more aware of the resources available to them.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Accepting applications year-round.
Training sessions occur in, January, May and September.
Opportunities for adults and teens!
Volunteer TodayWhat you can do.
Our community is full of compassionate people who want to help. As leaders in crisis intervention, StarVista’s role is to provide the resources folks need to help others who may be struggling.
Know the Warning Signs:
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- Talking about suicide or death in general
- Talking about “going away”
- Referring to things they “won’t be needing” and giving away possessions
- Talking about feeling hopeless or guilty
- Pulling away from friends or family and losing the desire to do things
- Having no desire to take part in their favorite activities
- Having trouble concentrating or thinking clearly
- Experiencing changes in their eating or sleeping habits
- Engaging in self-destructive behavior such as drinking alcohol, using drugs, or engaging in self-harm
If you’re concerned…
Listen: Let the person tell you about their feelings and situation. Don’t give advice or feel obligated to find simple solutions. Try to imagine how you would feel in their position.
Be honest: Tell them that their feelings and words scare you. If you are worried or don’t know what to say, tell them so.
Share feelings: At times, everyone feels sad, hurt, or hopeless. You can share your feelings and let the person know they are not alone.
Get help: Tell a trusted person. Although you may worry about the person getting upset, reaching out for help is the ultimate key to preventing suicide.
Where to find help
StarVista’s 24/7 Crisis Hotline: 650-579-0350
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
Spanish Lifeline: 888-628-9454
These hotlines are FREE & ANONYMOUS, no one will find out that you called. You can call the hotline if you are feeling sad, hopeless or suicidal, a family member or friend concerned about a loved one, you are interested in mental health treatment and service referrals, or if you simply need support through a personal crisis.
Additional Resources
In addition to the resources offered through the Crisis Center, below are links to additional information and resources:
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- Resource to learn about the warning signs of suicide, how to talk to someone who is experiencing suicidal ideations, and who you can turn to for support.
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- Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for individuals in distress or who need additional resources for themselves or their loved ones. Services are offered in Spanish as well.
San Mateo County Suicide Prevention Flyer
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- Behavioral Health and Recovery Services’ one-page flyer describes common warning signs exhibited by individuals who are experiencing suicidal ideations, what to do at home to make it a “safer”, and how to start a conversation with someone who is experiencing thoughts of suicide.
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- Organization dedicated to the prevention of suicide through raising public awareness in communities, and providing members with the right tools to help SAVE lives.
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- To learn more about on how suicide can be prevented, you can read more about on this website. You will find ways on how you can support a friend or someone who is experiencing thoughts of suicide, who you can contact, and how you can educate yourself on the signs.
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- Leading national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth under 25.