Mental Health Care in Massachusetts

Mental Health Facilities by City in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts cities with the most SAMHSA-listed mental health facilities. All 121 cities are listed below the table.

Crisis and Support Lines in Massachusetts

Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, any time. Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) offer 24/7 crisis care, and CBHC crisis teams can come directly to you at home, school, or elsewhere. Anyone in Massachusetts can use CBHC crisis services, with no insurance needed. The Behavioral Health Help Line (833-773-2445, call or text) connects callers with their nearest CBHC.

• Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL): 833-773-2445 (Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL)) · text 833-773-2445 · 24/7, 365 days a year

• Massachusetts crisis services

Massachusetts's Mental Health Agency

Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) oversees public mental health services in Massachusetts.

• Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH)
• Find local services through Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH)

Medicaid Mental Health Coverage in Massachusetts

Massachusetts's Medicaid program is MassHealth (Massachusetts Medicaid and CHIP); coverage types include MassHealth Standard, CommonHealth, CarePlus and Family Assistance. For MassHealth members enrolled in a Primary Care Accountable Care Organization (Primary Care ACO) or the Primary Care Clinician (PCC) Plan, behavioral health services are covered by the MassHealth behavioral health services contractor, the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership (MBHP); all other services are provided directly by MassHealth. Members enrolled in a private health plan through MassHealth get behavioral health providers through that health plan. Members not enrolled in a health plan can go to any therapist who takes MassHealth. Covered mental health services the state names include mental health and addiction services, inpatient and outpatient, outpatient behavioral health services: individual treatment, group treatment, and couples and family treatment, diagnostic evaluation, medication visits, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), psychological testing, preventive behavioral health services, adult and youth mobile crisis intervention, community crisis stabilization, intensive outpatient program and partial hospitalization, psychiatric day treatment, program of assertive community treatment (PACT), community support program, inpatient mental health services and intensive home and community-based services for youth, including in-home therapy and therapeutic mentoring. MassHealth members, including those in managed care plans, do not have to pay copayments for MassHealth covered services. The covered services list for Primary Care ACO and PCC Plan members with MassHealth Standard and CommonHealth shows no prior authorization or referral required for outpatient behavioral health services, mobile crisis intervention, or psychological testing; partial hospitalization requires prior authorization. Covered services vary by coverage type, and there may be some limits.

• MassHealth (Massachusetts Medicaid and CHIP); coverage types include MassHealth Standard, CommonHealth, CarePlus and Family Assistance mental health services
• Massachusetts Medicaid behavioral health

Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs)

Community Behavioral Health Centers are one-stop shops for a wide range of mental health and substance use services, with more than 25 locations in Massachusetts. Crisis services are available 24/7 to anyone in Massachusetts whether or not they have health insurance, and day-to-day outpatient services are covered by all MassHealth plans and some commercial insurance plans.

• Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) in Massachusetts

Check a Therapist's License in Massachusetts

Before you start, confirm your therapist or psychologist holds an active Massachusetts license.

• Psychologists: Board of Registration of Psychologists
• Mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists: Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions
• Social workers: Board of Registration of Social Workers

Guides for Your Next Step

See how to find a therapist, how sliding-scale therapy works, whether Medicaid covers therapy and the difference between a psychiatrist and a therapist.

Related on rehab.help: addiction treatment in Massachusetts.

Frequently Asked Questions