Emergency & Crisis Policies

At Bee You Therapy Center, LLC (BYTC), your safety and well-being is paramount. While I am dedicated to providing you or your child support and guidance during scheduled therapy sessions, I am not equipped to offer immediate crisis intervention or emergency services. Please carefully review the following guidelines for managing mental health emergencies and crises, should they arise:

1. Emergency Contacts and Preventative Measures

I need the contact information for an individual who I may contact on my client’s behalf in a life-threatening emergency only.

  • For minors, parents or primary caregivers are automatically listed as the emergency contacts.

  • For adults , it may be any legal adult of your choosing who is local to you and able to be physically present in an emergent situation. This individual will be contacted to go to your location or take you to the hospital in the event of an emergency. Emergency services may also need to be contacted in addition to your emergency contact, depending on the situation.

All clients agree to provide me with the name, address, and phone number of a primary emergency contact and a secondary or backup emergency contact in the event that your primary contact is unavailable when contacted.

For telehealth sessions, I need to know your location in case of an emergency. You agree to inform me of the accurate address of where you are at the beginning of each session.

You further understand that it is your responsibility to inform me of any changes to your emergency contact information or designation of status. You may withdraw an individual from your emergency contacts at any time as long as you provide another individual to take their place.

2. In Case of an Emergency

If you or your child are experiencing a mental health emergency or crisis, please do NOT wait for a therapy appointment or attempt to contact me. Instead, take one of the following actions immediately:

  • Call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room.

  • Contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.

  • Call the Community Regional Crisis Response (CR2), a 24/7 mobile crisis response and community stabilization for individuals of all ages, experiencing a behavioral health crisis: 703-527-4077 (only available to those in Arlington, City of Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William)

  • Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Text Line counselor.

You may contact me after safety has been established and after the crisis has been managed to let me know what has happened so that we can figure out how I can provide support at your next appointment.

3. Urgent Mental Health Support

If you or your child are not in immediate danger but need urgent mental health support, consider contacting one of these resources:

  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

  • The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ Support): 1-866-488-7386

  • RAINN (Sexual Assault Hotline): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

You may contact me after safety has been established and after the crisis has been managed to let me know what has happened so that we can figure out how I can provide support at your next appointment.

4. Non-Emergency Situations

If you are not in crisis and would like to reach me for non-urgent matters, you may:

  • Use the client portal to schedule or change appointments.

  • Contact me through the official communication methods provided during your intake (phone and email).

Please allow up to 48 business hours for a response to non-urgent messages.

5. Limitations of Contact Outside of Sessions

BYTC is not available for 24/7 support. I typically respond during my regular business hours.

Phone, client portal, email, and/or website contact forms are not appropriate for crisis situations and should not be used to seek emergency support.

6. Crisis Protocol During Sessions

If a client discloses intentions of self-harm or harm to others during a session, I will take necessary steps to ensure safety, including contacting emergency contacts and emergency services, if needed.

As a therapist, I am a mandated reporter in the State of Virginia and will act in compliance with legal and ethical standards when a client’s safety is at risk.

7. Safety Planning

If you or your child are concerned about managing a crisis outside of session times, we can discuss creating a personal safety plan during the next appointment. A safety plan may include:

  • Coping strategies and grounding techniques.

  • Emergency contacts, including trusted friends or family members.

  • Crisis resource numbers and local support services.

8. Understanding My Scope of Practice

While BYTC is committed to providing therapeutic support, I operate solely at an outpatient level of care and do not offer:

  • Crisis intervention or emergency behavioral health services.

  • On-call therapy or same-day appointments.

  • Medication management or emergency psychiatric care.

If you or your child are in need of any of the above supports, there may need a higher level of care or more intensive or specialized therapy services. Referrals will be provided if such a need is determined.

9. Acknowledgement

By engaging in my services at BYTC, you acknowledge that you understand and accept the limitations of my scope of practice and crisis support. I encourage my clients to be preventative and proactive about their safety and knowledge of/access to crisis resources.