The Crisis Clinic’s Local Support Empowers Those in Need
50+ Years of Local, Compassionate Crisis Support — Available 24/7
When life is bleak, many people turn to family and friends for emotional, spiritual, and even financial support. But sometimes our crises feel utterly overwhelming due to isolation, addiction, abuse, poverty, or despair. Resources like the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline are a tremendous help but their counselors may not have the local experience and regional knowledge to meet you where you are, in the moment. Locally, we’re blessed to have the Crisis Clinic of Thurston and Mason Counties. For more than 50 years, this 24/7/365 phone helpline has provided compassionate support and local resource information to those in need, judgement-free and with compassion, respect, and empathy.
50 Years of Combining Knowledge and Resources to Help Local Residents in Crisis
Holly Wetzel is the Crisis Clinic’s Executive Director. She explains that the organization began at The Evergreen State College and received thousands of calls in their first year alone. They were so busy, the school even set aside a dorm for phone-line volunteers.
The Crisis Clinic was a merger of four emergency after-hours lines operating in the Olympia area: Community Mental Health, Youth Emergency Service, Interaction Foundation, and The Evergreen State College. Wetzel says that by providing trained, one-on-one crisis and emotional support “we create a space where our community can slow down, be heard anonymously without judgement, so they can begin to sort through what comes next,”
Today, the Crisis Clinic offers two access points, one for adults and the other for teens. Calls to the dedicated youth line are answered by trained teen crisis line advocates, offering peer-to-peer compassion.
Training Volunteer Crisis Line Advocates to Handle it All
For all ages, volunteer training is a five-to-six-week intensive program of more than 60 hours, with continuing education throughout the year. Topics include understanding crisis, connecting across diverse values, listening and empathy, empowered problem solving, healthy boundaries, suicidality, relationship/interpersonal violence, mental health issues, substance use disorder, self-care and vicarious trauma, youth mental health crisis response, grief, and loss. Because the Crisis Clinic is local, they can train volunteers in our community’s specific resources for those in need. “Many crises stem from material needs,” says Wetzel. “Advocates are trauma informed and trained in our community’s available resources. People who are food- and housing-insecure need in-the-moment emotional support to help untangle what they’re feeling so they can start to think about next steps. Our advocates can then talk through options and provide referrals to local resources that could support the caller after the call.”
In-person sessions take place quarterly with the next opportunity taking place in May 2026. If you have questions about volunteering, contact Reyna Flores at rflores@crisis-clinic.org or fill out the online volunteer application to get started.
The Crisis Center That Respects Every Call and Caller
The Crisis Clinic believes that dignity and autonomy are foundational to crisis support and doesn’t force intervention or require details like name or address to proceed. If a caller needs in-person support and agrees to emergency services or extra intervention, advocates will instigate a three-way call and talk them through the handoff to trained, trusted partners.
“We meet callers with whatever they’re ready and willing to share,” says Wetzel. Caller ID is never used and personal information only collected if the caller specifically agrees to the inclusion of first responders or other agencies.
Decades of experience have built strong community partnerships. Callers may be referred to:
• Family Support Center of South Sound
• Franklin Street Harm Reduction
• Catholic Community Services – For Children’s Mobile Crisis
• Olympic Health & Recovery Services – For Adult Mobile Crisis
• South Sound Behavioral Hospital
• Monarch Children’s Justice & Advocacy Center
• Turning Pointe Survivor Advocacy Center
• And many more!
Local Crisis Support Thrives on Local Giving
Because the Crisis Clinic is a volunteer agency, they rely on donations and sponsorships. Answering more than 10,000 calls each year from a dedicated, local call center building comes with a cost. Monthly giving donors, dubbed the Hope Collective, can provide support for the price of a few coffees by texting ‘Crisis’ to 269-89 or clicking the website’s donation button.
Hope Collective members receive exclusive updates and invitations but anyone can sign up for the e-newsletter or follow the group on Facebook and Instagram.
“Being a local service ran by people who know this community makes it truly special,” says Wetzel, no matter the day, time, or reason for each interaction.
Spread the word about this amazing resource because you just never know what your family, friends, and neighbors are struggling with unseen. The number for the Crisis Line is 360.586.2800 and the Teen/Youth Line is 360.586.2777. It might just be a lifeline for yourself or someone you love.
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