Emergencies & Crisis Assistance

 Call 911


Life-threatening emergencies, please call 911.


If you are in the Charleston area and it is not a life threatening emergency

TCC has an on-call crisis counselor for emergencies.

  • Call 843.953.5609 (non emergency Public Safety) and request to speak with the Counselor on-call
  • Or you can use National 24 hours a day resources:  Crisis Text Line: Text “Home” to 741741 to reach Crisis

If you are outside of the Charleston area or in another state:

  • Call 211 (the National phone number for community information and referral services)
  • Or use the National Crisis Services by:


Immediate Threat

Speak directly about your concerns and request that an officer do a welfare check to make sure the student is safe. Examples of immediate threats:

  • They are suicidal which could include the following threats
    • Threatening to kill themselves
    • They have a weapon.
    • Injured or hurt themselves
    • Attempting to kill themselves
    • They cannot commit to keeping themselves safe.
    • They have injured or hurt themselves and require medical attention
    • They have taken too many pills or mixed pills with other substances including overdoses of illicit substances or medications.
    • They are intoxicated and/or high and in danger of overdosing.
    • Unexplained confusion, disorientation, paranoia, or hallucination (visual or auditory)
    • They have threatened or attempted to harm someone else
      • Including preoccupation with homicidal thoughts and thoughts of revenge and/or has a plan to injure or kill another.
      • Has access to a weapon.

 Urgent Mental Health Needs

  • Talking about making references to suicide or death
    • Statements like: “Everyone would be better off without me,” “I don’t know how much longer I can go on,” “Nothing will matter soon anyway,” “No one will notice if I’m gone,” 
    • History of past serious suicidal thoughts or attempts. 
  • Engaging in self-injury, but not needing immediate medical attention
  • Experience of a recent trauma
  • Exhibiting highly erratic or unusual behavior
  • If there are serious concerns about the welfare or safety of a student
  • Has experienced the loss of a close family member or friend to suicide.
  • Has a history of harm to others and/or is currently rageful and preoccupied by this anger toward another or others, but has not disclosed a plan to harm another or threatened homicide. 

 Crisis assistance is different from a regular counseling appointment. A provider will conduct a brief risk assessment and then provide the appropriate support, resources, and stabilization necessary to ensure safety. The student may be referred for a follow-up care with a provider within Counseling Services or a community resource, as appropriate. 

Serious Concern

If the student displays warning signs of a mental health disorder and/or long-term concerns (self-injury, disordered eating, chronic depression, increased substance use, etc.) but clearly denies thoughts of harm:

Community and National Resources

Community

  • Mobile Crisis: 843.414.2350
  • Institute of Psychiatry (IOP), MUSC, 843.792.9888
  • National Crime Victims Center, MUSC, 843.792.8209
  • Charleston/Dorchester County Mental Health, Chas: 843.852.4100, Dorch: 843.873.5063
  • Berkeley County Mental Health, 843.761.8282

National

  • Crisis Text Line, text “home” to 741741
  • National Crisis Line (National Suicide Prevention, you don’t have to be suicidal to call), 1.800.273.TALK (8255)

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