More Than a Number: The Impact of 988 on Reimagining Mental Health Crisis Care OD039

An on-demand video and transcript of the presentation are available here [opens in new tab].

About The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. They are an alliance of more than 650 local Affiliates and 49 State organizations who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education to people with mental illness and their loved ones. Through awareness, advocacy and education, NAMI is committed to building stronger communities and a better future for everyone affected by mental illness.

Course Summary

Practice Level: Beginner

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by NAMI, examines how the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can serve as an entry point to a coordinated crisis continuum and what communities need to build beyond the hotline to improve safety, access, and outcomes. The training reviews system components that resolve many crises without hospitalization or law enforcement involvement, including crisis call/text/chat centers, mobile crisis teams, and crisis receiving and stabilization options that provide timely, clinically appropriate care. Real-world implementation issues such as funding mechanisms, workforce capacity, coordination between 988 and 911, and equity considerations so that crisis response is predictable and effective across settings and populations are explored.

The course, with an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, strengthens clinical and systems-level decision-making for crisis triage, de-escalation pathways, and coordinated care that reduce harm and improve linkage to behavioral health services.

Course Format

This course contains a participant guide, practice test, and on-demand video. When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the core components of a behavioral health crisis continuum associated with 988.
2. Describe recommended coordination pathways between 988, 911, mobile crisis teams, and law enforcement for safe, timely crisis response.
3. Analyze implementation barriers and facilitators for crisis system scale-up, including financing, workforce capacity, and equitable access.

Course Syllabus

• 988 overview, access modalities, and what callers can expect
• Crisis continuum design: “someone to contact,” “someone to respond,” and “a safe place for help”
• Crisis system operations: triage, dispatch, warm handoffs, and coordination with 911/law enforcement
• Implementation considerations: funding mechanisms, workforce needs, measurement, and equity

Current References

Bornheimer, L. A., Lapidos, A., Brdar, N. M., Campbell, M., Palaniappan, G. S., Song, J., Miner, C., Anderson, E., Hoener, K., Florence, T., Sperry, S. H., & Ilgen, M. A. (2026). Modifying an intervention to increase use of the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline among patients with bipolar disorder in community mental health. Journal of Affective Disorders, 397, 120922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.120922[opens in new tab]

Mannix, A., & Thompson, L. (2014, August 7). Ruling that bans “psychiatric boarding” has health officials scrambling. The Seattle Times.

National Academy of Sciences, & National Research Council. (1966). Accidental death and disability: The neglected disease of modern society. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9978[opens in new tab]

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2023). Poll of public perspectives on 988 & crisis response (2023).https://www.nami.org/research/publications-reports/survey-reports/poll-of-public-perspectives-on-988-crisis-response-2023/[opens in new tab]  

NRI, Inc. (2025). Behavioral health crisis system outcomes and information technology, 2025 (NRI’s 2024–2025 state profiles).https://nri-inc.org/media/oasjth4g/nri-report-on-bh-crisis-system-outcome-august-2025-update_september-2025.pdf[opens in new tab] 

Peters, R. L., Fine, J., Newton, H., Dalack, G. W., Watson, A., & Hassmiller Lich, K. (2026). Mobile crisis effectiveness: A systematic review and associated functions and forms framework. BMC Health Services Research, 26, 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13806-2[opens in new tab]

Purtle, J., Mauri, A. I., Bandara, S., & Stuart, E. A. (2025). Use of the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline at national, regional, and state levels. JAMA Network Open, 8(6), e2514323. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.14323[opens in new tab]

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2020). National guidelines for behavioral health crisis care: A best practice toolkit.https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/national-guidelines-for-behavioral-health-crisis-care-02242020.pdf[opens in new tab]  

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2025). 2025 national guidelines for a behavioral health coordinated system of crisis care.https://library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/national-guidelines-crisis-care-pep24-01-037.pdf[opens in new tab]

U.S. Congress. (2020). National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, Pub. L. No. 116-172.https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-116publ172[opens in new tab] 

Wamsley, L. (2023, July 15). 988 mental health crisis line gets 5 million calls, texts and chats in first year. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/15/1187862144/988-mental-health-crisis-line-gets-5-million-calls-texts-and-chats-in-first-year[opens in new tab]

Instructors

David W. Covington, LPC, MBA, CEO & President of RI International

David W. Covington, LPC, MBA, is CEO and President of RI International (d/b/a for Recovery Innovations, Inc.). He is a behavioral health innovator, entrepreneur, and storyteller. He is also a partner in Behavioral Health Link, founder of the Five Lanes Crisis Partners family of companies and Crisis Now Academy consulting and training business, producer of the Moving America’s Soul on Suicide film series and founder of the international initiatives Crisis Talk and Hope Inc. Stories. David also hosts and curates the popular weekly 988 “Crisis Jam” Learning Community in partnership with SAMHSA and NASMHPD.

Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer at NAMI

Since 2021, Hannah Wesolowski has served as Chief Advocacy Officer at NAMI. She leads NAMI’s Government Relations, Policy & Advocacy team, which develops NAMI’s policy positions, advances NAMI’s federal priorities and supports the policy work of NAMI’s Alliance at the state and local level. Hannah and her team work with NAMI’s advocates nationwide and with partners and policymakers to enact policies that will improve the lives of all people affected by mental health conditions. She believes in the power of advocates sharing their stories to advance research, increase mental health funding, improve access to care, support youth and young adults, expand social supports and decriminalize mental illness.

Nicole Errickson, LCSW

Nicole is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Georgia. She brings over 19 years experience in the social work field, primarily working in school systems as a school social worker and with the McKinney-Vento grant. Over her career, Nicole has had several opportunities to help develop and execute professional development events. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Alabama and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama.

Accreditation Approval Statements

CE4Less.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE4Less.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

CE4Less.com, provider #1115, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/08/2024–08/08/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1 general continuing education credits.

Level Education Group, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0835.

Level Education Group, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0355.

We are committed to providing our learners with unbiased information. CE4Less never accepts commercial support and our authors have no significant financial or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.