Free & Low-Cost Mental Health Care in Spartanburg
The Difference Between "In Crisis" and "Needs Ongoing Support"
The system handles these two things differently. If you're in active crisis (suicidal thoughts, psychotic episode, severe mental health emergency), you need crisis services first. If you need therapy, counseling, or medication management for ongoing mental health care, you need a different kind of provider. This guide covers both.
Crisis Resources
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
📞 Call or text 988
The national mental health crisis line. Call or text 988 anytime — trained counselors available 24/7. Also available en Español. Chat available at 988lifeline.org. No insurance required — completely free.
Crisis Text Line
📱 Text HOME to 741741
Free, confidential crisis support via text. Available 24/7. Good if you can't or don't want to talk on the phone. Staffed by trained crisis counselors.
Spartanburg Community Mental Health Center
Walk-in crisis stabilization available during business hours. After-hours crisis support via the main line. Sliding fee scale — serves uninsured patients. 250 Dewey Ave, Spartanburg. Also provides ongoing outpatient therapy and psychiatric medication management.
Ongoing Therapy & Outpatient Mental Health
Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center
State-funded community mental health center. Sliding fee scale — payment is based on income, never turned away for inability to pay. Provides individual therapy, group therapy, case management, and psychiatric medication evaluation and management. Primary outpatient mental health resource in Spartanburg for uninsured patients. Call to schedule an intake appointment.
Regenesis Health Care – Behavioral Health
As a Federally Qualified Health Center, Regenesis offers behavioral health services integrated with primary care on a sliding fee scale. Counselors and social workers available. Good option if you also need primary care and want to coordinate in one place.
Peer Support & Community Groups
Peer support — talking with others who have lived experience with mental health challenges — is often as effective as professional therapy for many people, and it's always free.
NAMI Spartanburg
📞 NAMI Helpline: 1-800-626-4327
National Alliance on Mental Illness — Spartanburg chapter. Offers free support groups (NAMI Connection), family education programs (Family-to-Family), and a warmline. No cost. Meetings held in Spartanburg — call or check nami.org/Support-Education to find current schedule.
Beckman Center – Community Programs
The Beckman Center offers psychosocial rehabilitation and peer support programs for adults with serious mental illness. Includes social activities, skills training, and job preparation. Works alongside Spartanburg Community Mental Health services.
Substance Use & Co-Occurring Disorders
Mental health and substance use issues often occur together. Both deserve treatment at the same time.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral and information service for mental health and substance use disorders. Can connect you with local treatment programs, including those that take no insurance or sliding-scale fees.
- AA Spartanburg — Multiple meetings weekly. See our AA & NA Meeting Finder.
- NA Spartanburg — Narcotics Anonymous meetings throughout the week. Same page.
- Spartanburg Community Mental Health offers dual-diagnosis treatment for those dealing with both mental illness and substance use.
If You Have Medicaid
If you have SC Medicaid (SC Healthy Connections), you can access covered mental health services from any Medicaid-enrolled provider. The Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center and Regenesis both accept Medicaid. Medicaid also covers most psychiatric medications at low or no cost.
Online & App-Based Options
If in-person therapy feels like too much right now, or wait lists are long, these free digital options can help bridge the gap:
- 7 Cups (7cups.com) — Free online emotional support chat with trained volunteers. Also offers affordable therapy.
- MindShift CBT — Free app for anxiety using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques.
- Woebot — Free app using CBT and evidence-based techniques for depression and anxiety.
- 988 Chat (988lifeline.org/chat) — Text-based crisis support, no phone call needed.