In an emergency, start here
If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911. AdventHealth Polk in Columbus, formerly St. Luke's Hospital, is a critical access hospital whose emergency room is open 24 hours a day, every day; its main number is 828-894-3311.
For a mental health or suicidal crisis, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential and available 24/7. Veterans can dial 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, or text 838255.
Laura Bass Counseling is not a crisis service. Messages and calls to the practice are not monitored for emergencies, so please use one of the numbers on this page instead.
Crisis help in Polk County, North Carolina
The NC Department of Health and Human Services lists Vaya Health as the organization that manages public mental health and substance use services for Polk County. Its crisis services are where to turn on the North Carolina side.
- Vaya Health Behavioral Health Crisis Line: 1-800-849-6127, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Vaya says it can give crisis help by phone and arrange a face-to-face assessment from a mobile crisis provider, free of charge. On Vaya's map, Polk County's mobile crisis provider is RHA Health Services.
- Walk-in center in Columbus: Vaya lists Blue Ridge Health, 161 Walker Street, Columbus, 828-894-2222, as Polk County's walk-in center. Walk-in centers are open regular weekday business hours and offer same-day assessments with no appointment.
- Nearest behavioral health urgent care and adult crisis unit: Vaya lists RHA Health Services' Asheville C3 Comprehensive Care Center and the Neil Dobbins Center, both at 356 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville.
- NC Peer Warmline: 1-855-733-7762 (855-PEERS-NC), for a conversation with someone who has personal experience with mental health or substance use challenges. English only.
- Vaya Member and Recipient Service Line, for non-urgent help finding services with NC Medicaid or no insurance: 1-800-962-9003, Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Crisis help in Spartanburg and Greenville counties, South Carolina
South Carolina's public mental health system is run by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (BHDD), which replaced the old Department of Mental Health. Note that the old agency web address is no longer the state's site; use bhdd.sc.gov.
- SC Mobile Crisis: 833-364-2274, toll-free. BHDD says its mobile crisis clinicians respond 24/7/365 anywhere in South Carolina.
- Crisis Text Line: text HOPE4SC to 741741.
- Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center, for Landrum, Campobello, Inman and the rest of Spartanburg County: 864-585-0366, 250 Dewey Avenue, Spartanburg.
- Greater Greenville Mental Health Center, for Gowensville, Travelers Rest and the rest of Greenville County: 864-241-1040, 124 Mallard Street, Greenville.
Ongoing support: mental health groups and older adults
Crisis lines are for the worst moments. The organizations below are for the longer stretch, for you or for a family member supporting someone else.
- NAMI South Mountains covers Polk County, along with Rutherford, Cleveland, Burke, Lincoln and Gaston counties. It offers peer-led support groups and classes including Family-to-Family and Peer-to-Peer. Office 828-229-3338; helpline 828-771-6305.
- NAMI Spartanburg: 864-406-8126, 358A Serpentine Drive, Spartanburg.
- NAMI Greenville: call or text 864-331-3300. Its site lists free peer-led Connection groups, family support groups and Family-to-Family, an eight-session class it lists as free.
- NAMI HelpLine (national): 1-800-950-6264, or text 62640.
- Senior Life Solutions at AdventHealth Polk, Columbus: an intensive outpatient counseling program for adults over 65 dealing with depression, anxiety or trauma. Anyone can make a referral at 828-894-9890.
- The Meeting Place senior center, 75 Carmel Lane, Columbus, run by Polk County for residents aged 60 and older: 828-894-0001, weekdays 8:30 to 4:30.
Grief support near Tryon
The National Institute on Aging notes that hospice teams often provide bereavement support, and that you can ask hospice workers for it even if hospice was not involved before the death.
- Four Seasons Grief Services (Flat Rock): open to anyone grieving a death, not only families of its hospice patients, at no cost. Adult groups meet for six sessions. 828-692-6178, ask for Grief Services.
- Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, now part of Agape Care Group, has a Saluda location and offers grief support to the families and close friends of its patients for up to a year, plus a virtual grief group. Grief Support Coordinators: 1-833-608-3280.
- Spartanburg Regional Hospice offers bereavement support to the families of its patients: 864-560-5620.
When grief needs more than a group
Groups help many people. Some losses call for one-to-one time as well. Grief counseling in Tryon describes what that looks like with Laura, who lists grief and loss among the concerns she works with.
Domestic violence and abuse
Couples counseling is not a safe setting where one partner is afraid of the other. Individual support and a trained advocate are the right first steps.
- Steps to Hope, Polk County: 24-hour hotline 828-894-2340. It offers counseling, emergency shelter, legal help with orders of protection, and a women's support group.
- Project R.E.S.T., Spartanburg County: confidential 24-hour hotline 864-583-9803 or 800-273-5066, with emergency shelter.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788. See thehotline.org.
- Concerns about abuse, neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult in Polk County: Polk County Health and Human Services, Social and Economic Services, 828-894-2100 on weekdays; after hours, 828-894-0187.
After the crisis: finding a counselor
Once things are steadier, regular counseling can help with what led up to the crisis and what comes after it. Laura Bass works with adults, 18 and over, in individual counseling and couples counseling, and has a part-time office at The Healing Cottage in Columbus. She is licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina. To ask about working together, call 704-706-3264 or use the contact page.
For other local options, see the guide to therapists in Tryon and Polk County, choosing a therapist in Tryon, and the full Tryon counseling guide. South Carolina readers may also want seeing a therapist near Landrum.
Common questions
Who do I call for a mental health crisis in Polk County, NC?
Call or text 988 at any hour, or call Vaya Health's Behavioral Health Crisis Line at 1-800-849-6127, which is answered 24 hours a day and can arrange a mobile crisis visit. On weekdays, Blue Ridge Health in Columbus, 828-894-2222, offers same-day walk-in assessments. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Is there mobile crisis in Landrum or Inman, SC?
Yes. South Carolina's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities runs SC Mobile Crisis at 833-364-2274, toll-free. It says its clinicians respond 24/7/365 anywhere in South Carolina, which includes Landrum, Campobello, Inman and Gowensville. You can also call or text 988, or text HOPE4SC to 741741.
Can I call Laura Bass in a crisis?
No. Laura Bass Counseling is not a crisis service, and its phone and inquiry form are not monitored for emergencies. In a crisis, call or text 988, call Vaya Health at 1-800-849-6127 in North Carolina or SC Mobile Crisis at 833-364-2274 in South Carolina, or call 911 if anyone is in danger.
Where can I find free grief support near Tryon?
Four Seasons Grief Services in Flat Rock says its services are open to anyone who has had a loved one die, not only hospice families, and are provided at no cost; call 828-692-6178 and ask for Grief Services. If a loved one was cared for by a hospice, ask that hospice about its bereavement support as well.