Conn. provides child psychological help

ROCKY HILL, Conn., March 14 (UPI) -- Connecticut and the United Way are providing a free service for children and adolescents experiencing emotional or behavioral crises, officials say.

In Connecticut, educators who think a student is need of help are directed to dial 2-1-1 and when prompted, press "1" for crisis. Educators can gain access to an Emergency Mobile Psychiatric Services team of nearly 150 trained mental health professionals who can respond immediately, face-to-face or by telephone, to help manage a student's behavioral or emotional crisis.

EMPS can help when a student is acting violently or dangerously, unresponsive to authority, destroying property, out of control, threatening to hurt himself/herself or others, or having a behavioral crisis that is too much for the school to handle internally, state officials say.

"Oftentimes, 9-1-1 is contacted for immediate support when a child is in crisis while dialing 2-1-1 for Emergency Mobile Psychiatric Services is a more appropriate solution," Robert Plant of the Connecticut department of children and families says in a statement. "By calling, educators can receive both immediate and ongoing support for their students while working to reduce the number of expulsions, suspensions and juvenile arrests that result from behavioral crises."

EMPS phone support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, while mobile support is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays.