Children & Youth Crisis Wellness Center

For Families & Caregivers

When a child is having thoughts of suicide, panic attacks they can't come down from, aggression that scares the family, or a trauma reaction nobody knows how to handle, parents need one thing: a place to go and people who know what to do.

Until now, Memphis families had two options: a hospital ER that wasn't built for psychiatric crisis, or a months-long waitlist. The Children & Youth Wellness Center is the third option — and it's built specifically for kids.

Walk in anytime. We're always open.

Bring your child to 602 Malcomb Street, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

A licensed clinician will see your family within minutes and complete a full crisis evaluation in 1 to 3 hours.

By the time you leave, you'll know what's happening and what comes next.

There are 3 possible outcomes from an evaluation:

1. Outpatient follow-up: therapy and psychiatric care to start right away, with appointments already scheduled before you leave

2. 23-hour observation: a short stay in our observation suite with a clinical team watching, talking, and stabilizing your child without a full admission

3. Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) admission: a 3 to 5 day stay in our 15-bed inpatient unit when your child needs around-the-clock care to stabilize

Most kids do not need the highest level of care. We start with the least restrictive option that will keep your child safe, and we explain every step before it happens.

Who we help

The Children & Youth Wellness Center serves children and youth ages 4–17 experiencing:

• Suicidal thoughts or self-harm

• Severe anxiety, panic, or trauma reactions

• Aggression, dysregulation, or behaviors that feel out of control

• Symptoms that look like psychosis or a break from reality

• Mental health emergencies of any kind

We serve all of Memphis and Shelby County, with a special focus on families in Frayser, Whitehaven, Orange Mound, Hickory Hill, and Raleigh. These neighborhoods have historically had the fewest options.

Built for kids

Everything inside the center was designed to feel safe to a child in distress:

• Calming color palette instead of fluorescent hospital glare

• Sound-mitigating architecture so distressed kids don't escalate each other

• Sensory rooms stocked with weighted blankets, grounding tools, and regulation activities

• Age-appropriate spaces for early elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school

• Outdoor therapeutic space for movement, quiet, and fresh air

• A family parting and reengagement room — a private space for the hardest moments: the goodbye when your child is admitted, and the welcome home when they're ready

• Your family is part of the care plan

• When a child is in crisis, the whole family is in crisis. We don't separate you from your child's recovery — we build the plan with you.

Before your child is discharged, our care coordinators connect your family to ongoing therapy, psychiatric care, school support, and community resources.

Most kids step down into Alliance's outpatient clinics, where they can keep working with our therapists.

Many connect with our School-Based Behavioral Health Liaison so the support continues at school.

For families on TennCare, our Tennessee Health Link care coordinators help manage every appointment and referral.

The crisis ends. The care doesn't.

Family-Centered Care

This isn't happening to your family – we're walking with you. Our embedded Family Support Specialists understands because they've been where you are.

Services That Help

• Crisis Assessment & Stabilization Professional evaluation within minutes, not hours. We figure out what's happening and what your child needs immediately.

• Psychiatric Care On-site psychiatrists who specialize in children and adolescents. Medication management that actually makes sense for young people.

• Individual & Group Therapy Evidence-based treatment that works. Trauma-informed care that heals, not just treats symptoms.

• Family Support Because when your child is in crisis, your whole family needs support. We get that.

• Discharge Planning That Works We don't just stabilize and hope for the best. Before your child leaves, we've connected you with ongoing care, school support, and community resources.

Who We Serve

Ages 4-17 experiencing:

• Suicidal thoughts or self-harm

• Severe anxiety or panic attacks

• Aggressive behavior or violence

• PTSD symptoms

• Psychotic episodes

• Any mental health emergency

• Memphis and Shelby County families

• Services available regardless of ability to pay

Insurance & Payment

At launch, the Center accepts BlueCare/TennCare Select, United HealthCare TennCare, & WellPoint TennCare. No child will be turned away regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

Getting Help

In Crisis Right Now?

Call our 24/7 Crisis Line: 901-369-1410

Walk-In Services

602 Malcomb Street, Memphis, TN 38103

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Opening June 1st 2026

You're Not Alone

We know how scary this is. We know how helpless you feel when your child is struggling and you don't know where to turn.

But you found us. And that means your child is going to get the help they need.

We've been Memphis's largest behavioral health provider for over 40 years. We've walked with more than 22,000 families just like yours. We know the way through this.

Your child's crisis has an ending. We're here to help you find it.

The Children and Youth Crisis Wellness Center is part of Alliance Healthcare Services, Memphis's largest comprehensive behavioral health provider and proud member of the Tennessee Crisis System.