A free guide from Cima Find Care

Free and low-cost therapy in Dallas

No insurance, not much money, or on Medicaid? You can still get help in Dallas and Dallas County. Here are the places to call, what each one does, who qualifies and how to get started.

Updated October 25, 2026. We checked each phone number on the organization's own website or a state or federal agency's. General information, not medical, legal or insurance advice.

If you need help now: call 911 in an emergency. In a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988, any time. In Dallas County you can also call NTBHA's 24/7 crisis line, 866-260-8000.

Help right now

Call 911 if someone is in danger or has a medical emergency.
Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free, private and open 24/7, and you don't have to be suicidal to call. For Spanish, call and press 2. Veterans can press 1.
Call NTBHA's crisis hotline, 866-260-8000 (or 844-672-5700). It's the 24/7 crisis line for Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro and Rockwall counties, answered by trained mental health professionals.
In person, any hour: the Deflection Center at Homeward Bound, 5300 University Hills Blvd., Dallas, is open 24/7. You can walk in on your own to get linked to mental health or substance use care.

NTBHA and Metrocare: Dallas County's public mental health system

Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC) names a local authority for every county: the public agency that provides or arranges mental health and substance use care for people who are uninsured, have little money, or have Medicaid or Medicare. For Dallas County, it's the North Texas Behavioral Health Authority (NTBHA), which also covers Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro and Rockwall counties.

How it works: NTBHA pays a network of clinics to provide care, including Metrocare Services and Child and Family Guidance Center, which sees children, teens and adults. If you qualify, you can choose any provider in its network.
Who qualifies: NTBHA serves people of all ages, whatever their ability to pay, with sliding-fee discounts for people facing financial hardship. A financial assessment decides what you'll pay.
How to start: call NTBHA Care Coordination, 800-241-8716, for Dallas County, or 469-780-9159 for the other five counties.

Or call Metrocare directly. Metrocare's Connect Center, 214-743-6164, answers payment questions and connects you with the right service. No referral needed. If you're uninsured, a financial assessment shows whether you qualify for sliding-fee or free care. Bring a photo ID, proof you live in Dallas County and, if you're uninsured, proof of income.

Live in Collin, Denton or another county near Dallas? Your local authority is different: look it up with HHSC's Find Your Local Mental Health or Behavioral Health Authority, or call 2-1-1.

Help with drinking or drugs

Texas pays for substance use treatment for people who can't afford it. The front door is called OSAR: Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral. An OSAR screens you for free and connects you with state-funded treatment. HHSC says the only requirement is that you live in Texas. State-funded treatment is for adults whose income and resources qualify, and some pay part of the cost.

NTBHA's OSAR team: call 844-275-0600 or email [email protected]. It's confidential. The team helps you look at your use and refers you to treatment in NTBHA's network.
What the network offers: outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment, withdrawal care (detox), medication for opioid use disorder, and residential treatment. Homeward Bound and Metrocare are two of the providers.
HHSC's OSAR page lists every OSAR by region, or call 2-1-1 (877-541-7905) and ask for one.

SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, is free, private and open 24/7 in English and Spanish, and can point you to state-funded and sliding-scale programs. So can FindTreatment.gov.

Sliding-scale and low-cost counseling

A sliding scale means the fee goes down when your income is lower. When you call, ask what you'd pay at your income, and have a photo ID, proof of address and proof of income ready. Low-cost clinics often have waitlists, so it's fine to call two or three. If things get worse while you wait, call or text 988.

Community health centers

Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are community clinics funded by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). They see you with or without insurance, charge on a sliding scale by income and family size, and can't turn you away because you can't pay.

Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic has several Dallas locations, and behavioral health is one of its services alongside primary care, pediatrics and dentistry. It serves people regardless of income, insurance or ability to pay; uninsured patients pay on a sliding scale set at a first income screening. Call 214-540-0300. Find more centers near your ZIP code with HRSA's Find a Health Center.

University training clinics

Graduate students see clients while licensed faculty supervise them closely. Fees are low.

Clinic	What to know	Call
SMU Psychology Clinic	Therapy for children and adults by doctoral students in clinical psychology. Free intake, then $10 to $80 a session by income. Adults join a waitlist first.	214-768-2398
SMU Center for Family Counseling 6116 N. Central Expressway	Counseling by master's students in counseling. Free intake, then a sliding scale up to $45 a session. Doesn't bill insurance or Medicaid.	214-768-6789

Free support: NAMI North Texas

NAMI North Texas, the local NAMI for Dallas, Collin, Denton and Rockwall counties, runs free, peer-led classes and support groups for people living with a mental health condition and their families. It isn't therapy, but it's real support while you wait. Call 214-341-7133.

If you also need a doctor

Parkland Financial Assistance lowers the cost of care at Parkland for Dallas County residents with income below 250% of the federal poverty level. It isn't insurance. Call 214-590-8831.

Medicaid and CHIP

Medicaid and CHIP cover mental health and substance use care. Texas Medicaid covers children, pregnant women, some parents and caretakers with limited income, people with disabilities and people 65 and older. Texas hasn't expanded Medicaid to most other adults, so many adults without children don't qualify. CHIP covers children in families that earn too much for Medicaid.

Apply at YourTexasBenefits.com, or call 2-1-1 (877-541-7905), pick a language and press 2. Help is free. If you don't qualify for Medicaid, the state checks your children for CHIP.
You'll pick a health plan. Most Texans with Medicaid get it through a health plan they choose (called managed care). Call the member services number on your card to find therapists in your plan. To choose or change plans, call the Texas Enrollment Broker, 800-964-2777.

Our guide to using insurance for therapy in Texas explains the programs and what to ask your plan.

How Cima Find Care can help

Cima Find Care is a free directory of Texas therapists, counselors, addiction counselors (LCDCs), recovery coaches, psychiatric prescribers and treatment programs, and we check each provider's Texas license (how listings work). We're adding providers now, so the listings are still growing. If you don't find a fit yet, the places above can help today.

Find your fit: five quick questions. Under "How will you pay?" choose "I'll pay myself" or your Medicaid plan; under "What matters to you?" tick "Sliding scale".
Search Texas providers: set Insurance to "I'll pay myself" to see providers who list a self-pay rate or sliding scale, or pick Texas Medicaid or your plan.
Video visits anywhere in Texas: a provider licensed in Texas can see you by video wherever you are in the state.
How to choose a therapist: what the letters mean, how to check a license, and what to ask on a first call.

If weekly therapy isn't enough, read IOP vs PHP vs weekly therapy. Know someone in Fort Worth or Houston? See low-cost therapy in Fort Worth and in Houston.

Questions people ask

Is there really free therapy in Dallas?

For some people, yes. If you're uninsured, Metrocare may provide care free of charge after a financial assessment, and NAMI North Texas classes and groups are free for everyone. University clinics and community health centers are low-cost rather than free.

What's the difference between NTBHA and Metrocare?

NTBHA is the public authority that funds care for people who qualify in Dallas and five nearby counties. Metrocare is one of the clinics in its network, where you actually get seen. You can start with either one.

Can I get help for drinking or drug use without insurance?

Yes. Call NTBHA's OSAR team at 844-275-0600. The screening is free, and they refer you to treatment in NTBHA's network if you qualify.