Nobody reads the Welfare and Institutions Code for pleasure. People arrive at a statute the way they arrive at an emergency room: sideways, at a bad hour, with a specific question. This page is arranged that way. Find the moment you are in; the section number and the plain-English page are beside it.
Every page below quotes the statute it rests on, names the section, and was read against the current text on the date it shows.¹ Where a page says a rule is changing — the Medi-Cal retroactive window in 2027, the public-charge rule in September 2026 — the date is on the page.
During a crisis
- What a 5150 is, and what the officer must say. W&I §5150. What is a 5150 hold? →
- Getting help without police. Mobile crisis, 988, and the county line. Getting help in a crisis without calling the police →
- Calling 911 without losing your home. Civ. Code §1946.8; Gov. Code §53165.1. Can I be evicted for calling 911 during a crisis? →
- Getting the guns out of the house. Penal Code §§18150–18185. Can I ask a court to take a family member's guns? →
- Deciding in advance. Probate Code advance directives for psychiatric care. Psychiatric advance directives in California →
In the hospital
- After the 72 hours. W&I §§5250, 5256 — certification and the review hearing. What happens after the 72 hours? →
- Medication against your will. W&I §5332 and the capacity hearing. Can they medicate me against my will? →
- What the unit must tell your family. W&I §§5328, 5328.1. The hospital won't tell me anything. Now what? →
- A minor on a hold. W&I §§5585.50, 5585.53; Ed. Code §48906. My child was put on a hold. What happens now? →
- Admitted by a parent, aged 14 to 17. W&I §6552. My parents put me in a psychiatric hospital. Do I get any say? →
- Conservatorship and CARE Court. W&I §§5350, 5970 ff. Someone you love won't get help →
After the hospital: the records and the bills
- What a hold leaves on record. W&I §§5328, 8103(f); no DMV reporting. Does a 5150 go on my record? →
- Guns after a hold. W&I §8103. Will going to therapy cost me my guns? →
- The hospital bill. HSC §§127400–127425 — financial assistance to 400 percent of poverty. Do I have to pay a hospital bill after a psychiatric hold? →
- The ambulance bill. HSC §§1371.56, 1797.233. What can an ambulance charge after a 5150? →
- The out-of-network psychiatrist's bill. HSC §1371.9; 45 CFR §§149.410, 149.420. The hospital was in network. The psychiatrist wasn't. →
- Medi-Cal for a bill from before you applied. 42 CFR §435.915; W&I §14019.4. Can Medi-Cal pay a bill from before I applied? →
- A therapy bill you cannot pay. SB 1061 and the Rosenthal Act. What happens if I can't pay my therapy bill? →
Insurance
- Ten business days. HSC §1367.03; 28 CCR §1300.67.2.2. You have a legal right to a therapy appointment within 10 business days →
- Parity and residential care. HSC §§1374.72, 1374.721. Does my insurance have to cover residential treatment or IOP? →
- The free appeal. HSC §1374.30. The free appeal that overturns three out of four therapy denials →
- When the therapist leaves the network. HSC §1373.96. My therapist left my insurance network →
- Self-funded plans. ERISA and what remains. Your employer self-funds the plan →
- Medi-Cal, immigration, and the public-charge date. Can I get therapy through Medi-Cal if I'm undocumented? →
Work
- Leave. CFRA, FMLA, paid sick leave, SDI. Yes, you can take paid leave from work for your mental health → · CFRA or FMLA: which one covers you? → · Can I get paid during mental health leave? → · Can I be fired for taking mental health leave? →
- Sick leave for a session. Labor Code §246.5. Can I use sick leave for a therapy appointment? →
- Accommodations without a diagnosis. Gov. Code §12940(m); 2 CCR §11069. You do not have to tell your employer your diagnosis →
- An ordered psychological exam. Gov. Code §12940(f); Civ. Code §56.10(c)(8). Can my employer make me see a psychologist? →
- Coming back. 2 CCR §11091. Returning to work after mental health leave →
- Time off after violence. Gov. Code §12945.8. Can I take time off after domestic violence? →
- Quitting, and unemployment. UI Code §1256; 22 CCR §1256-15. Can I get unemployment if I quit for my mental health? →
- A work-caused injury. Labor Code §3208.3. A work-caused mental health claim in California →
Home
- Breaking a lease after abuse. Civ. Code §1946.7. Can I break my lease after domestic violence? →
- A changed rule, a moved due date, a live-in aide. Gov. Code §12927(c); 2 CCR §§12176, 12178. Can I ask my landlord for a mental health accommodation? →
- An assistance animal. HSC §122318. Can my therapist write me an emotional support animal letter? →
Money for the victim of a crime
- The state fund. Gov. Code §§13953–13957. Who pays for therapy after a crime in California? →
- The advocate's confidentiality. Evid. Code §§1035–1037. Is what I tell a rape crisis counselor confidential? →
Privacy
- What a therapist must report. Penal Code §§11166, 11165.7; W&I §15630. What does a therapist have to report? →
- The privilege and its exceptions. Evid. Code §1014; Civ. Code §43.92. Is therapy confidential? →
- Records in court. Can my therapy records be subpoenaed? → · Can my therapy be used against me in a custody case? → · What is a custody evaluation? → · Is court-ordered therapy confidential? →
- Addiction records. 42 CFR Part 2. Are addiction treatment records more private? →
- Your own records. HSC §§123110, 123115. How to get my therapy records →
- The therapist's own notes. 45 CFR §§164.501, 164.508, 164.524; HSC §123115(b). What are psychotherapy notes, and who can see them? →
- Recording a session. Penal Code §632. Can I record my therapy session? →
- The app in between. Civ. Code §§56.05, 56.06(d), 56.36. What happens to my data on therapy apps? →
School, teens and parents
- Consent at 12. HSC §124260; Fam. Code §6924. Can my teenager see a therapist without my consent? → · You can get a therapist without your parents →
- Living apart at 15. Fam. Code §6922; Minor Consent Medi-Cal. I'm 16 and on my own. Can I get therapy and Medi-Cal? →
- Leaving school for a confidential appointment. Ed. Code §46010.1. Can my teen leave school for a confidential appointment? →
- A mental health day. Ed. Code §48205(a)(1). Can my kid take a mental health day? →
- The school counselor. Ed. Code §49602. Can a school counselor tell my parents? →
- 504 plans and IEPs. When anxiety or depression is wrecking school →
- The school's file. Ed. Code §§49069.7, 49061, 56504. How do I get my child's school records and evaluations? →
- A suspension with an IEP. 34 CFR §§300.530, 300.536; Ed. Code §48915.5. My child with an IEP was suspended →
- Foster youth. What mental health services is a foster youth entitled to? → · Who decides whether a foster child takes psychiatric medication? →
- Regional centers. W&I §4512. Who qualifies for a California regional center? →
Courts and the criminal system
- Diversion. Penal Code §1001.36. What is mental health diversion? → · Does completing diversion clear my record? →
- Jail, prison and Medi-Cal. You do not lose Medi-Cal in jail →
- Jury duty. Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.1008. Can I be excused from jury duty for anxiety? →
The therapist
- Checking the licence. How do I verify a therapist's license? →
- Reporting one. BPC §§4982, 4990.32, 729. How do I report a therapist? →
- Conversion therapy. BPC §865.2. Is conversion therapy illegal in California? →
- When a therapist dies. My therapist died. How do I get my records? →
Caregivers and family
- The caregiver's own care. What exists in California for the caregiver's own mental health? →
- IHSS. Can a mental health condition qualify someone for IHSS Protective Supervision? → · My IHSS hours were cut →
- Sick days for someone else. Labor Code §245.5. Can I use my sick days for someone else? →
- Bereavement. Gov. Code §12945.7. How much bereavement leave do I get? →
Q&A
Q: Is this legal advice? A: No. It is a map of statutes and the plain-English pages that explain them; every page says what it is and is not, and none replaces a lawyer for a live dispute.
Q: A section number here differs from what my employer or plan quoted. A: Statutes are renumbered and amended; each linked page shows the date it was last read against the current text.¹ If the dates are old, say so — the site tracks that.
Q: My situation is not on this page. A: The answers hub lists every page, and the search box works on questions. Browse all answers →
Our therapist directory: See its current status →
In crisis? Call or text 988 — free, 24/7.
Sources
- Each linked page carries its own source list with section citations and the date the statute was read. This index adds no claim of its own; the section numbers beside each entry are those cited on the linked page.
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