San Diego made this easier than most counties, and almost nobody knows it: one phone number, answered 24/7 by licensed clinicians, handles both crisis calls and ordinary "I need a therapist" calls. It's the Access & Crisis Line: (888) 724-7240.¹
You don't need to be in crisis to call it. You don't need a referral. Medi-Cal managed care has no copay for covered care. Share of Cost is different: if your eligibility notice lists it, ask what you must pay or owe before Medi-Cal pays.⁴
The route
Waypoint 1 — call (888) 724-7240 and say:
"I'm not in crisis. I have Medi-Cal and I'd like a screening and a referral to ongoing therapy."
A clinician — not a phone tree — asks what's going on. Based on your answers they route you to the county specialty system or back to your health plan for the mild-to-moderate lane. Under the No Wrong Door policy, whichever lane is yours, they must connect you, not just name-drop a number.²
Waypoint 2 — if you're routed to your plan (Community Health Group, Molina, Blue Shield Promise, Kaiser, and others), call member services and say:
"I'm requesting outpatient therapy and an appointment within 10 business days per the timely access standard."
That 10-business-day rule is law for Medi-Cal managed care.³ Missed deadline → say "grievance" → then DMHC Help Center 1-888-466-2219.
Waypoint 3 — if you're routed to county specialty care, you'll get clinic options near you. Ask for the one with the soonest intake, not the closest address — in San Diego the difference is often two weeks.
What happens next: screening call (15–20 min) → referral with a real name and number → intake appointment → assigned therapist. If any link in that chain goes quiet for more than a week, call the ACL back and ask them to re-refer; repeat calls are normal and logged.
San Diego County's own page: the crisis line we read off the county's own site, the date we checked it, and the three routes that work there →
Q&A
Q: How do I get therapy with Medi-Cal in San Diego? A: Call the Access & Crisis Line at (888) 724-7240 — 24/7, staffed by licensed clinicians — for a free screening and routing to either county specialty care or your health plan. Check coverage and any Share of Cost before the visit.⁴
Our directory has not opened. These public routes are usable now. See the directory status →
Ask before your visit: “Is this covered by my Medi-Cal? Does my eligibility show Share of Cost, and what would I owe?”
Sources
- County of San Diego BHS, Access & Crisis Line — sandiegocounty.gov
- DHCS BHIN 22-011, No Wrong Door — dhcs.ca.gov
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 28, §1300.67.2.2(c)(5)(E) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov — the same timeframes are stated in the statute at Health & Safety Code §1367.03(a)(5), which is the citation we rely on.
- DHCS, Medi-Cal Help: managed-care copayments and Share of Cost; the eligibility Notice of Action states whether Share of Cost applies and its amount — dhcs.ca.gov. Source checked September 7, 2026; legal review remains pending.
Paid for by participating therapists. Inclusion is computed from availability data — never purchased. No ads, no data sold.