Frequently asked questions

Start with our Find Caredirectory, which lets you filter New Hampshire providers by specialty, region, insurance, and whether they’re taking new clients. If you’re not sure where you fall on the map, the catchment map shows which community mental health center serves your town. You can also browse the full resource directory by category.

The first session is usually an intake: the clinician asks about what brought you in, your history, and your goals, and explains how they work. It’s also your chance to ask questions and see whether the fit feels right — it’s completely normal to try more than one provider before settling in. Nothing is decided in one visit, and you’re never obligated to continue.

There’s no threshold you have to cross to deserve support. People seek therapy for diagnosable conditions and for everyday stress, grief, relationships, or life transitions alike. If distress is interfering with sleep, work, relationships, or daily functioning — or you simply want a neutral space to work things through — that’s reason enough. Our free screening tools (like the PHQ-9 for mood or GAD-7for anxiety) can help you put words to what you’re experiencing, but they’re not a diagnosis.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (MD/DO) who can prescribe medication; a psychologist (PhD/PsyD) provides therapy and psychological testing; and licensed counselors and clinical social workers (LMHC, LICSW, LCMHC) provide talk therapy. Many people see a therapist for counseling and, if medication is part of the plan, a prescriber separately. Our glossary defines each of these roles in plain language.

Most health plans cover mental health care — federal parity law requires that mental health and substance use benefits be comparable to medical benefits. Coverage details (copays, in-network providers, session limits, whether a referral is needed) vary by plan, so it’s worth calling the number on your insurance card and asking about “outpatient behavioral health” benefits. In our directory you can filter providers by the insurance they accept.

A sliding scale means the provider adjusts their fee based on your income and ability to pay, so the cost goes down for people who earn less. Many community mental health centers, training clinics, and private practices offer it — always ask directly, and be ready to share basic income information. Community mental health centers are required to serve people regardless of ability to pay.

Yes. New Hampshire Medicaid covers a broad range of behavioral health services, including therapy, psychiatric care, and substance use treatment. New Hampshire’s ten community mental health centers are the backbone of the Medicaid behavioral health system — find the one that serves your area on the catchment map. If you’re uninsured, the CMHCs and substance use programs can also help you apply for coverage.

You still have options. Community mental health centers serve everyone regardless of ability to pay, many providers offer sliding-scale fees, and some services — crisis lines, warm lines, peer support, and support groups — are free. Browse all resources or start with your regional community mental health center.

Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time you’re having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, feeling overwhelmed or hopeless, worried about someone else, or just need to talk to someone right now. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7. In New Hampshire you can also reach NH Rapid Response at 833-710-6477, which can send a mobile crisis team. See all crisis resources.

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room when there is an immediate threat to life — a suicide attempt in progress, a serious overdose, or any situation with a weapon or imminent physical danger. Use 988 or NH Rapid Response when someone is in emotional crisis but not in immediate physical danger; they can de-escalate, problem-solve, and dispatch mobile crisis support. Our crisis page walks through this 911-vs-crisis-line decision in more detail.

Stay calm and present, take what they say seriously, and listen without judgment. Ask directly whether they’re thinking about suicide — asking does not plant the idea and often brings relief. Don’t leave someone at immediate risk alone, help remove access to lethal means, and connect them to help: call or text 988 together, or NH Rapid Response at 833-710-6477. Our safety planning tool can help you build a plan together.

Meridian is an independent, non-commercial hub for community mental health in New Hampshire — built by and for the clinicians and communities it serves. It is not a government agency, an insurer, or a treatment provider. Read more on our About page.

Every listing is sourced from authoritative databases (NH DHHS, 211 NH), direct provider contact, and community submissions, then manually reviewed before it’s published and periodically re-checked for accurate hours, intake steps, and eligibility. Our methodology page details the full sourcing and verification process.

Use the Suggest a resourceform to add something that’s missing, or to flag an error on an existing listing. Every submission is reviewed by a person before it goes live. You can also reach us through the contact page.

Yes. Meridian collects no patient health information. The screening and worksheet tools run entirely in your browser — nothing you type into them is sent to or stored on our servers unless you’re a signed-in clinician who explicitly saves a result to your own history. Never enter client-identifying information anywhere on the platform.

See Get listed on Meridian for how New Hampshire agencies, group practices, and individual clinicians are added to the directory, including what information we need and how verification works. Listings are free.

The events calendar lists NH CEU trainings, workshops, and conferences, and our CE tracker helps you record hours toward license renewal. The Learn library and clinician reference guides (including coding and documentation) round out the professional resources.

Yes — our supervision log lets you record supervised clinical hours toward New Hampshire licensure requirements, and the clinician forum is a place to connect with peers and supervisors. Supervision opportunities are also posted on the events calendar.