Crisis Stabilization Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergency services to individuals 18 and older who are experiencing a severe emotional or psychiatric crisis. Staff are health care professionals trained in risk assessment and crisis intervention evaluations.
The Kreisman Center CSU is the designated Public Baker Act receiving facility for adults in Sarasota. Individuals are screened and evaluated and can refer themselves or be referred by law enforcement officers, family members, local hospital emergency rooms, physicians, mental health professionals and other social services agencies if they present an imminent risk of “serious bodily harm” to themselves and/or others as a result of a mental health disorder and/or substance use.
The Kreisman Crisis Stabilization Unit has 37 beds in two units. Our clients come from all walks of life.
On-site and follow-up services include helping clients gain access to post-discharge services; these services include connections to mental health and medical treatment as well as social, educational and housing services
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For more information about our programs, or to speak confidentially with one of us, please fill out the short form below. We look forward to hearing from you.
*Community partners are businesses that have chosen to support our organization as a community partner sponsor. If you are interested please click here for the sponsorship form.
Mental Health Partners:
FIRST STEP OF SARASOTA, INC. IS A 501 (C ) (3) ORGANIZATION. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION ON CH1573 MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL FREE 800 435 7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
Welcome to First Step of Sarasota
A UNITED EFFORT Serving Sarasota, MANATEE, DESOTO & Charlotte counties.
For more than 50 years, we have been "Caring for Our Community" by providing affordable, evidence-based behavioral healthcare services to children, adolescents, adults, seniors and their families who struggle with mental-health and substance-use issues.
July 2020 saw two organizations with this mission — First Step of Sarasota and Coastal Behavioral Healthcare — join to provide better service more cost-effectively. The leadership and staff of this new, stronger First Step of Sarasota Inc. know that while the job is never done, we succeed every time a family is reunited, a person with a mental illness is well again, or a child threatening suicide is saved.
We celebrate every time an individual achieves his or her self-determined goals for health, life, and well-being.