Snohomish County Resilience Builder

Serving youth under the age of 20 in Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom counties, the team provides short-term crisis intervention and stabilization for those facing mental health or substance use challenges. Services are offered free of charge.

From Crisis to Stability

In everything they do, the CYFCT helps children and their families in crisis feel safe, heard, and supported. They start by going where children and youth are — for example, at home, school, juvenile court, or a shelter — when they feel they are experiencing a crisis or are in a precrisis situation that is escalating. The first aim is to create a safe environment and stabilize the situation. 

Help isn’t just a phone call away—it’s on its way. CYFCT responds in real time, right where youth need them.

Something Special: In Their Space, on Their Terms, at Their Time of Need

One of the most impactful ways the CYFCT supports youth and families is by meeting them where they are—both physically and emotionally. Going where children and youth feel safe and comfortable eliminates the stress of traveling and meeting in uncomfortable clinical environments.

In addition, certified peer counselors are a key part of the team. They bring lived experience, having faced similar challenges themselves. Their firsthand understanding fosters trust and connection, helping all family members feel valued, heard, understood, and supported.

Expert Support for Up to Eight Weeks

The team’s support extends for up to eight weeks to help identify challenges and create a path for long-term stabilization. Services are trauma-informed, which means they are designed with an understanding of how stress and difficult experiences affect people. Solution-focused and recovery-oriented methods are used to avoid causing more stress and to build on each family’s unique situation. 

The team includes mental health professionals and certified peer counselors who understand from firsthand experience the struggles families face. They help create safety plans, facilitate connections to resources, and build on each family’s strengths to find solutions that work for them. 

Caring for children and youth means more than showing up—it means ensuring they feel seen and heard. This team does that for children and youth of all ages and their families.

Building Resilience Through Strength and Connection

The CYFCT helps children and families turn crises into opportunities for growth by:

• Stabilizing the crisis: The team steps in to calm the situation and ensures everyone feels safe, heard, and supported.
• Connecting youth and families to resources: They connect families to counselors, therapists, and other support services to help prevent future crises.
• Building confidence and coping skills: Children and families learn to identify and build on their strengths, create a safety plan for coping with difficult times, and prepare for future challenges.
• Improving communication: The team works with families to help break down barriers to understanding each other, leading to stronger relationships and better problem-solving.

With the CYFCT’s support, youth and families gain tools to face life’s difficulties while feeling seen, valued, and cared for — essential building blocks of resilience.

At a Glance: Children, Youth, and Family Crisis Team (CYFCT)

Who they serve: Youth under age 20 in Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties who feel they are in a crisis or showing warning signs that a crisis may develop.

What they provide: Crisis stabilization, safety planning, peer support, and connections to resources in homes, schools, shelters, and other community settings

No cost: All services are free of charge.

Contact: The CYFCT South Line: 360-550-7387 (business hours); alternative number if needed: 1-800-584-3578