Support for Suicidal Thoughts · Ages 5 and up
You deserve support, and things can get better.
If you're having thoughts of suicide, please know that you deserve support and that things can get better, even when it doesn't feel that way right now. You don't have to carry this alone, and help is both available and effective. If you're in immediate danger or crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7, or go to your nearest emergency room.
What it looks like
What you might be experiencing
Suicidal thoughts are more common than most people realize. They can show up in many ways.
- Feeling that you're carrying more pain than you can hold
- Believing you're a burden to the people around you
- A sense that things will never get better
- Pulling away from people and things you care about
- Pain that feels connected to depression, trauma, or stress
- Wondering whether it's okay to talk about any of this
A steady, nonjudgmental place to talk
Having these thoughts doesn't mean something is wrong with you as a person. It means you're carrying more pain than anyone should carry alone, and talking about it openly is a sign of strength.
Our clinicians provide a steady, nonjudgmental space to talk honestly about what you're experiencing. Together, we work on safety, understanding what's driving the pain, and building reasons and tools to keep going, coordinating closely with prescribers and higher levels of care when needed.
For many patients, suicidal thoughts are connected to depression, trauma, or overwhelming stress, and treating the underlying pain is part of the path forward.
Our approach
How this support works at LodeStone
A whole-picture, coordinated path, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Understand the whole picture
We start by listening, without judgment, to what you're carrying and what's driving the pain, at your pace.
Focus on safety and reasons to keep going
Together we work on safety and build tools and reasons to keep going, treating the underlying pain over time.
Coordinate the care
We coordinate closely with prescribers and higher levels of care when needed, so support stays connected.
Not sure where to start? Get answers, and if you need help right now, call or text 988.
We provide this care in person at our Hinsdale and Woodstock offices, and by telehealth across Illinois. We are in-network with BCBS PPO, Blue Choice, Aetna, Medicare, and United Behavioral Health, and we verify your benefits before your first visit.
A closer look
Understanding suicidal thoughts, and what actually helps
Suicidal thoughts exist on a spectrum, from a fleeting wish to disappear on a hard day to thoughts that keep returning with more detail. Far more people experience them than ever say so out loud. Wherever you are on that spectrum, the thoughts are a signal of pain that has outgrown your current ways of coping, and pain like that can be treated. Talking about it doesn't plant the idea or make it worse; openness is consistently what reduces the risk.
If this is you right now
If you are in immediate danger, call or text 988 now, or go to your nearest emergency room; that's what those doors are for, at any hour. Therapy is the longer arc: a safety plan you build with your clinician, naming your warning signs, the steps and people that help, and ways to put space between you and anything you could act on quickly, while treating the depression, trauma, or overwhelm driving the pain.
If you're worried about someone
Ask directly. Research is clear that asking someone about suicide does not put the idea in their head; it opens a door they may have been guarding alone. Listen without rushing to fix, take talk of suicide seriously, and help them connect with care. You can call or text 988 yourself for guidance on how to help someone you love.
Your first steps
What to expect when you start
Fear of what happens after saying it out loud keeps many people silent. So here is exactly what happens.
Before your first visit
Reach out through the get-answers form or by phone, and be as honest as you can; it helps us match you with the right clinician quickly. We verify your insurance benefits before your first visit. If you're in crisis today, use 988 first.
Your first session
You can say the whole truth here. Together you and your clinician will build a safety plan and start understanding what's driving the pain. Honesty does not mean automatic hospitalization; that step is reserved for when nothing less will keep you safe.
The ongoing work
Treating what's underneath, strengthening your reasons and tools for staying, and coordinating with prescribers or a higher level of care when that's what safety asks. Support stays connected around you.
Good to know
Support for suicidal thoughts: frequently asked questions
If I tell a therapist about these thoughts, will I be hospitalized?+
Almost always, no. Therapists work toward the least restrictive care that keeps you safe, and for the great majority of people that means outpatient therapy with a safety plan. Hospitalization is reserved for immediate, serious danger, and even then the goal is short-term safety, not punishment for honesty. Silence is the riskier path.
Are thoughts like these normal?+
They are far more common than anyone says out loud, passing through many people during periods of intense pain. Common doesn't mean ignorable: they're a signal that you're carrying more than your current supports can hold, and they deserve care, not shame.
What is a safety plan?+
A short, personal, written plan you build with your clinician: your early warning signs, coping steps that help, the people and places that steady you, and ways to put distance between you and anything you could act on quickly. It turns the worst moments from a blank into a checklist.
How do I help my teen or someone I love?+
Ask them directly and calmly; it will not put the idea in their head. Take what they say seriously, stay with them, and help them connect to care, starting with 988 in a crisis or our intake when things are stable enough to plan. Your steadiness matters more than perfect words.
Will my insurance cover this care?+
We are in-network with BCBS PPO, Blue Choice, Aetna, Medicare, and United Behavioral Health, and we verify your benefits before your first visit so cost never becomes a reason to wait.
Is telehealth appropriate for this?+
For ongoing therapy, often yes, and we see clients by telehealth across Illinois as well as in person in Hinsdale and Woodstock. What telehealth is not is crisis coverage: in immediate danger, 988 and the emergency room come first, every time.