> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://handbook.helendelovely.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Emergency and After-Hours Coverage

> What clients are told about reaching help outside sessions, and what's expected of you.

We're an outpatient practice. We don't provide 24-hour crisis coverage, and clients are told so clearly at intake. This page is about making sure that's true in practice.

## What clients are told

At intake, every client receives, in writing, in the informed consent:

* That the practice doesn't provide emergency services
* That in an emergency they should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department
* The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and the Utah Crisis Line (801-587-3000)
* How to reach the practice during business hours, and what response time to expect
* That messages sent outside business hours won't be seen until the next business day

Reinforce this with any client whose risk is elevated, and put it in their safety plan.

## What's expected of you

* **You're not on call.** Outside your working days and hours, you're not expected to monitor messages or respond to clients. This is deliberate; it's part of a sustainable practice.
* **Before you're out** for more than a day or two, make sure at-risk clients know the plan. See [Time off and the four-day week](/pay-and-time-off/time-off-and-the-four-day-week).
* **If you happen to see an urgent message** outside hours, use judgment. A client in crisis gets a response directing them to emergency resources, and you loop in Helen. A scheduling question waits.
* **Never give a client your personal number** as a way to reach you after hours. See [Devices, mobile, and texting](/privacy-and-security/devices-mobile-and-texting).

## Clinical backup

During business hours, Helen is the clinical backup for any crisis. Reach her through the practice phone.

**There is no after-hours clinical backup, by design.** Outside business hours, a client in crisis is directed to 988 or 911, the same as the informed consent says. You are not expected to consult anyone before doing that, and you are not expected to do anything else. Tell Helen the next business day and document the contact. If you would still like to talk it through, Helen is available the next business day, and the [supervision and consultation](/clinical-practice/supervision-and-consultation) page covers how.

> **Why.** An outpatient practice that promised after-hours coverage it couldn't staff would be making a promise clients might rely on in an emergency. Saying plainly that we don't, and building intake and safety plans around 988 and 911, is the safer honest answer. If the practice ever adds after-hours coverage, this page and the informed consent change together.

## Messages after hours

Practice voicemail and the PracticeOS messaging system carry an after-hours message with emergency resources. The front office reviews messages at the start of each business day and triages anything urgent to the clinician and Helen.

## Business hours

The practice's business hours are set by the front office and posted on the website and in the intake packet. If you see clients outside those hours by arrangement, the same rules apply: your session time is covered, the hours around it aren't.