Several months ago, Catholic Charities DC’s mental health staff were called in to assist in the assessment and stabilization of a 13-year-old child who was presenting concerns of suicidal ideation.
Having recently been placed in a new group home, he expressed he had a plan to commit suicide unless he was taken to his biological mother. That’s when the agency’s Child and Adolescent Mobile Psychiatric Service (ChAMPS) staff were called in and acted quickly.
The team brought him to Children’s National Medical Center where they successfully established a safety plan with him. He listed several trusted adults and coping skills, and the ChAMPS team also worked with his mother to link him to a therapist.
In 2025 alone, 600 calls came through Catholic Charities DC’s ChAMPS program. Covering every Ward in the District and parts of Maryland, the service received calls from concerned parents, teachers, counselors, and community members seeking emergency services – just like that of the young 13-year-old – for children and teens experiencing mental or behavioral crises.
“If your toes are in D.C., we can come to serve you,” said Bria Mathis, Senior Director of mental health services, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and ChAMPS. “If a child is having a psychiatric crisis, we are mobile, and we will come to you. We consider ourselves similar to a fire department for mental and behavioral health crises involving adolescents and adults.”
Since 2009, Catholic Charities DC has managed the ChAMPS contract with the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health, providing more than 10,800 crisis interventions. It is a free service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no cost to District residents and Maryland children in foster care.
While ChAMPS responds to crises in the moment, Catholic Charities DC also supports individuals with more ongoing needs through ACT, bringing that same compassionate care and meet-them-where-they-are approach to longer-term mental health care.
“For our ACT program, we have about 133 clients,” said Mathis. “We have a multidisciplinary team that helps with treatment. That includes nurses, case workers, vocational specialists, substance use specialists, and peer specialists. ACT has a whole treatment team.”
In Washington, D.C., St. Elizabeths Hospital serves as an inpatient facility for individuals with serious and persistent mental illnesses. Due to the severity of their illnesses, some patients at St. Elizabeths may spend years at the hospital. Providing care for all D.C. residents who struggle with mental illness is a task that St. Elizabeths cannot do alone.
That’s where ACT steps in.
For D.C. residents who struggle with mental illness, ACT serves as a level of community-based care below inpatient hospitalization at St. Elizabeths. The ACT team works closely with each client, meeting them where they are and helping them take small steps toward greater stability and a more independent life.
Clients of ACT are identified as having Serious and Persistent Mental Illness, along with co-occurring substance use disorders. Many who come through ACT’s doors have become disengaged from treatment. Some ACT clients are experiencing homelessness, while many are not.
“The primary service we provide is a nurse coming to your house to give you medication. ACT nurses spend 90% of their time in the field,” said Mathis. Just like ChAMPS, “ACT is very community-based.”
Facility-based services are offered Monday through Friday, including evening hours; community-based services are provided seven days a week; and on-call services are available 24/7.
“I love working with high-risk populations, and I hate to sound cliché, but I’m just so lucky to work in a space that offers so much,” said Mathis. “This is where I feel like I find my happiness, and I find my ability to grow and challenge myself.”
That sense of purpose runs through both programs, and this month, Catholic Charities DC joins in recognizing National Recovery Month. Established in 1989, National Recovery Month is a time to reflect on and honor the nation’s vibrant recovery community. For Catholic Charities DC, that means shining a light on the vital work of our mental health services and the unseen work our staff do every day.
“If your toes are in D.C., we can come to serve you. If a child is having a psychiatric crisis, we are mobile, and we will come to you. We consider ourselves similar to a fire department for mental and behavioral health crises involving adolescents and adults.”Bria Mathis, Senior Director of Mental Health Services