For Our Children & Families
Immediate danger or crisis?Call 911 for emergencies. Call or text 988 for crisis support. In Maine, 211 can help route food, housing, health, and local support. This site is not a hotline and does not collect private case details.Open crisis card

MAINE SUPPORT NAVIGATOR

Find counseling, family support, and crisis help before conflict becomes the only path.

This page helps Maine parents and helpers understand common support roles and what to ask before scheduling. It is public education only, not therapy, diagnosis, legal advice, or a referral service.

Back to Maine Start HereOfficial doors and urgent supportOpen support finder PDF

Support-first order

Start with the least escalating useful step.

1. Safety and stability

Immediate danger, coercive control, threats, crisis, housing, food, and transportation come before paperwork.

2. Child routine and school

Protect sleep, school attendance, reliable rides, calm exchanges, and simple provider updates.

3. Calm adult coordination

Use short factual messages, private records, and support services. Official/legal doors remain available when safety or deadlines require them.

Use this when

Pick the support lane that fits the need.

Family counseling

For communication patterns, routines, repair work, and family stress when everyone can participate safely and voluntarily.

  • Ask about experience with separated families.
  • Ask how safety concerns are screened.
  • Ask what records are kept and who can see them.

Parent coaching

For practical skills: calmer exchanges, routines, school-night planning, and reducing child-as-messenger pressure.

  • Ask whether coaching is educational or clinical.
  • Ask how goals are measured.
  • Ask whether both households can receive neutral guidance.

Child counseling

For a child who needs support with feelings, adjustment, school stress, grief, anxiety, or trauma symptoms.

  • Ask how caregivers are included.
  • Ask what is private for the child.
  • Ask what happens if safety concerns arise.

School counselor or care team

For attendance, routine disruption, school stress, transportation problems, and helping the child have a stable day.

  • Share only what school needs to support the child.
  • Do not use school staff as messengers between adults.
  • Ask for a simple meeting note or support plan.

Domestic violence or coercive-control advocate

For threats, intimidation, stalking, isolation, fear, technology abuse, or unsafe mediation pressure.

  • Safety planning comes before family repair.
  • Use confidential advocacy resources when appropriate.
  • Do not mediate where safety or coercion is unresolved.

Crisis support

For immediate emotional crisis, self-harm concerns, or danger. Use emergency and crisis resources promptly.

  • Call 911 for immediate danger.
  • Call or text 988 for crisis support.
  • Use 211 Maine for local resource routing.

Questions before scheduling

A short call script for parents and helpers.

Ask the provider

  • Do you work with separated or high-stress families?
  • How do you handle safety, abuse, coercive control, or stalking concerns?
  • Do you offer family, parent-only, child-only, or school coordination support?
  • What should I bring to the first appointment?
  • What does insurance, sliding-scale cost, transportation, or telehealth look like?

Keep the first contact safe

Use brief facts: the support needed, age band, school/routine concern, safety urgency, and scheduling barriers. Do not dump a full case file, private allegations, medical records, or sealed materials into email or intake messages.

If mediation, joint sessions, or contact repair would increase danger or coercive pressure, seek qualified safety/legal/advocacy guidance first.

Helpful Maine doors

Official and support links.

211 Maine

Food, housing, transportation, health, and local resource routing.

Open 211 Maine

988 Lifeline

Crisis support by call or text when someone is overwhelmed, unsafe, or at risk.

Open 988 Lifeline

Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

Domestic violence and coercive-control safety routing.

Open MCEDV help page

Pine Tree Legal Assistance

Legal information and legal-aid pathways for eligible Mainers.

Open PTLA

Volunteer Lawyers Project

Civil legal help and clinic information where available.

Open VLP

Maine court family resources

Official court information and forms when a legal deadline or official process requires it.

Open Maine courts

Not therapy

This page does not diagnose or treat anyone.

It helps families understand support options and prepare safer questions for qualified providers.

Not legal advice

Official/legal doors are available, not default.

Use legal aid, court self-help, counsel, advocacy, or official forms when safety, orders, deadlines, or process requirements make that necessary.

No private intake

Keep details private.

Do not send FOCaF child names, allegations, medical details, sealed records, or confidential family materials.

Printable support finder

Plan one support call before escalation.

The Family Support Finder Worksheet helps parents and helpers prepare questions about counseling, parent coaching, school support, transportation, insurance, sliding-scale options, safety boundaries, and follow-up steps.

Open support finder pageDownload worksheet