Mental Health Care in Haddonfield, NJ: A Local Guide

Call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger. For thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, call or text 988, any hour. If someone may be a danger to themselves or others but is not in immediate danger, call Camden County's crisis screening line, run by Oaks Integrated Care: 856-428-4357 (856-428-HELP), 24 hours a day. More numbers are on our crisis page.

Haddonfield is a small borough with its own school district, and this guide is written for one kind of family in it: a parent with insurance through work and a teenager under pressure. For that family, the hard part is finding a therapist a 15-year-old will actually talk to, at a price that still makes sense after the insurer pays its share. For many families the school is where a problem first shows up, so that is where this guide begins. Crisis care for the whole county is on our Camden County page.

Quick answer: Call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger. For thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, call or text 988, any hour. If someone may be a danger to themselves or others but is not in immediate danger, call Camden County's crisis screening line, run by Oaks, at 856-428-4357, 24 hours a day. For a child or teen in crisis at home who is not in immediate danger, call PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624, any hour; for anything life-threatening, PerformCare says to dial 911. For a school concern, Haddonfield Memorial High School's counseling office is 856-429-3960, and the department includes a Student Assistance/Crisis Counselor. For therapy inside the borough, Serenity Counseling at 18 Grove Street, 856-499-2013, lists itself in network with Horizon BCBS and Aetna, among other plans.

Who do you call at school?

Haddonfield Memorial High School's counseling office is 856-429-3960. Its staff list includes a Student Assistance/Crisis Counselor, at extension 1155, alongside the grade-level school counselors and the Dean of Students. If you are worried about your teen, ask for that role by name.

The high school also runs an Intervention and Referral Services team, which New Jersey requires. The district says it serves students with learning, behavior or health difficulties and typically includes an administrator, the nurse, a counselor, a social worker and a Child Study Team member. If anxiety or depression is pulling grades down, ask for an I&RS meeting.

At Haddonfield Middle School, 856-429-5851, counselors see students one-on-one, support students in crisis and refer those who need more to outside therapy. One warning: the middle school's crisis list still shows the old National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number. Use 988 instead.

What happens if the school is worried about suicide?

Read the board's policy before you need it. Haddonfield's Policy 5350, Student Suicide Prevention, was last revised by the board in August 2024.

The principal or a designee contacts you right away. Your child is referred to the Child Study Team or a suicide intervention team for a preliminary assessment, and the principal meets with you to go over the results. Based on that assessment, you may be required to get medical or psychiatric care for your child. If care is required, then before your child returns you submit written medical clearance from a licensed professional you choose and the superintendent approves. The policy adds that a district healthcare professional may review the clearance, and that you may be asked to authorize your provider to release relevant medical information to the district.

Two parts of the policy are worth knowing before that day comes. First, the policy says the district shall not require parents to pay for that psychiatric clearance. Ask how the school arranges it before you book a private evaluation. Second, if a parent objects or will not cooperate, the policy says the principal will contact the state's Division of Child Protection and Permanency. If you disagree with a recommendation, say so and ask what the options are, with the student assistance counselor in the room.

The district's list of local therapists

The high school's counseling page links to a district resource document. It leads to two spreadsheets of local therapists and practices, one labeled "Client Ready - No Waitlist (as of 01/2025)," and a student and family resource board. It is a useful start, but the waitlist note is from January 2025, and several entries are marked "Out of pocket only" or "Does not take insurance."

How does out-of-network therapy work?

If the therapist your teen connects with does not take your plan, you pay the practice yourself and ask your insurer to pay you back. The paperwork for that is a superbill, an itemized medical receipt you send to your insurer.

Haddonfield Psychiatry, at 30 Washington Avenue and 45 Kings Highway West, 856-300-2661, is a local example. It offers therapy and psychiatric care for children, adolescents and adults. Its billing page says it does not accept insurance, all services are paid in full at the time of service, and you will be given a superbill to submit. Its home page adds that it does not guarantee reimbursement.

Before the first session, call the member services number on your card and ask:

1. "Do I have out-of-network benefits for outpatient mental health?" Some plans have none.
2. "Is there a separate out-of-network deductible, and how much of it is left?" Reimbursement usually starts only after it is met.
3. "What percentage do you pay, and of what amount?" If the percentage applies to the plan's own allowed amount rather than the therapist's fee, you get back less than the percentage suggests.
4. "How do I submit a claim, and what is the deadline?"
5. "Where is the explanation of benefits mailed or posted?" For a teen on your plan, that matters to their privacy.

Ask the practice what the superbill will list, including any diagnosis, before you submit it for your child. Some families decide to pay without filing a claim at all for that reason.

If you are paying without using insurance, ask for a good faith estimate. The federal government says that if you do not have or use insurance, providers usually must give you one when you schedule at least three business days ahead or when you ask, and that you may be able to dispute a bill that comes in at least $400 above it.

For the in-network questions, see will insurance cover treatment.

Three counseling options in and near town

Serenity Counseling has a Haddonfield office at 18 Grove Street, 856-499-2013. Its rates page lists it in network with Horizon BCBS, Aetna, Medicare, Tricare and several other plans. Its private-pay rate is $150 a session, it says it handles out-of-network billing for clients at no charge, and it offers a sliding scale case by case. Confirm your exact plan when you call.

Genesis Counseling Center, a nonprofit at 566 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, 856-858-9314, counsels all ages, including children and adolescents. It lists NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid), Medicare, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna. If you pay yourself, its published prices are $125 for the intake and $75 for a 60-minute session.

Starting Point, a nonprofit at 215 Highland Avenue, Suite C, Haddon Township, 856-854-3155, has a Child, Teen and Parenting category. Its practitioners include coaches and wellness practitioners as well as licensed therapists and psychologists, so ask whether the person you would see is licensed. It does not publish fees or plans.

See also online therapy and therapy without insurance.

Young adults and parents

A college student or a 23-year-old commuter can generally stay on a parent's job-based plan until 26, even if living away from home or not claimed as a dependent. At 18, though, they are adults, so expect to hear only what they choose to share.

For an adult who needs help today but not a hospital, Oaks runs Mental Health Urgent Care at 2051 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, 856-254-3800, for adults 18 and older in Camden County. It takes walk-ins Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It takes insurance, Medicaid, self-pay and a sliding scale, and works with someone for up to 30 days. A 17-year-old does not qualify; use the children's routes below.

For ongoing counseling at Oaks, call its Access Center at 1-800-963-3377, weekdays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. For help finding care by phone, NJMentalHealthCares, 1-866-202-4357, is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. It is a referral line, not a crisis line.

One thing to skip: the borough's Municipal Alliance resource page still lists two outdated crisis numbers: the retired NJ Hopeline and the old National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number. Use 988.

When it cannot wait for an appointment

If your teen's life is in danger, call 911. PerformCare, the state's children's line, says so itself.

If it is serious but not life-threatening, call PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624, 24 hours a day. In Camden County, Oaks runs Children's Mobile Response for ages 5 to 21. It sends a trained professional to your home the same day for problems that include suicidal thoughts, self-harm that does not need emergency treatment, depression, anxiety and refusal to go to school. Stabilization can last up to eight weeks.

If someone may be a danger to themselves or others, call the screening line, 856-428-4357, before going anywhere. Oaks runs Camden County's crisis screening for adults and youth at Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital, 2201 Chapel Avenue, Cherry Hill, and asks for that call first.

For parents who need backup, the Camden County Family Support Organization, 856-662-2600, in Cherry Hill, says it is built, led and driven by parents and caregivers. Its advocates offer one-on-one support and can come with you to IEP meetings.

When a teen says no to therapy

Many teens refuse the first time. Before you push harder, try changing what you are asking for.

• Give them choices. Let them pick between two therapists after reading the bios, choose video or in person, and agree to three sessions instead of "therapy."
• Use the school. Ask the student assistance counselor at the high school to check in with your teen. A familiar adult in the building is often easier than a stranger in an office.
• Offer something smaller. PerformCare promotes Soluna, which it describes as free, private mental health support for New Jersey teens ages 13 to 18, with self-guided tools, a peer community and one-on-one chat with a professional. The state's 2NDFLOOR youth helpline, 1-888-222-2228, takes calls and texts 24 hours a day, and teens who would rather type can use its anonymous message board, which is not confidential and does not answer right away.
• Go yourself first. A parent session with a therapist, or a call to the Family Support Organization, can give you better words for the next try.

Age changes the conversation. Under New Jersey law (N.J.S.A. 9:17A-4), a teen 16 or older who believes they need mental health care can consent on their own to temporary outpatient treatment, not including medication. A younger teen generally needs a parent's or guardian's consent.

If the refusal comes with warning signs, such as talk of suicide, self-harm or not leaving their room for days, it is no longer only their decision. Call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger. Otherwise, call PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624, any hour. Our parent's guide covers the warning signs, and what to do when someone you love refuses help covers the harder conversations.