# Mental Health Care in Plainsboro and Cranbury, NJ: A Local Guide > Plainsboro and Cranbury mental health help: Princeton House's emergency department on Plainsboro Road, a health center in the hospital, and interpreters. Source page: https://psychmentalhealth.com/articles/mental-health-plainsboro-cranbury-nj/ Published: 2026-10-14 · Last fact-checked: 2026-10-14 If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For a mental health crisis in the U.S., call or text 988. > **Call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger.** For thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, call or text **988** at any hour. For adults, Middlesex County's 24-hour psychiatric emergency screening line, run by Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, is **732-235-5700**. For a child or teen, call PerformCare at **1-877-652-7624**. Middlesex's second screening service, at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, sees adults and children: **732-324-5289**. More numbers are on our [crisis page](/crisis/). In Plainsboro, the hospital is in town. Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center sits at 1 Plainsboro Road, open 24 hours, and Princeton House Behavioral Health lists an emergency department at that same address. For families in Plainsboro and neighboring Cranbury, emergency care is close by. Having the hospital that close makes it tempting to treat it as the answer to every mental health worry. It is the right place for someone who needs to be seen now. Whether an adult needs a hospital at all is a question Middlesex County's screening line exists to answer, and weekly counseling starts somewhere else again. **Quick answer:** Call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger. For thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, call or text 988 at any hour. If an adult may need a hospital evaluation but is not in immediate danger, Middlesex County's 24-hour screening line, run by Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, is 732-235-5700. For a child or teen who is not in immediate danger, call PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624. Princeton House's emergency department at Princeton Medical Center, 1 Plainsboro Road, lists **609-853-7730** and is open 24 hours. For weekly counseling, Zufall Health, a nonprofit community health center with a suite at the hospital, offers counseling to its primary care patients and takes Medicaid plans: **609-853-7600**. ## What it means that the hospital is on Plainsboro Road Penn Medicine lists Princeton Medical Center at 1 Plainsboro Road, **609-853-6500**, open 24 hours, with emergency care and mental and behavioral health among its services. It also lists Princeton House Behavioral Health - Emergency Department at the same address, **609-853-7730**, open 24 hours every day. Penn Medicine says it "provides 24/7 behavioral health emergency services for people in crisis, including urgent evaluation and stabilization." The same page says to call 911 or 988 in a behavioral health emergency, and to call 888-437-1610, option 1, for more information. So if someone needs to be seen tonight and can get there safely, the emergency department on Plainsboro Road is the place. If there is a weapon, an overdose, an attempt in progress, or someone who will not wake up, do not drive. Call 911 and let the responders decide where to take them. ## When is the screening line the better first call? Many nights are not that clear: an adult who says they do not want to be alive but has not acted on it, or someone who has stopped sleeping and refuses to see a doctor. New Jersey handles these through designated psychiatric emergency screening services, which evaluate whether a person needs hospital care. The state's list, updated October 8, 2026, shows two for Middlesex County: Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care at 671 Hoes Lane in Piscataway, **732-235-5700**, and the Affiliated Emergency Service at Raritan Bay Medical Center, 530 New Brunswick Avenue in Perth Amboy, **732-324-5289**. Princeton Medical Center is not on that list, even though it is the hospital in town. Rutgers says its screening service is available to adults. For a child or teen, call PerformCare first at **1-877-652-7624**. PerformCare says, "For a life-threatening emergency, always dial 911." Otherwise it may send a mobile response team to your home within one hour of notification, 24 hours a day, with up to eight weeks of stabilization services. Hackensack Meridian says its crisis team at Raritan Bay evaluates both adults and children. For an adult who is struggling but safe enough to be treated outside a hospital, Rutgers runs Early Intervention Support Services at 667 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, **732-235-4422**. Its brochure says it serves Middlesex residents 18 and older, accepts walk-ins Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday through Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., offers care for up to 30 days, and provides services regardless of ability to pay. Our [Piscataway guide](/articles/mental-health-piscataway-nj/) explains how that program differs from the screening line. ## What comes after an emergency visit? If an adult needs a hospital stay, Princeton House's inpatient campus is in Princeton, at 905 Herrontown Road, not in Plainsboro. Penn Medicine says it offers 24/7 admissions and hospitalization for adults in a mental health or substance use crisis. Call **888-437-1610**, option 1. Princeton House also runs day programs. Penn Medicine says partial hospitalization usually means six hours a day, five days a week, for about two weeks; intensive outpatient typically means three hours a day, three or four days a week, for six to eight weeks. Plan rides and work around that schedule. Our guide to [levels of mental health care](/articles/levels-of-mental-health-care-explained/) explains when each one fits. ## Weekly counseling: Zufall Health and Center at 353 **Zufall Health, Plainsboro**, One Plainsboro Road, **609-853-7600**. Zufall, a nonprofit community health center, has a suite at Princeton Medical Center, reached from the North Entrance near Parking Lot P6. Medical hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays (4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays), plus the first and third Saturday of each month, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Zufall says to call to confirm Saturday dates). Zufall's counseling is part of primary care, and that shapes how you get in. Sessions are brief, 20 to 30 minutes, in the office or by telehealth. Existing patients ask their medical provider or request it by phone, text or the patient portal. Someone who is not yet a Zufall patient starts by becoming one. Zufall says it offers limited psychiatric services by referral. On cost, Zufall says it accepts Medicaid, Medicare and many private insurance plans, with a sliding fee scale for patients without insurance. Its insurance page lists Medicaid plans including Aetna Better Health of NJ, Fidelis Care, Horizon NJ Health and Wellpoint. It adds that participation can vary by location, so confirm your plan when you call. **Center at 353**, 353 Nassau Street, Princeton, **609-924-0060**. Known as Trinity Counseling Service until May 2024, this nonprofit sees children, teens, adults and seniors, in person and virtually. It says it accepts most major insurance, including Aetna, BCBS, Medicare and Princeton Theological Seminary insurance, and processes out-of-network claims. It also offers sliding-scale fees and grant-funded treatment, and says no one is turned away due to lack of resources. None of its pages we read lists Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare, so ask before you book; of these two, Zufall is the one that lists Medicaid plans. Our guides to [NJ FamilyCare coverage](/articles/nj-familycare-medicaid-mental-health-coverage/), [therapy without insurance](/articles/therapy-without-insurance-low-cost-options-nj/) and [finding a therapist in Middlesex](/articles/how-to-find-a-therapist-middlesex-camden-nj/) cover the rest of the search. ## Children and teens: two school systems Plainsboro students attend the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. The district says it has 34 school counselors and four student assistance counselors across kindergarten through grade 12, and that the student assistance counselors provide prevention and early intervention to help students and families get the help they need. The district office is **609-716-5000**. Cranbury runs its own school. The Cranbury School serves Pre-K through grade 8, and its counseling department offers individual, group and classroom counseling. Call **609-395-1700**. After eighth grade, the district says, Cranbury students attend Princeton High School through a send-receive relationship. Princeton High School's counseling page lists two mental health counselors and a substance assistance counselor alongside its school counselors, at **609-806-4280**. Princeton High School's community resources page is partly dated: it lists Trinity Counseling at an old Stockton Street address and, beside the current 888-437-1610, a Princeton House inpatient admissions number that Penn Medicine's inpatient page does not list. It also lists Mercer County agencies. Cranbury is in Middlesex County, so the screening numbers at the top of this guide apply. For any child in crisis who is not in immediate danger, PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624 is the first call, any hour. If a life is at risk, call 911. Our guide to [child and teen mental health help](/articles/teen-child-mental-health-help-nj/) covers warning signs and how the school route works. ## Township help that is not therapy **Plainsboro Police Domestic Violence Response Team**, 641 Plainsboro Road, **609-799-2333**. The township says the team provides short-term counseling, free of charge, for victims of domestic violence, their children and non-perpetrating family members, plus grief counseling. Call anytime and ask for a counselor. **Operation Reassurance**, through the same police department, is for seniors who live alone. An enrolled senior calls police dispatch at a set time each day. If the call does not come and the dispatcher cannot reach them, an officer goes to the home. In Cranbury, the Senior Center in Town Hall runs programs twice a month, with speakers and lunch. The township's senior flyer says to call the Parks and Recreation secretary at **609-395-0900**; the township's Recreation page lists the recreation secretary at **609-664-3130**. For help finding any kind of care, NJMentalHealthCares, **1-866-202-4357**, offers free, confidential emotional support and referrals, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. It is not a crisis line. ## If English is not the first language at home Plainsboro's Human Relations Council exists, in the township's words, to build appreciation of "our rich ethnic population mix." If your family is weighing care in a language other than English, these are the routes we confirmed. **988 by phone in any language.** Press 2 for a Spanish-speaking counselor, or text 988 and type "Ayuda." For other languages, call 988 and either ask for an interpreter in English or say the name of your language. The Lifeline says interpreters cover more than 240 additional languages, around the clock, by voice call only. **At the hospital, ask for an interpreter.** Penn Medicine says its language assistance is free of charge for patients, family members and visitors, through staff interpreters, phone and video interpretation. Tell staff you need an interpreter. Its notice appears in languages including Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Gujarati, Hindi and Urdu, with a help line at **800-789-7366**. Use a professional interpreter rather than asking a child to translate a conversation about a parent's mental health. **Zufall Health** says all of its services are offered in English and Spanish, with a language line for patients who speak other languages. Its counseling can happen by telehealth. **SAMHIN HelpLine**, **888-581-3230**, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The South Asian Mental Health Initiative and Network runs a free, confidential line with referrals to culturally competent clinicians when available. It is not a crisis line and does not provide treatment. Its online provider directory filters by languages spoken, including Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bengali and Punjabi. SAMHIN says listing is not an endorsement. **NAMI New Jersey's multicultural programs** offer support groups and referrals, not treatment. NAMI NJ describes SAMHAJ's and CAMHOP's services as free: - **SAMHAJ** serves South Asian families. NAMI NJ says its staff and volunteers speak Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Konkani and Marathi. It runs online family and peer support groups on the first Thursday of most months, 7 to 8:30 p.m., and keeps a referral list of bilingual providers. Email samhaj@naminj.org. - **CAMHOP** serves Chinese American families. It runs online family support groups in Mandarin on the second and fourth Tuesdays and a Mandarin peer group on the third Thursday, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Email camhop@naminj.org or call **732-940-0991**, ext. 114. - **NAMI NJ en Español** offers Spanish-language support groups and referrals; details are on NAMI NJ's [multicultural programs page](https://naminj.org/support-and-education/multicultural-programs/). When you call any provider, ask two things before you book: does a clinician speak your language, and if not, will they bring in a professional interpreter at every session. ## Sources - [Princeton Medical Center](https://www.pennmedicine.org/locations/princeton-medical-center) — Penn Medicine - [Princeton House Behavioral Health - Emergency Department](https://www.pennmedicine.org/practices/princeton-house-behavioral-health-emergency) — Penn Medicine - [Princeton House Behavioral Health - Inpatient Princeton](https://www.pennmedicine.org/practices/princeton-house-behavioral-health-inpatient) — Penn Medicine - [Outpatient care for mental health and substance use](https://www.pennmedicine.org/services/mental-behavioral-health/princeton-house-behavioral-health/outpatient-treatment) — Penn Medicine - [Language assistance](https://www.pennmedicine.org/patient-resources/information-for-patients/language-support-services) — Penn Medicine - [Designated Screening Services in New Jersey (updated October 8, 2026)](https://nj.gov/humanservices/dmhas/documents/pdf/MH_Screening_Centers.pdf) — NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services - [Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services (PESS)](https://ubhc.rutgers.edu/pess/) — Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care - [EISS Middlesex County brochure](https://ubhc.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/EISS-Middlesex-brochure.pdf) — Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care - [Carrier Behavioral Health at Raritan Bay Medical Center](https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/locations/carrier-behavioral-health-at-raritan-bay-medical-center) — Hackensack Meridian Health - [Emergency services](https://www.performcarenj.org/families/emergency-services.aspx) — PerformCare New Jersey - [Hotlines and Helplines](https://nj.gov/humanservices/dmhas/help/hotlines/) — NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services - [Plainsboro - Medical & Dental](https://www.zufallhealth.org/about-us/locations/plainsboro-medical-dental/) — Zufall Health - [Behavioral Health](https://www.zufallhealth.org/services/behavioral-health/) — Zufall Health - [Fees & Insurance](https://www.zufallhealth.org/patient-resources/fees-insurance/) — Zufall Health - [Zufall Health home page](https://www.zufallhealth.org/) — Zufall Health - [Center at 353 (formerly Trinity Counseling Service)](https://www.centerat353.org/) — Center at 353 - [Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.centerat353.org/faq) — Center at 353 - [Counseling](https://www.ww-p.org/page/counseling) — West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District - [About Us](https://www.cranburyschool.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1323224&type=d&pREC_ID=1521294) — Cranbury School District - [School Counseling Department](https://www.cranburyschool.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1327196&type=d&pREC_ID=1524256) — Cranbury School District - [Student Registration](https://www.cranburyschool.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1323224&type=d&pREC_ID=1524951) — Cranbury School District - [School Counseling and Mental Health Support](https://phs.princetonk12.org/services/phs-school-counseling) — Princeton High School, Princeton Public Schools - [Community Resources](https://phs.princetonk12.org/parents/community-resources) — Princeton High School, Princeton Public Schools - [Domestic Violence Response Team](https://www.plainsboronj.com/210/Domestic-Violence-Response-Team) — Plainsboro Township Police Department - [Seniors (Operation Reassurance)](https://www.plainsboronj.com/212/Seniors) — Plainsboro Township Police Department - [Blue Cares](https://www.plainsboronj.com/903/Blue-Cares) — Plainsboro Township - [Human Relations Council](https://www.plainsboronj.com/305/Human-Relations-Council) — Plainsboro Township - [Recreation](https://www.cranburytownship.org/1451/Recreation) — Cranbury Township - [Senior Happenings](https://www.cranburytownship.org/1286/Senior-Happenings) — Cranbury Township - [Is the 988 Lifeline available in other languages for non-English speakers?](https://988lifeline.org/faq/calling-the-988-lifeline/faq-is-the-988-lifeline-available-in-other-languages-for-non-english-speakers/) — 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - [HelpLine](https://samhin.org/helpline/) — South Asian Mental Health Initiative and Network (SAMHIN) - [Mental Health Provider Directory](https://samhin.org/provider-directory/) — South Asian Mental Health Initiative and Network (SAMHIN) - [Multicultural Programs](https://naminj.org/support-and-education/multicultural-programs/) — NAMI New Jersey - [SAMHAJ (South Asian Mental Health Awareness in Jersey)](https://naminj.org/support-and-education/multicultural-programs/samhaj-south-asian/) — NAMI New Jersey - [CAMHOP (Chinese)](https://naminj.org/support-and-education/multicultural-programs/camhop-chinese/) — NAMI New Jersey - [About](https://www.centerat353.org/about) — Center at 353 --- General educational information, not medical advice. Fact-checked against the cited sources, not clinically reviewed. Ownership: PsychMentalHealth is published by an operator with a working relationship with Periscope Behavioral Health, which runs outpatient behavioral health programs in Middlesex and Camden counties, including Emerald Wellness in Kendall Park and South Jersey Recovery Program in Berlin. Those programs are not included in this site's county guides or articles, but a message sent through our contact form may be passed to one of them if you ask us to. Contact-form messages are passed to a Periscope program only when the sender ticks the opt-in box on the form.