Interlude offers a warm, welcoming, home-like environment.Interlude, Counseling Service of Addison County’s (CSAC) adult mental health urgent care center, provides compassionate, immediate support from both therapists and, primarily, trained peers who have navigated similar experiences in recovery and resiliency in mental health challenges. This peer-run approach, known as Intentional Peer Support (IPS), is central to Interlude’s positive impact and fulfills a critical community need. At Interlude, individuals find calm, meaningful connections, and can collaboratively plan next steps with support and resources to move forward. Interlude was born from the vision of clients and family members who had firsthand experience navigating mental health crises. Together with CSAC staff, they recognized the critical need for alternative supports beyond hospitalization, especially options that could prevent involuntary admissions. This approach led to the creation of Interlude, offering a welcoming and compassionate alternative during times of urgent mental health need.As one Interlude staff member shares, “When someone is in extreme distress, most of the time, they need help now – but they don’t necessarily need to be hospitalized.”This type of support is essential, particularly as Vermont and the entire nation grapple with an escalating mental health crisis. The Center for Disease Control reports that mental health crises have resulted in 5.8 million emergency department visits nationwide, underscoring the urgent need for accessible, community-based alternatives.CSAC’s Interlude directly addresses this need by providing timely support in a calming, non-hospital environment. Similar programs, like Howard Center’s Mental Health Urgent Care, Washington County’s Mental Health Services Access Hub, United Counseling Service’s HOPE House, and Northeast Kingdom Human Services’ Front Porch Mental Health Urgent Care, to name a few, highlight a statewide commitment by Vermont’s Designated Agencies to ensure individuals have timely, compassionate, effective alternatives to hospital-based care. At Interlude, individuals can find immediate help, meaningful connections, and resources to move forward positively.Low Barrier Access: Getting Support Should Be EasyInterlude prioritizes easy, comfortable access to mental health support, ensuring that anyone who needs help feels welcome to reach out. To remove barriers that might prevent someone from seeking immediate care, Interlude offers:Free services, made possible through grant funding. Walk-in availability (10am-5pm), or the option to schedule visits ahead of time. Minimal intake processes and paperwork, allowing individuals to quickly connect with support.Every aspect of Interlude’s support is voluntary. Individuals who visit Interlude:Choose what they wish to share. Can remain anonymous if they prefer. Decide if they’d like assistance connecting with other services at CSAC or in the broader community. Are welcome to bring along a family member or friend for additional support.Importantly, Interlude staff are not there to make assessments or judgments — they are there simply to listen.For individuals who are more comfortable speaking by phone, Interlude also offers a “warm line” during operating hours. Unlike a crisis hotline, the warm line isn’t available 24/7; if you don’t immediately reach someone, simply leave a message, and a staff member will promptly return your call.Quiet reading, soft lighting, and a recumbent bike are a few options at Interlude. Interlude also offers a kitchen, cozy couches, sitting nooks, music, and art materials.Interlude’s approach uniquely integrates Intentional Peer Support (IPS) and Open Dialogue, two innovative methods designed to humanize mental health care. IPS was developed by individuals who recognized the importance of genuine human connection often missing from traditional psychiatric treatment. This approach centers on sharing personal experiences and fostering understanding between people who have faced similar mental health challenges.Alongside IPS, Interlude incorporates Open Dialogue, an approach that engages individuals’ existing social networks during crises, creating space to slow down decision-making and collaboratively navigate through difficult moments. This combination ensures that individuals feel heard, supported, and empowered to find their own path forward.CSAC’s Director of Adult Mental Health Services, Sandy Smith describes: “Interlude’s welcoming, comfortable space, staffed by people who genuinely understand and have navigated similar challenges, creates room to slow down crisis decision-making and involve personal support networks. That combination makes a huge difference for people coping with mental health crises.”Continuum of Care: Meeting Urgent Needs in the CommunityInterlude is part of a comprehensive system of mental health crisis care provided by CSAC, designed to ensure timely, compassionate support when it’s needed most. Alongside Interlude’s peer-run urgent care, CSAC offers:Rapid Access: Quickly connects individuals seeking mental health support with counseling and essential services, significantly reducing wait times. This proactive approach helps address challenges early, before they escalate into crises. Mobile Crisis Team: Brings immediate care directly to individuals in the community wherever they’re experiencing a crisis, providing timely support and intervention. 24/7 Emergency and Crisis Services: Provides around-the-clock assessment, safety planning, and coordination with hospitals when necessary, ensuring that no one has to face a mental health crisis alone. In the past year, these services supported hundreds of individuals, directly meeting critical needs at any hour.Together, these services create an accessible, responsive network to ensure timely and appropriate support for everyone experiencing urgent mental health needs.Impact: Effective Support, Positive OutcomesSince opening, CSAC’s Interlude has already demonstrated its value as a crucial part of the mental health continuum. In FY24 alone, Interlude supported 67 individuals facing urgent mental health needs, providing effective care without a single referral to the emergency department.Beyond immediate crisis intervention, Interlude contributes to reducing the overall rate of involuntary hospital admissions in Addison County. At just 19 per 100,000 people, Addison County’s involuntary admission rate remains significantly lower than the Vermont state average of 75 per 100,000. This achievement highlights the importance and success of offering accessible, community-based care options—providing the right support at the right time, reducing crises, and promoting better outcomes.What You Can DoIf you or someone you know needs help right away, please reach out: CSAC’s Interlude Adult Mental Health Urgent Care is open Monday-Friday 10am-6pm.  Walk-ins welcome 10am-5pm, or call for an appointment or tour: 802.458.8219 Warm line: Prefer to talk on the phone? You can also call to speak to someone at Interlude over the telephone. 802.458.8219Located at Marbleworks off Maple Street, Middlebury, VT Additionally, CSAC’s 24/7 Emergency and Crisis Services, including Mobile Crisis Services are available 24/7: 802.388.7641. Or call/text 988 from anywhere.Or, find statewide Mobile Crisis Service here.More about CSACCSAC offers a variety of services to support maximum well-being for individuals and a thriving community including adult mental health, Interlude adult mental health urgent care, 24/7 emergency & crisis services, developmental services for adult with intellectual and developmental disabilities, youth and family services and substance use services. CSAC serves approximately 2,000 individuals annually.Across CSAC’s Adult Mental Health Services in FY 2024, CSAC supported 826 adults with office based therapy and psychiatry, elder services, emergency and crisis services, mobile crisis services, substance use and community rehabilitation and treatment services, a JOBS employment program, and more. Across all CSAC’s programming including adult mental health, youth and family developmental, 24/7 emergency and crisis and substance use services, CSAC served 1,879 individuals in FY2024.Counseling Service of Addison County (CSAC)By offering comprehensive services and supports for social and emotional well-being, CSAC helps nurture communities where individuals and families thrive. CSAC envisions a compassionate and resilient community that honors everyone’s full potential. Follow us on Facebook, sign up for our e-newsletter, or donate today. 89 Main St., Middlebury, VT: 802-388-6751Interlude: Adult Mental Health Urgent Care: 802-458-821924/7 Emergency & Crisis Services: 802-388-7641 A United Way of Addison County Funded AgencyThis article is part of a series, collaboratively produced by members of Vermont Care Partners, a statewide network of sixteen non-profit, community-based agencies providing mental health, substance use, and intellectual and developmental disability supports.Read the story on VTDigger here: Adult mental health urgent care: A welcoming alternative at CSAC’s Interlude. ...read more read less