What SAMHSA is and why it matters
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for leading public health efforts around behavioral health. Its mission is to reduce the impact of substance use and mental illness on American communities.
SAMHSA's most widely used public resource is the Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator. This directory is built from that record: 17,974 substance use and mental health treatment facilities across 55 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories, organized so you can search and compare them. Of those, 15,062 report substance-use treatment and 6,042 report mental-health services (many report both).
How facilities report to the locator
SAMHSA collects facility information through the annual N-SUMHSS (National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey), which since 2022 consolidated two older surveys:
- N-SSATS (National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services) - covered substance use treatment programs: type of care, client capacity, special populations, and services offered.
- N-MHSS (National Mental Health Services Survey) - covered mental health facilities, including psychiatric hospitals, community mental health centers, and residential treatment centers.
The survey is voluntary. Facilities that participate agree to keep their information updated, and SAMHSA contacts known providers to encourage participation, which is why coverage is relatively comprehensive despite being voluntary.
What the data actually contains
Each facility record is a set of self-reported fields. The most common services across the 17,974 facilities in this directory:
| Cognitive behavioral therapy | 16,575 (92%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Outpatient | 15,036 (84%) | |
| Substance use treatment | 15,012 (84%) | |
| Telehealth | 14,603 (81%) | |
| Suicide prevention services | 12,185 (68%) | |
| Co-occurring disorder treatment | 12,121 (67%) | |
| Motivational interviewing | 11,225 (62%) | |
| Trauma-informed care | 9,955 (55%) | |
| Mental health services | 8,880 (49%) | |
| Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) | 8,487 (47%) |
Because facilities offer multiple services, these shares sum to well over 100% - a single facility contributes to every category it reports. That is the right way to read every percentage on this site: it is the share of facilities reporting a service, not a share of patients or beds.
Who runs these facilities
Ownership shapes how a facility is funded and what it can charge. Across the directory:
- 9,059 (50%) - Private non-profit organization
- 6,996 (39%) - Private for-profit organization
- 869 (5%) - Local, county, or community government
- 544 (3%) - State government
Private non-profit and for-profit organizations run the large majority of facilities; a smaller share are operated by local, state, tribal, or federal (including VA) agencies.
Key data fields explained
- Type of care: outpatient, residential, inpatient, or detox. Many facilities offer several. See Types of Treatment Facilities.
- Focus area: substance use, mental health, or both (co-occurring / dual diagnosis).
- Special populations: programs designed for veterans, adolescents, pregnant women, LGBTQ+ individuals, or people with justice-system involvement.
- Payment accepted: Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, self-pay, sliding-scale, or free care, self-reported, so verify with the facility directly.
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): whether the facility reports buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone for opioid or alcohol use disorder. See the MAT guide.
- Telehealth: whether the facility offers remote services by video or phone, common since 2020.
What the data does not include
- Current bed availability: the survey reflects services offered, not real-time openings. A facility may be full when you call.
- Quality ratings: SAMHSA does not rate facilities by outcomes or staffing. The listing says what a facility offers, not how well it delivers care.
- Exact cost: payment acceptance is self-reported; actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your specific plan.
- Private practices: individual therapists and small practices often don't participate in the survey and may not appear here.
How PlainRecovery uses this data
PlainRecovery organizes the full SAMHSA record so you can search by location, filter by service type, and browse by state. We do not add, modify, or rate facility information beyond what SAMHSA reports, every number you see is computed directly from the survey record at request time. Our role is to make the federal data easier to navigate, not to editorialize about which facilities are better. Once you have candidates, contacting each facility directly is essential.
Frequently asked questions
What is the SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator?
The SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator is a confidential, free, searchable database of mental health and substance use treatment facilities maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This directory is built from that record - 17,974 facilities across 55 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Facilities voluntarily submit their information and update it on an annual survey cycle.
How do facilities get listed in the SAMHSA database?
Facilities are listed by responding to SAMHSA's annual National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey (N-SUMHSS), which since 2022 has consolidated the two older surveys, N-SSATS for substance use programs and N-MHSS for mental health programs. Participation is voluntary, though most licensed and certified treatment providers choose to be listed to connect with patients who need care.
What information does SAMHSA collect about each facility?
SAMHSA collects facility name, address, and contact information; types of care offered (outpatient, residential, inpatient, detox); substances and conditions treated; special programs (veterans, adolescents, pregnant women); payment options accepted (Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, sliding scale, free); languages spoken; and whether telehealth services are available.
How current is the data on PlainRecovery?
PlainRecovery uses the most recent annual SAMHSA dataset. SAMHSA updates its locator as facilities submit changes and publishes full dataset snapshots annually. Individual facility information may change between updates, always confirm current services, hours, and availability by contacting the facility directly before visiting.
Does a SAMHSA listing mean the facility is accredited or recommended?
No. A SAMHSA listing means a facility self-reported its information to the federal survey, it is not an endorsement, accreditation, or quality rating. Accreditation is separately granted by bodies like CARF International or The Joint Commission. Always verify a facility's license with your state behavioral health agency before enrolling.
Are all substance use and mental health programs in the US listed?
No. The SAMHSA locator covers facilities that chose to participate in the federal survey. Some private practices, peer support programs, faith-based groups, and newer facilities may not be listed. It is the most comprehensive publicly available national database, but should be treated as a starting point rather than a complete directory.
Sources
- SAMHSA - N-SUMHSS (National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey)
- SAMHSA - Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator
- SAMHSA, National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357
Related guides
Every facility figure here is drawn from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to its National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey (N-SUMHSS), the federal record catalogs more than 17,000 substance-use and mental-health treatment facilities nationwide, computed live from that record. This directory was last rebuilt from that survey in May 2026, see our methodology for how the data is collected and updated. Always confirm details directly with a facility before relying on them.
Every figure on PlainRecovery is rendered directly from SAMHSA's published N-SUMHSS facility data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these facility listings, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 N-SUMHSS release.