Anxiety before a job interview. Grief that does not lift after a janazah. A teenager who has gone quiet at dinner. Many Muslims in Massachusetts were raised to carry these things privately, with patience, dua and family. Those things matter. But talking to a trained person is not a failure of faith, and Massachusetts has more help than most people realize.

Here is where to start. If you or someone near you is in immediate danger, call 911.

If it is a crisis, or close to one

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You do not have to be suicidal to reach out. The Lifeline says it is also there for emotional distress, drug or alcohol worries, or when you just need someone to talk to.

Massachusetts also runs its own line. The Behavioral Health Help Line, at 833-773-2445, takes calls and texts 24/7, with online chat at masshelpline.com. It is free for every Massachusetts resident, with or without insurance, and offers live interpretation in more than 200 languages. Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers can dial MassRelay at 711. Clinicians and certified peer specialists answer, and the state says they stay on the line until you are connected to care. You can also call on behalf of a child, a parent or a friend.

The Help Line can also send you to one of the state's more than 25 Community Behavioral Health Centers. Each center offers crisis care 24/7 to anyone, insurance or not. They also take walk-ins and outpatient appointments from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. All MassHealth plans and many commercial plans cover outpatient care.

A Muslim voice on the other end: Naseeha

Sometimes the hardest part is explaining your family, your faith or your culture to a stranger. Naseeha USA runs a free, anonymous Muslim mental health helpline at 1-866-627-3342. Its website lists the line as open 24 hours a day, with a secure web chat as well.

Naseeha is clear about what it is: peer support from trained Muslim counselors, not therapy and not religious rulings. Counselors listen, check on your safety and help you plan next steps, including finding a therapist. You can ask for a male or a female counselor. Support is offered in English, French, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Gujarati, though some languages are only covered on certain shifts.

Start at the masjid

ISBCC, Roxbury. The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center's Ummah Health team is a group of volunteer Muslim health professionals. The ISBCC says the team offers weekly free counseling with a licensed Muslim counselor, free daily referrals to Muslim counselors, hospital visits and help with health insurance. The center also hosts a weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Email health@isbcc.org, or call the office at 617-858-6114, which is staffed from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. Confirm the current counseling schedule before you go.

Worcester Islamic Center. WIC's resident scholar, Imam Vajid Pathan, has a master's degree in marriage and family therapy. Assistant Imam Hafiz Othman Ladan, who has worked as a health educator and youth mentor at UMass Memorial Hospital, lists office hours on Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Fridays from 4 to 6:30 p.m. You can book by email at othmanld@wicmasjid.org. The center is at 248 East Mountain Street and can be reached at (774) 420-2636. Confirm the hours before visiting.

An imam can be a good, private first step, especially where faith and family meet. But a talk with an imam is not treatment, and a good imam will tell you when it is time to see a clinician. If your own masjid has no counselor, ask the office whether it keeps a referral list.

Finding a Muslim or culturally aware therapist

The Muslim Therapist Directory (muslimtherapist.directory/massachusetts) lists Muslim clinicians practicing in Massachusetts, including in Boston, Brookline and Randolph. Inclusive Therapists (inclusivetherapists.com) lets you search for Massachusetts providers who list knowledge of Islam, in person or online.

Khalil Center is a national Muslim practice that uses what it calls Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy. It has offices in the Chicago area and California and says it serves everyone else virtually. Since it has no Massachusetts office, ask whether your clinician is licensed here before you book. Call 1-855-5KHALIL.

Providers write their own directory listings. Before your first session, ask for the clinician's Massachusetts license, whether they take your insurance and what they charge. It is fine to ask how they work with clients for whom faith matters. If cost is the barrier, start with the Help Line.

When the stress is about money or safety at home

Muslim Community Support Services (MCSS) is a volunteer-run Massachusetts charity. It says it has helped New England residents facing urgent financial need for 25 years, and it works with the ISBCC on transitional housing. Email contactmcss@mcssnewengland.org.

SafeLink, at 877-785-2020, is Massachusetts' statewide 24/7 domestic violence hotline. Advocates speak English and Spanish and can get interpretation in more than 130 languages. You do not need to be looking for a shelter to call.

Caring for your mind is like seeing a doctor for your body: it does not replace prayer. If someone you love is struggling, sometimes the best thing you can do is sit beside them while they make the first call.

Know a Massachusetts masjid, clinic or support group serving Muslims that belongs on this list? Write to us at masshalaldirectory@gmail.com.

Quick list

Emergency: 911
988 Lifeline: call or text 988, 24/7, free
Mass. Behavioral Health Help Line: 833-773-2445 (call or text), masshelpline.com, 24/7, 200+ languages
Naseeha Muslim helpline: 1-866-627-3342, free and anonymous
ISBCC Ummah Health: health@isbcc.org, 617-858-6114
Worcester Islamic Center: (774) 420-2636. Confirm office hours.
SafeLink: 877-785-2020, 24/7
MCSS: contactmcss@mcssnewengland.org