After 15 years as a professional guardian and director of Colorado's largest nonprofit guardianship agency, I've had the same conversation hundreds of times.
A family calls, overwhelmed and exhausted. Their loved one is in crisis—mental health, elder care, criminal justice. They've already spent weeks researching online, calling dozens of agencies, and getting contradictory advice from well-meaning professionals.
"We don't know what to do next," they tell me.
And here's what I've learned: They don't need more information. They need navigation.
The Information Overload Paradox
We live in the age of information abundance. Google can answer almost any question in seconds. You can find articles, forums, government websites, and expert blogs on any topic imaginable.
So why are families still getting lost?
Because information without direction is just noise.
When your loved one is in a mental health crisis, you can easily find:
- The different types of psychiatric facilities
- How insurance coverage works (in theory)
- What "least restrictive environment" means
- The legal criteria for involuntary commitment
What you can't easily find:
- Which specific facility will accept your loved one TODAY
- How to actually get insurance to approve the level of care needed
- Who to call when the hospital wants to discharge but home isn't safe
- How to coordinate between the ER doctor, the psychiatrist, the case manager, and the insurance company
The gap between information and implementation is where families get stuck.
What Navigation Actually Means
Crisis navigation isn't therapy. It isn't case management. It isn't legal advice.
It's having someone who:
Knows the System Inside and Out
Not from reading about it, but from working in it for years. Someone who knows which doors actually open, which programs have capacity, and which people can make decisions.
Coordinates the Moving Pieces
Mental health systems, criminal justice processes, and elder care networks aren't designed to talk to each other. Navigation means being the person who connects all the dots while you focus on your loved one.
Advocates When You're Too Overwhelmed
When you're in crisis, it's hard to think clearly, ask the right questions, or push back on denials. A navigator does that for you.
Translates Bureaucracy into Action
"Your loved one needs a higher level of care" is information. "Here are the three facilities that can accept them this week, here's how to get insurance approval, and here's what to say when you call" is navigation.
The Real Cost of Going It Alone
I've watched families spend months—sometimes years—trying to navigate systems on their own.
They make avoidable mistakes:
- Accepting the first option presented without knowing there were better alternatives
- Missing application deadlines because they didn't know they existed
- Giving up on insurance appeals they would have won
- Choosing guardianship when less restrictive options would have worked
But worse than the mistakes is the toll it takes.
These are families already in crisis. A parent with dementia. An adult child in psychiatric crisis. A loved one in jail.
And instead of being able to focus on their family member, they're spending 20 hours a week becoming amateur experts in systems they'll hopefully never need to use again.
That's not just inefficient. It's cruel.
When Information Becomes Harmful
Here's something most people don't talk about: too much information can actually make things worse.
When you're already overwhelmed, reading 47 articles about mental health crises doesn't help—it paralyzes. You start second-guessing every decision. You wonder if you're missing something. You lose trust in your own judgment.
I've seen families delay action for weeks because they felt like they needed to understand everything before they could do anything.
In a crisis, perfect understanding is the enemy of timely action.
A good navigator helps you make informed decisions without requiring you to become an expert first.
The Questions That Matter
If you're facing a situation with a loved one and feeling overwhelmed, ask yourself:
Do I know what to do, but not how to do it?
That's a navigation problem, not an information problem.
Am I spending more time researching than acting?
That's a sign you need someone to help you cut through the noise.
Do I feel like I'm drowning in options but still don't know the next step?
You need direction, not more data.
Am I so overwhelmed I can't think straight?
That's exactly when you need someone else to hold the map.
What Good Navigation Looks Like
Last year, a family contacted me about their adult son. He'd been in and out of hospitals for months. Each time he was discharged, he'd decompensate within days and end up back in the ER.
They'd read everything. They understood mental health diagnoses, treatment options, and patient rights.
But they didn't know:
- Why the pattern kept repeating
- How to get him into longer-term care
- How to appeal the insurance denials they kept receiving
- Who actually had the authority to make different decisions
We worked together for six weeks.
I didn't give them more information—they already had plenty. I helped them:
- Identify the right type of treatment program
- Navigate the insurance appeals process
- Coordinate with the treatment team
- Understand what questions to ask and who to ask them to
- Create a sustainable discharge plan
Today, he's stable. He has the support he needs. His parents have their lives back.
They didn't need to become mental health experts. They needed someone who already was.
The Bottom Line
If you're facing a crisis with a loved one, you have a choice:
You can spend the next six months trying to become an expert in a system you hope to never use again.
Or you can focus on your loved one while someone who already knows the system guides you through it.
Information is abundant. Direction is rare.
You don't need more Google searches. You need a navigator.