Amarillo breaks ground on psychiatric hospital, part of the state’s $1.5B investment in mental health
The facility will bring mental health resources closer to the largely rural region that’s home to nearly 436,000 people. Full Story
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![Artist rendering of the new Panhandle State Hospital in Amarillo, expected to be completed in 2027.]()
Credit: West Texas A&M University website -
Classroom violence went up in Texas after the pandemic. Is more discipline the answer?
Texas lawmakers are poised to make it easier to suspend disruptive students. But some teachers and school psychologists say discipline alone won’t meet the mental health needs at the root of their behavior. Full Story
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![Public educator Nadene Casteel at Heritage Rose Elementary School on Monday, May 19, 2025, in Ft. Bend County.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas students say K-12 DEI ban and other anti-LGBTQ+ bills threaten their safety, voice and mental health
Students are concerned the legislation could silence supportive teachers, dismantle safe spaces, lead to overenforcement and prevent honest conversations about identity. Full Story
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![Marshall Romero, 16, poses for a portrait outside of Alief Early College High School in Houston on Friday, April 25, 2025.]()
Credit: Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune -
String of law enforcement suicides rattles first responders and exposes gaps in state support
Four people tied to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office committed suicide recently, calling attention to ongoing mental health struggles among law enforcement. Full Story
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![Dustin Schellinger poses for a photo on Sunday, April 6, 2025 in Coppell, Texas. After loosing two close friends to suicide within six months of each other, Schellinger found that there were not many resources for law enforcement who were struggling and sought to find an opportunity to help.]()
Credit: Maria Crane for The Texas Tribune -
Do-it-yourself mental health: Community college students band together to pitch solutions
Students from Texas and across the country are getting help to generate new ideas for campus support systems — and to turn those ideas into reality. Full Story
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![Having dealt with mental health issues himself, Elijah Gregory is now working to create a support group for other students at North Central Texas College. He’s part of a national program that encourages college students to brainstorm new ways to address students’ mental health needs.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Elijah Gregory -
Obstacles slow Texas’ effort to improve conditions at substance abuse recovery homes
A new law was meant to uphold standards at homes where substance abusers are trying to rebuild their lives. But compliance is proving difficult. Full Story
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![House of Extra Measures residents during a meeting at a home in Houston, Texas, on March 2, 2025.]()
Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune -
Texas mental health licensing board gives initial OK to remove training requirement associated with DEI
Officials say the motive for the change to the rule requiring mental health providers to receive cultural diversity or competency training for license renewals has been misunderstood. Full Story
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![Psychotherapist Monrovia Van Hoose's office on Friday, Mar. 11, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Every month, hundreds of Texas children are waitlisted for a mental health program billed as an alternative to foster care
Despite a long waitlist, the number of children served in the YES Waiver program has declined because of provider shortages. Full Story
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![YES Waiver Participant Quin Heston and his mother, Nidia Chairez Heston, stand outside their home in Austin on Jan. 27, 2025.]()
Credit: Julia Zeddies for The Texas Tribune -
Amid a $7 million deficit to Texas’ suicide hotline, thousands of calls are abandoned monthly
The state’s 988 suicide had the nation’s fifth highest rate of abandoned calls in August, the latest data available, amid a multi-million funding deficit that could worsen as federal dollars expire this year. Full Story
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![A sign for the national suicide and crisis hotline number, 988, is posted at a North Austin parking lot, on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Mental health advocates ask Texas lawmakers to replace expiring COVID-19 relief funding
Texas received $203.4 million in 2021 to help build community mental health programs at libraries and churches, among other efforts. Those funds expire Dec. 31. Full Story
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![Mental Health pamphlets at an office complex in Round Rock on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas weighs social media bans for minors as schools and police face challenges
A Texas lawmaker has introduced a bill prohibiting minors from using social media accounts as school districts become a “hunting ground” for online dangers. Full Story
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![In this photo illustration, the Social Media icons and Facebook, Messenger and Instagram logos seen displayed on a smartphone.]()
Credit: Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images via REUTERS -
Donald Trump boosted mental health efforts in Texas in his first term. Will he do it again?
The president-elect previously supported community mental health programs in Texas, the 988 hotline and addressed the opioid crisis, but his plan to address homelessness threatens that legacy. Full Story
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![Former US president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting on February 24, 2024, in National Harbor, Maryland.]()
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A push to change a 2019 Texas law that bars certain felons from becoming social workers
Texas prohibits people with assault convictions, among other felonies, from becoming social workers. A new lawsuit says the ban is unconstitutional. Full Story
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![Tammy Thompson, left, and Katherin Youniacutt, right, pose for a portrait the night before filing a lawsuit against the state of Texas to try and reverse the 2019 law that prevents convicted felons from becoming licensed social workers.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune -
Board cancels costly psychologist licensing exam after pushback led by Texas
The national licensing board announced it will consider folding the proposed skills test into an existing exam amid worries the additional hurdle would discourage applicants. Full Story
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![The Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards takes part in a discussion with the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists regarding the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology on Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Austin. Mariann Burnett-Atwell, PSY.D., Michelle Paul, PH.D., Jennifer Laforce, PH.D., Hao Song, PH.D., and Alex Siegel, J.D., PH.D. sat on the panel during the discussion.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Mental health support for toddlers has lagged in Texas. That’s now changing.
Lawmakers and child care centers are pushing for a statewide mental health system for toddlers. Full Story
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![Children work on letter puzzles at Kid's Castle Family Daycare and Preschool in Pflugerville on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Even as state mental health spending rises, private psychiatric hospitals struggle to stay open
Texas hasn’t increased Medicaid rates for inpatient health care at private hospitals in 16 years, falling behind other states. Full Story
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![The Nix Health behavioral health center in San Antonio closed in 2019.]()
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Texas leads push for faster certification of mental health professionals
Other states look to Texas as the state psychology board pushes against the new national licensing requirements. Full Story
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![Chair John Bielamowicz speaks during a a Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists meeting Thursday, April 11, 2024 in Austin. During the meeting, the state board met with the Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards to discuss the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas parents gain new tools to control their teen’s social media use
A new law gives parents more power over a child’s actions on social media, but only if the parent knows about the account. Full Story
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![Men take selfies in front of a Meta sign, the new name for the company formerly known as Facebook, at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California on Oct. 28, 2021.]()
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What Texas can learn from crisis mental health care in Arizona
Texas officials look to Arizona cities when creating crisis mental health centers. Full Story
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![A view of downtown Tucson skyline against the Santa Catalina Mountains in Tucson, Arizona on Dec. 13, 2023.]()
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How a lack of supervisors keeps new mental health workers from entering the field
Future Texas therapists must complete internships to start their careers, but there’s not enough providers to mentor all of the students. Full Story
![Psychotherapist Monrovia Van Hoose's office on Friday, Mar. 11, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune