{"id":232212,"date":"2026-01-14T06:01:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/232212\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T06:01:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:01:07","slug":"there-are-not-enough-mental-health-workers-in-texas-what-is-the-state-doing-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/232212\/","title":{"rendered":"There are not enough mental health workers in Texas. What is the state doing about it?"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO \u2013 KSAT continues its mental health resource coverage in the seventh story since the tragic suicide of 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mendoza Olmos\u2019 death following a dayslong search broke hearts across South Central Texas and the nation. It also sparked a crucial conversation.<\/p>\n

KSAT\u2019s series of reports on mental health started with a story about what loved ones can say<\/a> to their kids who are in crisis.<\/p>\n

Calls to a San Antonio mental health line have since tripled<\/a> after the news of Mendoza Olmos\u2019 death.<\/p>\n

Then came the big question: why has it been so difficult<\/a> to get our kids in to see mental health professionals?<\/p>\n

Turns out: the fastest option is to get a referral \u2014 at school, surprisingly<\/a>. However, the Bexar County funding for that program is about to run out.<\/a><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, some new federal funding<\/a> is now fueling a program that could help add more school psychologists. <\/p>\n

Massive shortage of mental health professionals in Texas<\/p>\n

That led to the biggest core problem when it comes to resources: there are not enough mental health workers to go around. <\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, Texas is one of those states that they just don\u2019t have enough counselors, psychiatrists, any of those to handle the volume that we have in the state, much less San Antonio,\u201d Brad Denson said. <\/p>\n

Brad and Melanie Denson\u2019s daughter struggled with severe mental illness for years. Their experience led them to become experts and coaches on the topic.<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s own Children\u2019s Behavioral Health Strategic Plan<\/a> continuously acknowledges the issue. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe shortage of qualified, skilled professionals presents a formidable barrier in access to timely and appropriate care,\u201d the plan, which is posted online, stated. <\/p>\n

Kids psychiatric hospitals hit by shortages<\/p>\n

The couple said the staffing was the worst issue when their daughter was at children\u2019s in-patient psychiatric hospitals. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was technically a revolving door,\u201d they said. <\/p>\n

Clarity Child Guidance Center<\/a> CEO Jessica Knudsen acknowledged those inherent challenges. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always a challenge when it\u2019s a 24\/7 service, finding people that want to work in the middle of the night and on weekends and finding good quality people to fill those jobs that specialize in kids, too.\u201d Knudsen said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very hard job.\u201d <\/p>\n

While she said it\u2019s difficult, she feels fortunate at Clarity. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have never had to take beds offline due to a staffing shortage,\u201d Knudsen said. \u201cI know at the state hospitals that\u2019s been a big issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clarity has an in-patient hospital for the most severe child mental health cases with 74 beds.<\/p>\n

Kids won\u2019t be turned away at Clarity, so there\u2019s no waitlist. <\/p>\n

However, the center has become so busy that it\u2019s having to expand. Construction on the center starts soon.<\/p>\n

More employees will be needed to keep up with the growth.<\/p>\n

Training the next generation<\/p>\n

Clarity, itself, even helping raise up the next set of young professionals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re training the next generation of psychiatrists,\u201d Knudsen said. \u201cWe have a psychology training program. So, we have two interns and the capability to have two post-docs for folks that are specializing in child and adolescence psychology, as well.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, Clarity and other centers still need more help from the state. <\/p>\n

What is the state doing?<\/p>\n

Knudsen was asked if she thinks legislators are currently putting money where their mouth is when it comes to kids mental health. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think for the most part: no,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

During the most recent legislative session in 2025, a now-failed bill would have offered insurance reimbursements for staff with provisional licenses working on higher degrees. That would have given centers incentive to hire those workers to offset the cost of care. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a kick in the gut because that\u2019s a workforce that\u2019s already there,\u201d Knudsen said. <\/p>\n

She also said Texas doesn\u2019t make it easy to transfer medical licenses from out of state. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know this myself because I moved from North Carolina. In Texas, they don\u2019t have reciprocity with other states,\u201d Knudsen said. \u201cSo, if you\u2019re a clinician moving, you have to go through the entire application process, which is pretty burdensome. It took me, I think, 18 months to transfer my license. And, at that point, I had been licensed for well over a decade.\u201d <\/p>\n

Knudsen said that rule is a big barrier keeping out-of-state mental health talent from moving to cities in Texas. <\/p>\n

However, there is one recent state measure Knudsen thinks can make a big difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey expanded the mental health professional loan repayment program, which I think is very encouraging because student loans are a big deal,\u201d Knudsen said. \u201cSo, folks that go into counseling, psychiatry, do have a lot of funds available.\u201d <\/p>\n

Collaboration in Bexar County<\/p>\n

Knudsen also wanted people to know about positive collaborations happening in Bexar County.<\/p>\n

\u201cSTRAC, which is the South Texas Regional Advisory Committee, does a great job in terms of linking services together,\u201d she said. \u201cWe get what\u2019s called law enforcement navigation. So, if a family\u2019s having a mental health crisis, they call 911, the officer can navigate them directly to Clarity or another psychiatric hospital. And that, I think, is a very strong network.\u201d <\/p>\n

Message of hope<\/p>\n

With public awareness of the workforce shortage and some pressure on the legislature, Knudsen hopes more changes are on the way. <\/p>\n

She also is sending a message to the young people interested in the mental health space. <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t get disheartened by what may look like an uphill battle,\u201d Knudsen said. \u201cWe need the good people to continue the good fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fighting the mental health stigma<\/p>\n

Knudsen and the Densons also hope people will let go of stigma and get help sooner when mental illness signs first appear, so that they\u2019re not scrambling to find care once a child is in crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt school, it becomes the kid that acts out in class or doesn\u2019t listen, or maybe they\u2019re depressed or they\u2019re anxious or they are dealing with some other issue,\u201d Knudsen said. \u201cSo, the stigma is still part of it.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Densons are now coaches at the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) San Antonio, which offers support groups and classes for families wading through a mental health journey. They hope more families reach out and utilize the services. <\/p>\n

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, there is help. Call 988 or text TALK to 741-741. If there is an immediate danger, call 911.<\/p>\n

You can also reach out to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention<\/a> (AFSP) or the National Alliance of Mental Illness<\/a> (NAMI) at 210-223-7233 (SAFE) or 800-316-9241. You can also text NAMI to 741-741.<\/p>\n

If you are not in crisis but need someone to talk to, or want to ask for services for yourself or a loved one, call NAMI\u2019s Warm Line<\/a> at (210) 939-9999.<\/p>\n

Read more of KSAT\u2019s mental health reporting since the death of Camila Mendoza Olmos:<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 KSAT continues its mental health resource coverage in the seventh story since the tragic suicide…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232213,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[69595,137831,134,554,555,111,139,69,63485,137832],"class_list":{"0":"post-232212","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-bexar-county","9":"tag-clarity-child-guidance-center","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-mentalhealth","13":"tag-new-zealand","14":"tag-newzealand","15":"tag-nz","16":"tag-san-antonio","17":"tag-we-follow-through"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}