Hurricane Harvey Recovery: Mental Health Resources for Schools

To help individuals in the affected areas identify and connect to appropriate services and supports, TEA collaborated with state and federal agencies, and local community organizations, to create the compilation of mental health resources listed below. If you are aware of additional resources or tools that are available, please email HarveyRecoveryMH@tea.texas.gov.  

Resources for school systems, staff, students and families are available on the webpages listed below:

Mental Health Resources: Funding 
Mental Health Resources: Counseling and Crisis Intervention Services
Mental Health Resources: School Personnel Training and Classroom Resources
Mental Health Resources: Special Populations
Mental Health Resources: Parents, Caregivers and Families
Mental Health Resources: Community and General Resources

Special thanks to The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute for your overall support in this endeavor and for compiling the information and resources provided.  

 TEA is requesting your assistance to help identify school mental health challenges and needs post-Hurricane Harvey by completing the survey posted at  http://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/Other_Services/Weather_and_Disaster/Harvey_Mental_Health/Hurricane_Harvey_School_Mental_Health_Supports__Needs_and_Challenges_Survey/. 

Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHAs)

School districts can connect their students, staff, and faculty to mental health resources through their respective Local Mental Health Authority.  Each Local Mental Health Authority (LMHA) provides services to a specific geographic area of the state, called a local service area. The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) requires each LMHA to plan, develop policy, coordinate, allocate, and develop resources for mental health services in its local service area.  HHSC contracts with 39 LMHAs to deliver mental health services in communities across Texas. LMHAs provide psychiatric crisis response through 24-hour hotlines and mobile crisis outreach teams.  LMHAs also provide behavioral health services, and referrals for Texans seeking behavioral health services. LMHAs routinely outreach to community partners as well as serve as resources in their respective communities for trainings related to behavioral health and the coordination of behavioral health services during disasters.

Below are two ways to identify the LMHA which serves each LEA:

Download a copy of the crosswalk of Texas LMHAs and LEAs. This tool identifies each Texas school system with their corresponding Texas LMHA and includes the LMHA name, website, and crisis line.

• If an individual student who was impacted by Hurricane Harvey needs mental health assistance, school employees should call the Crisis Line for the Local Mental Health Authority serving the area.

• If a school district is interested in activities such as increasing coordination and planning, developing partnerships, or establishing programs, the initial contact is between a school administrator and the Executive Director of the LMHA.

You can also access information through the online LMHA search tool:  http://www.dshs.texas.gov/mhservices-search. You can search for the referral line phone number of each LMHA by city, county or zip code using the online mental health services search form. You may call the referral line of the LMHA in your area for confidential help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.