Texas Mental Health Program Reveals 103% Increase in Veteran Enrollment

Texas has the second-largest population of former military service members in the nation, with more than 1.5 million veterans.

More veterans in the Lone Star State will have access to mental health services as the nation honors Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month. That is due to a partnership involving the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program (EHVP), part of the Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Care Network.

The program is especially looking to connect with post-9/11 veterans and current service members by offering free therapy sessions to combat PTSD and other military-related mental health problems. Since the collective outreach effort launched in 2024, EHVP has seen a 33% growth in phone screens, a 58% rise in intake assessments, and a 103% increase in Texas veterans signing up for treatment.

In 2022, a survey of veterans throughout the state found that 30% had been diagnosed with PTSD. However, only 45% had received treatment for PTSD and other mental health-related issues in the year prior to the survey.

Many veterans and their families are unaware of options such as Emory’s accelerated brain treatment program, available at no cost.

Program Branches Out in Texas

The program offers two weeks of care for eligible veterans and current active-duty members struggling with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, anxiety, depression and other behavioral health issues.

Treatments are specifically designed for each veteran and offer a telehealth option in Texas and participating states. While there has not been a sharp increase reported in the number of Texas veterans seeking mental health care, the state’s large rural population presents challenges for established programs to reach veterans who need help. Telehealth counseling could attract more veterans to participate.

Barbara Rothbaum, professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University School of Medicine, said in a press release that while PTSD is common among veterans, it’s treatable with proper care.

“Through this expanded work in Texas, we want more veterans and families to know that compassionate care backed by research is available, and the invisible wounds of service do not have to go untreated. We are here to help,” said Rothbaum, also a director of the university’s trauma and anxiety recovery program.

Two-Week Personalized Care

EHVP’s Texas program established a veterans’ outreach coordinator for the Dallas metro area in 2024 to meet veterans where they are, forging relationships with several military bases, veteran service organizations and community leaders across the state.

To expand its reach, EHVP is growing the program’s community-based outreach efforts through a blend of digital and physical media engagements to reach more active-duty personnel, veterans and their families. Sometimes, a veteran might not seek help on their own, but a family member can request assistance on their behalf.

“Behind every phone screen, assessment and enrollment is a veteran or family member taking an important step toward healing,” Rothbaum said. “Whether we are reaching veterans in Georgia, Texas or elsewhere across the country.

“Our goal is to help more people find their way to effective care and live the life they envision when they are ready.”

The two-week program offers condensed therapy that includes behavioral health care, along with psychiatry and neurology, rehabilitative medicine, wellness and family support.

The program, in its 10th year, was formed to address the need for individualized mental health care specifically for veterans from the post-9/11 wars.