MEDIA ADVISORY

Texas Health and Human Services Commission

HHSC Recognizes May as
Mental Health Awareness Month

AUSTIN – The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month by hosting a series of informative webinars and promoting resources available to Texans.

The Mental Health Awareness Webinar Series is free and open to the public, covering several topics from suicide risk to youth mental wellness. Register by clicking the links below:

• May 1, noon to 1 p.m., Integrated Behavioral Health. This webinar explains care coordination, which helps people move from one health care system or setting to another smoothly and effectively without delays or duplication of care.
• May 13, 11 a.m. to noon, The Deadly Gap: Elevated Risk for Suicide in the First Year after Military Service Separation. This webinar will review suicide data of veterans, explain the physiological experience of trauma, discuss the challenges veterans face, and offer ways to support them.
• May 19, 1–2 p.m., Beyond the Norm: Empowering Youth Mental Wellness with Alternative Therapies. This webinar provides an overview of alternate therapies, such as art, music and animal-assisted therapy, available through the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver.
• May 21, 1–2 p.m., Navigating Recovery with Peer and Family Partner Services. This webinar will host a panel of certified peer and family partners who will discuss how to help others navigate their personal mental health.
• May 29, 11 a.m. to noon, Coordinated Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis (CSC-FEP). This webinar highlights an innovative treatment model for people experiencing an early onset of psychosis.

Other resources

HHSC will post messages on Facebook, X and Instagram throughout May to promote self-care, share behavioral health data and educate the public on behavioral health challenges.

Throughout the year, Mental Health First Aid training is available through local mental health authorities and local behavioral health authorities. Participants learn the risk factors and warning signs of mental health and substance use concerns, build an understanding of their impact, and receive an overview of common treatments. Learn more about the courses by visiting the Mental Health First Aid Training webpage.

For more information on mental health resources in Texas, visit the HHSC Mental Health and Substance Use page.

-30-