Texas faces a severe shortage of mental health professionals, with the state’s own Children’s Behavioral Health Strategic Plan acknowledging that “the shortage of qualified, skilled professionals presents a formidable barrier in access to timely and appropriate care.” The shortage has particular impact on children’s psychiatric hospitals, where staffing challenges have led to beds going offline at state facilities, though some private facilities like Clarity Child Guidance Center have managed to maintain full capacity.
Finding qualified staff for 24/7 children’s mental health services proves especially difficult. Jessica Knudsen, CEO of Clarity Child Guidance Center, noted it is challenging to “find 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.” Clarity operates a 74-bed in-patient hospital for severe child mental health cases with no waitlist, and is currently expanding to meet demand, requiring additional employees.
Texas faces barriers to recruiting mental health professionals from other states. The state does not have reciprocity agreements with other states for medical licenses, requiring out-of-state clinicians to complete full application processes. This licensing transfer, according to Knudsen, who moved from North Carolina, can take 18 months or longer. A 2025 state legislative bill that would have offered insurance reimbursements for staff with provisional licenses failed to pass. However, Texas recently expanded its mental health professional loan repayment program, which Knudsen identified as encouraging given the burden of student loans for professionals entering counseling and psychiatry.
Positive collaboration exists through STRAC—the South Texas Regional Advisory Committee—which links services together in Bexar County. Law enforcement navigation allows officers responding to mental health crises to direct families directly to psychiatric hospitals like Clarity. Clarity is also training the next generation, with psychology training programs involving two interns and capability for two post-doctoral fellows specializing in child and adolescent psychology.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2026/01/13/there-are-not-enough-mental-health-workers-in-texas-what-is-the-state-doing-about-it/