Nonprofit organizations continue to provide mental health services to Texas coastal residents struggling with anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression related to Hurricane Harvey.
Many of the physical scars from Hurricane Harvey can still be seen from Rockport down to Port Aransas.
But Mark Durand, a counselor at Coastal Plains Community Center, is more worried about the scars you can't see.
“You know when you’re sitting in what used to be your home and you can stare straight up and see the sky and you look around, it’s really hard to know, ‘Well, what do I pick up first?,’ There were people who were out there who were kind of in a daze; they were frozen,” Durand said.
Durand’s team helps residents process their trauma while assisting them in navigating federal and state programs that can help them rebuild.
Coastal Plains Community Center serves nine counties impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Durand said most of their funding is through state and federal grants.
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study shows one in five Coastal Bend residents reported a mental health problem soon after the hurricane. The need for counseling surged in the subsequent months.
Ryan Poppe can be reached atrpoppe@tpr.org or on Twitter@RyanPoppe1
