With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, a local counselor is speaking up about normalizing treatment for mental health. 

Vanessa Saenz, Vice President for Behavioral Services at DHR Health, says more cases are being treated in the Rio Grande Valley.

"We have seen an increase in both our in-patient and outpatient demand for mental health services, and I think that's directly correlated with the COVID-19 pandemic," Saenz said.

Now more than ever, Saenz says there’s a critical need to reduce the stigma around mental health battles - a stigma that often prevents individuals from seeking help.

"We need to find ways to stay connected with one another stay connected with our feelings," Saenz said.

Saenz encourages people to start off by studying your behavior, thoughts, emotions, and know when something is not right.

"There is a lot of resources available to our community," Saenz said. "I think it's important to take initiative to educate our community on what we have available so others can know where to seek these services of needed."

For resources and information about mental health, you can call the DHR Department for Behavioral Services at 956-362-HELP.

Additional resources:

956-289 7000 —Tropical Texas Behavioral Health - Edinburg 

956-630-4878 — Mujeres Unidas 

956-388-1300 — South Texas Health System Behavioral