June is a month that holds many things at once: the warmth of early summer, the visibility and celebration of Pride, the urgency of PTSD Awareness Month, and the quiet call of Men’s Health Month. At South Texas Mental Health Associates, we believe that healing happens when people can be fully seen. This month, we are holding space for all of it.
Whether you are a trauma survivor quietly carrying wounds others cannot see, an LGBTQ+ person navigating a world that does not always affirm you, a man who has been told that asking for help is weakness, or someone who loves all of the above. This guide is for you. You are not alone, and you deserve care that sees all of who you are.
Understanding Trauma and the Path to Healing
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a real, treatable mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event: military combat, a natural disaster, sexual assault, a serious accident, or childhood adversity. PTSD does not reflect weakness. It is the nervous system’s way of trying to protect you long after the threat has passed.
This June, we want to break the silence that surrounds trauma. According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately 70% of adults worldwide experience a traumatic event at some point in their lives. Of those, around 20% go on to develop PTSD. The good news: for those who seek professional treatment, roughly 67% experience significant and lasting improvement. June 27 is National PTSD Awareness Day, a day dedicated to learning, sharing resources, and reducing the stigma that keeps people from reaching out.
Common Signs of PTSD
PTSD can look very different from person to person, and symptoms do not always appear immediately after a traumatic event. Sometimes they surface months or even years later. If any of the following feel familiar, for yourself or someone you love, a conversation with a mental health professional is a meaningful and important next step.
Signs That May Indicate PTSD
- Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares about the traumatic event
- Avoiding people, places, or thoughts that trigger memories of the trauma
- Being easily startled, feeling on edge, trouble sleeping, or sudden irritability and angry outbursts
- Negative thoughts about yourself or the world; feeling emotionally numb or detached from loved ones
- Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed; feeling isolated or cut off from others
- Difficulty concentrating or gaps in memory around the traumatic event
Evidence-based treatments like EMDR therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Prolonged Exposure (PE) all have strong, well-documented success rates for PTSD. STMHA offers PTSD and trauma treatment at all three of our locations in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Edinburg. If you have been putting off reaching out, June 27 is a good reason not to wait any longer.
Recognized some of these signs? Our board-certified psychiatrists are accepting new patients at all three STMHA locations. Tricare, Medicare, and most major insurance accepted.
Become a Patient →Mental Health and the LGBTQ+ Community
June is Pride Month, a time of visibility, celebration, and community for LGBTQ+ people everywhere. It is also, for many, a month that carries complexity. Pride can be joyful and painful at the same time. For LGBTQ+ individuals, the weight of discrimination, family rejection, and what researchers call “minority stress” is both real and measurable: LGBTQ+ people are nearly three times more likely to experience depression, anxiety, or PTSD than their non-LGBTQ+ peers.
These statistics are not inevitable. They are the result of systemic inequity, not individual weakness. And they point to something important: affirming mental health care is not optional. It is essential. At STMHA, we provide compassionate, affirming care to every patient, exactly as they are.
The Reality
LGBTQ+ individuals are nearly 3× more likely to experience depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Discrimination, family rejection, and minority stress are key contributing factors to these mental health disparities.
Be an Ally
Use correct names and pronouns. Listen without judgment. Speak up against discrimination. Simply saying “I support you” to an LGBTQ+ loved one, especially youth, can be genuinely life-changing.
Affirming Care
LGBTQ+-affirming mental health care produces measurably better outcomes. You deserve a provider who sees and respects all of who you are. STMHA provides affirming, nonjudgmental care to all patients.
Men and Mental Health: This Is Your Sign
June is Men’s Health Month, and when it comes to mental health, the conversation is long overdue. Men are significantly less likely to seek professional mental health support than women. Not because they are less affected, but because of deeply ingrained cultural messaging that equates emotional struggle with failure. The data tells a different story: men account for nearly 80% of suicide deaths in the United States each year.
Real strength includes knowing when to ask for help. If you have been putting off a mental health appointment, telling yourself you should be able to handle it on your own, or quietly living with depression, anxiety, PTSD, or something you haven’t put a name to yet. This is your sign. You are worth the care. Our board-certified psychiatrists and therapists at STMHA provide compassionate, judgment-free care for men throughout South Texas. We offer individual therapy, medication management, and telehealth appointments across all three locations.
“You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared, or anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a negative person. It makes you human.”
— Lori Deschene, Tiny BuddhaReady to schedule? Call your nearest location.
Or request an appointment online →“I am allowed to take up space. My story matters, my healing matters, and I am worthy of a life that feels whole.”
Three Strategies for a Calmer Summer Mind
Summer in South Texas brings longer days and shifting schedules, and sometimes its own kind of stress. Here are three evidence-informed strategies to support your mental health through the warmer months ahead.
Practice Grounding Daily
When anxiety spikes, the 5-4-3-2-1 technique can anchor you quickly: name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste. It pulls your attention back to the present moment and away from the spiral. For a daily breathing practice, try box breathing: inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 6. Repeat when the world feels too loud. Consistency matters more than intensity. Even one minute a day builds real resilience. If you’d like structured support building these skills, individual therapy is a great place to start.
Protect Your Sleep
Longer summer days can quietly erode sleep schedules in ways that significantly affect mood, anxiety, and cognitive function. Use blackout curtains, commit to a consistent bedtime even on weekends, and limit screen exposure for at least an hour before bed. Quality sleep is one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost investments you can make in your mental health; disrupted sleep is a direct driver of anxiety and depression symptoms.
Hydrate Your Mood
Research shows that even mild dehydration measurably increases feelings of anxiety and fatigue. In the South Texas summer heat, that threshold comes faster than you think. Aim for 8 or more glasses of water daily. Herbal teas, chamomile and lavender in particular, carry mild calming properties that can support relaxation in the evening. What you drink affects how you feel just as much as what you eat.
What You Eat Affects How You Feel
The connection between diet and mental health is well established: omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, folate, and complex carbohydrates all play meaningful roles in mood regulation, serotonin production, and cognitive function. These nutrients are a strong complement to psychiatric medication management. This month’s recipe delivers all of them in a single summer dinner that takes under 30 minutes to make.
Honey-Lime Grilled Salmon with Mango Avocado Salsa
Rich in omega-3s and serotonin-boosting nutrients. A summer dinner that feeds your brain.
- 4 salmon fillets (5–6 oz each)
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil + extra for grill
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 ripe mango, diced
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded & minced
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice • salt to taste
- Mix honey, lime juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Brush generously over both sides of salmon fillets. Marinate 15 minutes.
- Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl. Toss gently and refrigerate until serving.
- Heat grill to medium-high. Lightly oil grates. Grill salmon 4–5 minutes per side until it flakes easily with a fork.
- Plate salmon and spoon mango avocado salsa generously over the top. Serve immediately with lime wedges.
Take Action This June
Awareness means nothing without action. Here are four meaningful things you can do this month, for yourself and the people you love.
Ground Yourself Daily
Choose one grounding technique (box breathing, the 5-4-3-2-1 method, or a short walk without your phone) and practice it every day this month. Consistency builds resilience that lasts well beyond June.
Show Up for Others
Check in on an LGBTQ+ friend or family member this month. A simple “I see you and I love you” costs nothing but can mean everything, especially during a month that holds both joy and grief simultaneously.
Talk About Trauma
PTSD thrives in silence. This month, share a resource about PTSD with your network, or let someone you trust know what you have been carrying. You don’t have to heal alone. You were never meant to.
Men: Schedule That Appointment
June is Men’s Health Month. If you have been putting off a mental health appointment, this is your sign. Strength absolutely includes asking for help. Call one of our locations today, or book a telehealth appointment from home. We’re here for you.
Take action today. STMHA is accepting new patients across South Texas. Insurance is verified before your first appointment so there are no surprises.
Schedule an Appointment →Nourish Your Mind
Curated talks, books, podcasts, and articles focused on trauma, identity, resilience, and summer mental wellness.
How Trauma Lodges in the Body
The author of The Body Keeps the Score explains how trauma is stored physically in the body and why movement, yoga, and somatic therapies are powerful paths to healing.
Watch on TED.com →The Surprising Truth About Emotions
Neuroscientist Barrett reveals that emotions aren’t hardwired reactions; they’re constructed by the brain. Understanding this can radically change how you manage your mental health.
Watch on TED.com →Depression, the Secret We Share
A beautifully honest talk about depression, identity, and finding meaning in the darkest places. Solomon weaves together research and personal narrative with rare candor.
Watch on TED.com →Why Pride Is a Mental Health Issue
A curated collection of TED Talks exploring identity, acceptance, belonging, and the profound mental health impact of being seen and celebrated for who you truly are.
Explore on TED.com →The Body Keeps the Score
The landmark book on trauma: how it reshapes the body and brain, and what it takes to reclaim yourself. Essential reading for anyone affected by trauma or supporting someone who is.
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About
Fifteen writers explore the complex relationships between mothers and children, a meditation on family trauma, identity, and the power of naming what we’ve been told to keep quiet.
Radical Acceptance
Buddhist teacher and psychologist Brach offers a path out of the “trance of unworthiness,” a deeply compassionate guide to making peace with yourself exactly as you are.
You Are Your Best Thing
A groundbreaking anthology on Black vulnerability and shame resilience. Contributors explore trauma, identity, and healing with radical honesty and profound hope.
Therapy Chat
A trauma-informed therapist interviews experts on healing, attachment, PTSD, and the nervous system. One of the most consistently informative mental health podcasts available.
Listen Now →Hidden Brain
Using science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns driving human behavior. Episodes on identity, trauma, resilience, and relationships consistently top the charts.
Listen Now →Queer Mental Health
Honest, thoughtful conversations about mental health experiences specific to the LGBTQ+ community, including identity, coming out, minority stress, and affirming therapy.
Listen Now →PTSD Coach
A free, evidence-based app offering guided exercises, coping tools, and educational resources for managing PTSD symptoms. Available for anyone, not just veterans.
Access Free Tool →What Is PTSD?
The world’s leading PTSD research center offers a clear, compassionate overview of what PTSD is, who is affected, and what the road to recovery looks like.
Read Now →Mental Health in the LGBTQ+ Community: Challenges, Support & Strength
A comprehensive, affirming overview of the unique mental health challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals and how to find supportive, culturally competent care.
Read Now →Fuel Your Mind This Summer
How seasonal produce and whole foods support brain health, mood stability, and resilience against stress, with practical tips for eating for your mental health this summer.
Read Now →Five Ways to Support LGBTQ+ Mental Health
Practical, evidence-informed guidance for friends, family members, and providers on how to be a genuine source of support for LGBTQ+ loved ones navigating mental health challenges.
Read Now →You Are Never Alone — Help Is Available 24/7
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or Text 988Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741