Mental health experts help Texas flood victims to deal with trauma and loss

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While the rescue teams and volunteers work to clean up after the tragic floods that violently swept away the center of Texas during the weekend of July 4, others seek to help those close to the survivors and the victims to recover mentally. The pediatric psychiatrist based in Dallas and assistant professor at the UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. Sabrina Browne, spoke with Fox News Digital from what the survivors and relatives of the victims could be struggling with.
“Tragedies like this, in a very literal sense, strike near you, right? This is one thing when you see things playing on television, but when it happens in your community, it really affects your life at all levels,” Browne told Fox News Digital. “The reality for these families is that once the crews of the camera have left and that once the aid organizations are wrapped, they will always live with the repercussions.”
There are several possible reactions that people can have as a result of a tragedy, such as recent floods. According to Browne, one of the most common reactions is the loss of a “feeling of safety” and a “feeling of stability”.
“You take it for granted that you will wake up in the morning, go to your day, you will go home, right? And all these things. And so they lose this feeling of stability,” said Browne.

People leave flowers for the victims of the murderous flood in Kerrville, Texas, on July 12, 2025. (Nick Wagner / Xinhua via Getty Images)
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She added that with this loss of stability, some people may experience anxiety, concern or even fear that another disaster is at the corner of the street. The mental health professional also mentioned that the survivors of the floods could suffer from a post-traumatic stress disorder (SSPT) and even from the guilt of survivors.
Browne has a unique experience to help the families of Texas through the tragedy, having supported families following the shooting of the Uvalde 2022 school, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed in Robb primary school.
Like the case of the Uvalde shooting, many victims of the floods in Texas were children. Browne spoke of the differences in the treatment of adults compared to children, stressing that “children are not only small adults”.
“When we talk about children, it is a wide range of ages and development levels,” said Browne. “A child who is 12 years old will live a different experience from that of a child who is seven years old, right? Because they are more mature, they can cognitively understand things.”
Beyond their ability to understand what has happened, it could be the first time that a child dealing with disaster and death.
“Often, children meet (death) in the context of losing a grandparent or someone where he feels far from them. But when they see their peers, other children in the camp, when school starts again, starting at school and perhaps seeing that their friends are not there, who bring them to a very real level for it to be something that can happen, which can also happen.

The crews work to erase the debris from the CADE buckle bridge along the Guadalupe river on Saturday July 5, 2025 in Ingram, Texas. (AP photo / Rodolfo Gonzalez)
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Texas and Browne professionals are not alone in their work to help the victims of the floods to recover, Spring Health, a company focused on the supply of mental health solutions, recently engaged $ 500,000 in free services to flood victims in Texas, North Carolina and New Mexico.
“The recovery of a disaster is not only to rebuild what has been lost. It is also a question of taking care of the following emotional toll. We want people to know that they are not alone,” said April Koh at the CEO of Spring Health. “This program is there to ensure that affected people have a way to access confidential and confidential mental health support at no cost.”
As part of his commitment to provide care, Spring Health puts virtual sessions with approved clinicians available for those who cannot access physical assistance in person.

Libbie Horton, center, prays during a vigil in a commemorative wall erected in memory of the flood victims of Kerr in Kerrville, Texas, on July 11, 2025. (Danielle Villasana for the Washington Post via Getty Images)
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When it comes to knowing if your child needs professional help, Browne told Fox News Digital that this amounts to noticing changes in daily behavior. She said there were reactions that parents could expect to see, as their regressing child and perhaps wanting to sleep in their room to feel safe.
“If we notice that, you know, they don’t sleep, they don’t want to eat, they don’t want to play, right? These big changes are a sign that we have to get them to see someone for more support,” said Browne.