Finding a therapist
Best PTSD Therapists in San Antonio (2026)
San Antonio practices that name the specific therapies recommended for PTSD, and how those therapies differ.
Disclosure: this guide is published by The Denning Center, and Jim Denning, MA, LPC, is listed first because it is his practice's website. That placement is not a claim that he is more skilled or more effective than anyone else here. The other practices were chosen using the criteria below; none of them paid to be included, and none reviewed this page.
PTSD is a specific diagnosis. It involves intrusive memories or nightmares, avoidance, negative changes in mood and thinking, and being constantly on alert, lasting more than a month after a traumatic event. It also has specific, well-studied treatments. The VA/DoD's 2023 guideline strongly recommends cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure (PE) and EMDR. The American Psychological Association's 2025 guideline names CPT, PE and trauma-focused CBT as first-line, and gives EMDR a conditional recommendation.
Every practice on this list names at least one of those therapies on its own website. Several also take TRICARE, which matters in a city with San Antonio's military population.
1. The Denning Center — Jim Denning, MA, LPC
Tesoro Drive, North Central San Antonio · in person and telehealth across Texas
Our practice
Jim offers structured PTSD treatment for intrusive memories, avoidance, hypervigilance, and the changes in mood and thinking that come with them. He is trained in EMDR and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and uses cognitive approaches.
- He is open about the evidence: ART's research base is smaller and newer than the base behind CPT, prolonged exposure and EMDR. If one of those fits you better, he will say so.
- In network with TRICARE, Humana Military and TriWest, as well as Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and BCBS of Texas; private pay is $130 a session.
2. Sonatus Counseling
North New Braunfels Avenue, North Central San Antonio · group practice, in person and telehealth
A group practice led by clinical director Robert Cassistre, LPC-S. Its site lists EMDR and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for PTSD, trauma and phobias, as well as group therapy.
- Lists TRICARE among the plans it accepts.
3. Green Mountain Counseling
San Antonio · group practice, in person and telehealth
Its trauma and PTSD page lists all four of the main guideline-backed therapies: EMDR, cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure and trauma-focused CBT. It works with adults and teens.
- Lists several commercial plans, including Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare.
4. A New Start Counseling Services
Blanco Road, North Central San Antonio · group practice, in person and telehealth
Its PTSD page lists cognitive processing therapy, EMDR, prolonged exposure, trauma-focused CBT and mindfulness-based therapy, and names military combat among the traumas it treats.
- Says it accepts most major insurance plans.
5. The Calm in the Chaos — Michelle Guilmette Vaughn, LCSW
Broadway, Alamo Heights · in person and telehealth
Vaughn's site lists prolonged exposure therapy, one of the most researched PTSD treatments, along with other trauma-focused approaches. The practice describes itself as LGBTQIA+ affirming.
- Private pay only. Fees are published on the site.
6. South Texas Mental Health Associates — San Antonio
NW Military Highway · therapy and psychiatry
A multi-site group with therapy and psychiatric care. Its PTSD page lists EMDR, cognitive processing therapy and CBT, alongside medication management.
- A practical option if you want therapy and a medication evaluation in the same place.
- Lists TRICARE, Medicare and several commercial plans.
The main PTSD therapies in one paragraph each
- Cognitive processing therapy (CPT): usually about 12 sessions. It works on the beliefs the trauma left behind, such as "it was my fault" or "nowhere is safe".
- Prolonged exposure (PE): you gradually and repeatedly revisit the memory, and the situations you have been avoiding, until they lose their charge.
- EMDR: you recall parts of the memory while following bilateral eye movements or taps. It asks for less spoken detail than PE.
- Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART): also uses eye movements, and adds a step where you replace distressing images. It is often briefer. Its evidence base is newer and smaller, and much of it comes from military samples.
Questions people ask
Do I need a PTSD diagnosis to start therapy?
Is medication used for PTSD?
Sources
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Written and clinically reviewed by Jim Denning, MA, LPC. Last reviewed 23 September 2026.
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