University Hospital

About University Hospital

University Hospital is part of University Health in San Antonio and provides hospital based behavioral health care and inpatient psychiatric treatment for adults. As part of a major academic public health system University Hospital connects patients to a broad continuum of care spanning stabilization to long term recovery support.

Its team includes licensed chemical dependency counselors and psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists, nurses, and licensed clinical social workers who deliver counseling and medication management with psychiatric evaluation.

Inpatient Addiction and Psychiatric Support

University Hospital offers hospital based behavioral health care for adults needing inpatient psychiatric treatment and evaluation. Licensed chemical dependency counselors work directly within the hospital team alongside psychiatric specialists supported through a partnership with UT Health San Antonio.

Treatment may include psychiatric and psychosocial evaluation, cognitive behavioral therapy and behavior therapy, counseling, and medication management. The team also coordinates referrals to community based outpatient services helping patients transition smoothly toward ongoing recovery.

Community Substance Use and Recovery Programs

Beyond the hospital University Health operates community programs for adults across Bexar County and South Texas including outpatient counseling and medication for opioid use disorder through OTRS and IFPOR.

The New Start program provides 90 days of counseling plus recovery support while STOP offers harm reduction services such as naloxone, wound care kits, and sharps containers. These programs pair with peer recovery support and case management, screening, and navigation.

Edited by: Kimberly Hawkins, MSc

Last Updated: July 13, 2026

Addiction Treatment Programs

Dual Diagnosis
Many people with addiction issues also have a mental health diagnosis, which is known as a dual diagnosis. Be sure to find a rehab in Texas that can treat both. A mental health diagnosis can feed into an addiction, making both worse. In a dual diagnosis program, these concerns are addressed along with typical evidence-based detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient care.
Adult Program
An adult program in Texas addresses the unique need of adults, such as finding secure housing, building a career, and raising a family. Adults often have challenges related to their careers, raising a family, and handling responsibilities. These concerns are addressed during evidence-based detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient care.
Men's Rehab
Choosing a men’s rehab in Texas can be a great way to manage gender-specific issues while also addressing substance use. Men often have questions about building their careers, being fathers, and having healthy communication styles. These concerns are addressed along with typical evidence-based detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient care.
Women's Rehab
If you’re a woman struggling with substance use, consider a women’s rehab program in Texas. Women often have questions about building their careers, raising children, and building healthy relationships. These concerns are addressed along with typical evidence-based detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient care.
Young Adult Rehab
Young adult rehabs in Texas address a wide range of substance use issues while also helping clients transition into adulthood. Young adults often have questions about starting their careers, having a family, and living independently without overspending. These concerns are addressed along with typical evidence-based detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient care.
Psychiatric Emergency Services
University Hospital’s Psychiatric Emergency Services operate 24/7, providing emergency evaluation and crisis treatment for individuals experiencing acute mental health emergencies in the San Antonio area.
Eating Disorders Program
This inpatient program at University Hospital treats anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and other eating disorders through medical monitoring, nutritional rehabilitation, and psychotherapy in a hospital setting.
Senior Behavioral Health Program
Designed for adults age 55 and older, this University Hospital program delivers inpatient psychiatric treatment for depression, anxiety, mood disorders, and other late-life mental health concerns.
Inpatient Psychiatric Care
University Hospital’s inpatient psychiatric unit treats adults with acute conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders through structured, 24-hour hospital-based programming.

Insurance Coverage

Medicaid
How do you pay for rehab in Texas? If you have Medicaid, consider using it to pay for some or all of the costs of treatment. Medicaid covers multiple levels of care, and you may have no out-of-pocket costs. However, you’ll need to choose a treatment center that accepts Medicaid.
Private insurance
When you’re planning to use private insurance to pay for rehab in Texas, there are a few details to keep in mind. Your insurance plan can cover some or all of the cost of treatment. You’ll need to contact your insurer to find out what centers are in-network with your plan and what out-of-pocket costs you may be responsible for.
Self-pay options
When you use self-pay for rehab in Texas, you have a chance to choose any treatment center you like. Self-pay, also known as private pay, involves writing a check, using a medical loan from a bank or credit union, or sending money electronically. Payment arrangements may vary depending on the level of care.
Financial aid
If you qualify, using financial aid programs can help pay for substance use treatment in Texas. Community groups or non-profits in your area may offer assistance, or you might find a treatment program that has grants or scholarships.
Medicare
When looking for ways to pay for rehab in Texas, consider Medicare. Your Medicare plan can pay for some or all of the costs of rehab, although you will want to check on the full details. You may have some out-of-pocket costs such as copays or deductibles.
Military insurance
One way for military members and veterans to pay for rehab in Texas is to use military insurance. Insurance plans vary, so it’s important to contact the insurer for details. The best way to keep costs down is to choose a treatment center in your plan’s network.
Most Major Insurance Plans
University Hospital accepts most major insurance plans and files claims as a courtesy, with patients responsible for applicable copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles per their plan.

Levels of Care

1
Inpatient Rehab
University Hospital provides 24-hour inpatient psychiatric care in a secure, structured setting for adults and seniors experiencing acute conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
2
Outpatient Rehab
University Hospital offers outpatient behavioral health services including assessment, treatment planning, and therapy for adults with a range of psychiatric and mental health conditions in San Antonio.
3
Aftercare Support
Overcoming substance use is a lifelong process. Aftercare in Texas gives you the support you need to stay sober. Relapse prevention is a lifelong project, and having aftercare support like sober housing, recovery-focused activities, and a place to build healthy friendships can make all the difference.

Therapies

Cognitive Behavior Therapy
In Texas, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you identify wrong thinking that can create impulsive actions. This makes it much easier to reach long-term recovery. As you learn to identify thought disortions, your confidence in your ability to manage a wide variety of situations will grow. You’ll have the tools you need to address problems and manage triggers in a healthy way.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
In Texas, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) helps you learn healthy coping strategies and build your ability to manage stressful situations. This makes it much easier to reach long-term recovery. As you learn helpful coping strategies, your confidence in your ability to manage a wide variety of situations will grow. You’ll have the tools you need to address problems and manage triggers in a healthy way.
Family Therapy
Attending family therapy in Texas is a way to address broken relationships and dysfunction, helping you establish long-term recovery. Substance use treatment includes detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient care, and family therapy may be a part of each of these stages. The goal is to help families address past events and broken relationships and develop healthy ways of relating to each other.
Group Therapy
Group therapy sessions support patients within University Hospital’s inpatient psychiatric programs, helping adults and seniors process acute mental health conditions as part of a multidisciplinary treatment approach.
Individual Therapy
University Hospital incorporates individual therapy into personalized treatment plans for adults receiving inpatient psychiatric care, supporting recovery alongside medication management and structured discharge planning in San Antonio.
Recreational Therapy
The goal of recreational therapy in Texas is to help you learn to trust and work with others so you can create positive change. The goal of recreational therapy is to help clients experience healthy risk-taking and adventure in a safe environment so they can gain confidence, learn to manage stress, and more.
Trauma Therapy
Trauma-informed therapy in Texas can provide a way to process past events and create better coping strategies as you work through substance use treatment. Because trauma can be a significant trigger for substance use, trauma-informed therapy will help you understand what happened to you, realize that it was wrong, and create a healthier way of relating to that memory and the emotions you feel.
Medication Management
Psychiatrists at University Hospital oversee medication management for patients with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other acute psychiatric conditions requiring structured inpatient stabilization.
Nutritional Rehabilitation
The Eating Disorders Program at University Hospital combines nutritional rehabilitation with medical monitoring and psychotherapy for patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and related conditions.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
University Hospital offers electroconvulsive therapy as a treatment option for severe depression and other treatment-resistant mental health conditions, delivered within its academic medical center setting in San Antonio.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
University Hospital provides transcranial magnetic stimulation, a noninvasive option using magnetic pulses to treat depression for patients who have not responded to other standard therapies.