Free Mental Health Clinics
Nonprofit Clinics, VA, TRICARE
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Contents
Cohen Veterans Network
Cohen Veterans Network is a nonprofit organization that provides a network of free mental health clinics, as well as telehealth mental health services.
Who is eligible?
Post-9/11 veterans, military families, and active duty service members, including Guard and Reserves.
What kind of mental health issues do they address?
The clinics “offer specialized, confidential therapy for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment issues, anger, grief and loss, transition challenges [including the transition to civilian life], and other concerns.” They also “offer marriage counseling, relationship counseling, and help with children’s behavioral issues.”
Do the therapists understand the military experience?
We appreciate the approach of Cohen Veterans Network: “We know the challenges of stigma still exist, and that the struggles to find civilian providers who understand the military journey are real. Many of the staff at our Cohen Clinics have served, or are part of military families – and all go through extensive military mental health training.”
What types of therapy do they provide?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (see our resource page, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for in-depth information)
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (which we cover in this blog post and a section of our self-care resource.
Where are the clinics? What about telehealth?
The Cohen Veterans Network has 24 clinics in 16 states, and Telehealth is offered in those 16 states and an additional 6+ states. Visit this page to see the U.S. map of where they provide services, and scroll down to learn how to contact each individual clinic. You can also fill out this contact form on their website.
UCLA Operation Mend
UCLA Operation Mend is an intensive treatment program that provides:
“An intensive, structured treatment program for service members, veterans who have suffered service-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The four-week program begins with two weeks on the UCLA campus and is designed for warriors who require more than regular outpatient care as part of their treatment plan. The intensive treatment program is a cohort model, and can include veteran only cohorts, veteran and caregiver cohorts or a mix of both.
Prior to referral into the program, potential participants will spend four-to-six days at UCLA consulting with a multidisciplinary team of TBI and PTSD specialists to ensure the intensive program is the most appropriate treatment option.
Participants in the program will receive the personalized care for which UCLA Health Operation Mend is known. All care, travel and accommodations are arranged for and provided at no cost to service members, veterans and their caregivers, including pick-up from the airport upon arrival and transportation to and from the hotel and to all appointments and activities. Following the hybrid two-week program, participants will take part in an additional two-weeks of provider-facilitated peer-to-peer support via telehealth to continue refining skills and building community. “
How do I contact Operation Mend?
Email operationmend@mednet.ucla.edu or call 424-319-6726.
Boulder Crest Foundation
Boulder Crest Foundation is the home of the Warrior PATHH, a free, “90-day, non-pharmacological, peer-delivered training program that begins with a 7-day intensive and immersive initiation. This is followed by 3 months of dedicated support, training, accountability, and connection from a team of trained combat veterans.”
The intensive portion of the program takes place at one of the two Bounder Crest Foundation properties: a retreat property in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia and 130 acres “in the beauty of the Southwest desert” of Arizona.
“Warrior PATHH is the first training program to teach our nation’s combat veterans to experience lifelong Posttraumatic Growth (PTG).” Read more about the Warrior PATHH and Posttraumatic Growth here.
Check out the various programs (including for families) by clicking on “Find a Program” at the top of the page. Read about eligibility here, and apply here.
Vet Centers
Vet Centers are community-based counseling services that “provide a wide range of social and psychological services.” Vet Centers are a program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Vet centers offer “confidential support for Veterans, service members, and their families at no cost in a relaxed, non-medical setting.”
Who is eligible?
Veterans who experienced a traumatic event experienced in the military while in a theater of war.
Family members of these veterans.
Veterans who experienced military sexual trauma – “regardless of gender or service era.”
Service members, “including National Guard and Reserve components.”
“Provided mortuary services or direct emergent medical care to treat the casualties of war while serving on active military duty.
Read about additional types of eligibility.
What type of services do they provide?
Individual, group, marriage, and family counseling
Referral and connection to other VA or community benefits and services
“Bereavement counseling services to surviving parents, spouses, children and siblings of service members who die of any cause while on active duty, to include federally activated Reserve and National Guard personnel.”
They also have a Vet Center Call Center, which is a “free, around-the-clock confidential call center.” Call 1-877-927-8387
What kind of mental health issues do they address?
Depression
PTSD
Military sexual trauma
Do the therapists understand the military experience?
“Vet Center counselors and outreach staff, many of whom are Veterans themselves, are experienced and prepared to discuss the tragedies of war, loss, grief and transition after trauma.”
How do I find a VA Center near me?
Go to the web page Find VA Locations. Type in your zip code, and for “Facility Type, use the dropdown menu and select “Vet Centers.” Disregard the questions about “Service Type.” Then click “Search.”
Tricare Mental Health Care
For those service members and veterans who are covered, TRICARE can provide mental health care. You can read general information about TRICARE’s mental health care here. Learn how to make a Tricare mental health care appointment here.
Who is eligible, and how are mental health services accessed?
Active duty service member or activated Guard/Reserve member: “You must get all mental health care at a military hospital or clinic, if possible.”
Enrolled in TRICARE Prime: “Schedule an appointment with a network psychiatrist or psychologist in your region. You don't need a referral or pre-authorization for outpatient visits except for psychoanalysis and outpatient therapy for substance use disorder.” Read more details here.
Enrolled in the US Family Health Plan: “You don't need a referral for outpatient visits except for psychoanalysis and outpatient therapy for substance use disorders.” Read more details here.
Use any other TRICARE health plan: “If so, you don’t need referrals for mental health care appointments (except for psychoanalysis and outpatient therapy for substance use disorder provided by a substance use disorder rehabilitation facility). You can schedule an appointment with any TRICARE-authorized providerAn authorized provider is any individual, institution/organization, or supplier that is licensed by a state, accredited by national organization, or meets other standards of the medical community, and is certified to provide benefits under TRICARE. “ Read more details here.
Psychological Health Resource Center
Call or text 866-966-1020 Email Live Chat
Website
At the Psychological Health Resource Center, professional health resource consultants are available 24/7 by phone, online chat, or email. Although “not a treatment or counseling center,” they can “help you to access mental health care.”
Who is eligible?
“Service members, veterans, family members, clinicians, commanders, or anyone with a question about psychological health in the military.”
Do the consultants understand the military experience?
The consultants are “master's-level mental health clinicians that understand military culture.” They can provide “psychological health information and resources related to combat stress, depression, reintegration, how to get into treatment, types of treatment for mental health conditions, and many other topics.”
More Military Health System Mental Health Care Options
You can read about more mental health care resources here.
Another good resource is the Military Health System Mental Health Hub.