The VA offers veterans free or low-cost mental health care: therapy for PTSD, depression, and anxiety, substance use treatment, counseling, and round-the-clock crisis support. You can start today — by phone, at a Vet Center, or at any VA facility — and you do not need a VA disability rating to get help.
In crisis right now? Start here
The Veterans Crisis Line is free, confidential, and answered 24/7 by responders trained to help veterans. You do not need to be enrolled in VA health care.
- Call 988, then press 1
- Text 838255
- Chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net
- Walk into any VA emergency department
- Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency
More options — including support for family members — are on our crisis resources page.
What the VA treats
PTSD
VA PTSD programs use therapies proven to work for veterans: Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and EMDR, along with group therapy and medication management when appropriate. Most programs run 8–15 sessions, and many veterans feel meaningful improvement within a few months.
Depression and anxiety
One-on-one counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, peer support groups, and psychiatric medication management — coordinated with your primary care team so nothing falls through the cracks.
Substance use
Outpatient counseling, intensive outpatient programs, medication-assisted treatment for alcohol and opioid use, and residential treatment for severe cases. Treatment addresses substance use together with PTSD or depression when they occur side by side, as they often do.
Military sexual trauma (MST)
Free, confidential counseling and treatment for veterans who experienced sexual assault or harassment during service — for men and women, with no service-connection requirement.
Life transitions and family
Counseling for adjustment to civilian life, grief, anger management, and couples and family therapy. If the transition struggle is partly about work, our employment resources can help with that side too.
How to get care
If you are enrolled in VA health care
Call your VA medical center and ask for the mental health department, schedule through My HealtheVet at myhealth.va.gov, or simply walk in. Many facilities offer same-day mental health appointments — call in the morning and ask.
If you are not enrolled
Vet Centers serve combat veterans, MST survivors, and their families with free, confidential counseling — no enrollment, no copays, and records kept separate from VA medical files. Call 877-927-8387 or use our guide to find a Vet Center near you. To unlock the full range of services, it is worth enrolling — see how to apply for VA health care.
Telehealth
Most mental health care — counseling, PTSD treatment, medication checks — can happen by secure video from home through VA Video Connect. Ask your provider, or mention telehealth when you call.
What the first appointment looks like
Expect a 60–90 minute conversation: what you are dealing with, your service history, your physical health, and what you want to change. There is no test to pass and no judgment. You and the provider build a treatment plan together — therapy approach, appointment frequency, whether medication might help — and your input drives it. Asking for help is a strength, not a mark against you.
Common questions
Do I need to be enrolled in VA health care to get mental health help?
Not for everything. Crisis support through the Veterans Crisis Line is open to all veterans, and Vet Centers offer free, confidential counseling to combat veterans and MST survivors with no enrollment required. For the full range of services — therapy, psychiatry, medication — enroll in VA health care.
Is VA mental health care confidential?
Yes. Your treatment is protected health information. Vet Center counseling records are kept separate even from your VA medical file. Seeking help does not automatically affect benefits, employment, or security clearances in the way many veterans fear.
What does treatment cost?
Crisis line support and Vet Center counseling are always free. Within VA health care, mental health treatment for service-connected conditions is free, and many veterans pay nothing for other mental health care depending on their priority group.
What if I am not ready to sit in a clinic?
Start smaller. Vet Centers are informal, community-based, and staffed largely by fellow veterans. Telehealth lets you talk to a counselor from home by video or phone. There is no wrong door — the first conversation can happen wherever you are comfortable.