Mental and Behavioral Health - Veterans

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VA Claims

CoveredNYCVet

Individual Care

Family Care

Housing

Health

Wellness

Business and Entrepreneurship


Connect to Wellness

According to a recent study, Veterans experience mental health disorders, substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress, and traumatic brain injury at higher rates compared to their civilian counterparts. The latest data from the US Department of Veterans Affairs states that 6,146 veterans who died from suicide in 2020, or 16.8 veterans a day. There were 343 fewer Veterans who died from suicide in 2020 than in 2019, and 2020 had the lowest number of Veteran suicides since 2006.The overall downward trends in Veteran suicide in 2019 and 2020 are encouraging. They followed VA’s launch of the 2018 National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide (National Strategy).

The NYC Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) connects Veterans to services that can help them manage mental and behavioral health challenges. Our mission is to introduce Veterans to organizations and resources that can support their wellness journey toward a healthy and purpose-driven life.

If you are a mental health provider interested in partnering with DVS or sharing information about your services, please fill out the Partner with DVS form.

Connect to mental and behavioral health services by filling out the VetConnectNYC form and selecting "Mental/Behavioral Health" as your preferred service:

Request Services on VetConnectNYC

Download the following one-pagers to review mental health resources available to veterans in NYC:

VA Mental Health Services in NYC

Counseling Services for Veterans in NYC

Peer Support for Veterans in NYC

See below for a list of mental and behavioral health services:

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Click a topic, or press the enter key on a topic, to reveal its answer.

Substance Use

In addition to counseling and peer support, coping strategies can help manage mental health challenges. Click on the links below to learn more about coping strategies:

Resources for Families Coping with Mental and Substance Use Disorders: If you, or a family member, needs help with a mental or substance use disorder, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or text your zip code to 435748 (HELP4U), or use SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator to get help.

Check-in Calls

Mission: VetCheck is a partnership between New York Cares and the New York City Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) that leverages volunteers to make supportive check-in calls to veterans across the city. This vital outreach effort creates a crucial point of connection between veterans and their community through phone calls that provide resources and information about public services, including free meals, housing resources, employment information, and mental health services. Most importantly, this intiative creates a way for New Yorkers to express their gratitude to our veterans for their service to our country.

Counseling Services

Headstrong is treating current and new veteran clients online.

New York-Presbyterian Military Family Wellness Center offers telehealth services, individual therapy, group therapy, and couples therapy for veterans and their families.

NYU Steven Cohen Family Center provides free care for veterans and military families who are experiencing the long-term effects of military service.

Teacher's College Resilience Center for Veterans & Families pairs groundbreaking research on human emotional resilience with clinical training of therapists to assist veterans and their families as they transition back to civilian life

VA Vet Centers are community-based counseling centers that provide a wide range of social and psychological services, including professional readjustment counseling to eligible veterans, active duty service members, including National Guard and Reserve components, and their families.

Trauma and Resiliency Resources (TRR) provides free behavioral health services for combat veterans of all eras, a well as training for professionals. TRR's Warrior Camp is a weeklong, intensive, residential suicide prevention and trauma resolution program that utilizes a combination of evidence-based and complementary modalities with an emphasis on Military Moral Injury repair. During COVID-19, TRR has moved to digital services. More information is available on the TRR website.

Operation Family Resiliency (OFR): A Blue Star Families program committed to advancing military and veteran families' holistic health to help Servicemembers and Veterans thrive no matter where the military takes them. Blue Star Families has teamed up with Humana Military, Team RWB, and Military Family Advisory Network to form Operation Family Resiliency (OFR), which offers free subscriptions to the following meditation and wellness -- Headspace, SPIRITUNE and Thrive Market.

Hope For The Warriors Clinical Support Services identify and fill gaps in mental health care for post-9/11 combat injured service members, veterans and caregivers. We use a wellness approach which looks at all areas of a person’s life to help identify parts needing additional support. Our suite of Clinical Support Services meet many needs.

Therapeutic Interventions

In some instances, a veteran or family member is not able to obtain or hesitant to seek mental health care treatment within their community or from the VA. Our clinical team provides short term stop-gap supportive services that engage the veteran or family in seeking local treatment. Our team of Master Level Social Workers aim to assess our clients’ needs for treatment, address barriers to treatment and find the best care options available.  Scope of services provided is dependent upon the applicant’s state of residence and current licenses held by Hope For The Warriors staff.

Peer Support for Veterans

The Objective Zero app gives veterans access to mental health resources and a peer support network.

Vets4Warriors provides veterans, family members, and caregivers with 24/7 help from a confidential peer support network. Receive immediate, free, and long-term peer support through private chats, emails, phone, and text conversations.

Guardian Revival is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that improves the mental health & well-being of military & first responders — our guardians — and their families, at no cost to them Gatherings, Direct Peer Support, and a 24/7 Talk Line provide peer-to-peer connection & support to help veterans & first responders improve their mental health & overall well-being.

Military Veteran Peer Support (MVPS) mentors veterans throughout their post-military journey and connect veterans with new opportunities through HOPE’s programs and alongside HOPE’s Strategic Partners. MVPs provide personal engagement and customized peer support and create a place of acceptance and community for veterans and their families whether virtual or in-person. Post 9/11 service members, veterans, and their families benefit from professional, dedicated, and accountable care and service to support their recovery, transition, and future. HOPE MVP’s provide the very best support possible to those in need with steadfast patience, compassion and understanding.

Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) Peer Support Groups are small, warrior-led support groups that connect veterans with each other in their communities. Through shared experiences, discussing personal challenges, and supporting one another, these veteran support groups can provide connection, camaraderie, and new solutions to challenges. On average, WWP Peer Support Groups are made up of about 10-15 warriors and can be coed, all-male, or all-female. Group leaders help to facilitate a topic-based discussion while providing a safe place for warriors to support one another through their unique journeys. Connect with fellow veterans in your area through a WWP Peer Support Group.

Project for Return and Opportunity in Veterans Education (PROVE) strives to create an environment in which student veterans can more easily access the resources they need to successfully transition from military life to student life. Those who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserves are leaving a supportive community built upon intense shared experiences. Providing a strong supportive community focused on the specific needs of student veterans will help them with their transition.

Support Hotlines

988 Veteran Crisis Hotline is free and confidential. When you call, chat, or text, a qualified responder will listen and help. You decide how much information to share. Support doesn't end with your conversation. Responders can connect you with the resources you need.

NYC 988 is your connection to free, confidential mental health support. Call or text 988 to speak to a counselor and get access to mental health and substance use services, in more than 200 languages, 24/7/365. At any hour of any day, in almost any language, from phone, tablet or computer, NYC 988 is your connection to get the help you need: suicide prevention, warm transfers & follow-up care.

NY Project Hope provides support for those struggling with life during the pandemic. Call 844-863-9314.

Guardian's Talk Line is a 24/7 phone line that provides peer support & mental health resources, operated by guardians for guardians.

Call: 845-745-0088

Suicide Prevention

Black Veterans for Social Justice Suicide Prevention Program is funded through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP) SSG Fox SPGP enables VA to provide resources toward community-based suicide prevention efforts to meet the needs of Veterans and their families through outreach, suicide prevention services, and connection to VA and community resources.

Through the SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, BVSJ offers:

Peer support

Case management

Education on suicide risk and prevention to families and communities

VA benefits assistance

Assistance with obtaining and coordinating other benefits provided by the federal government, a state or local government, or an eligible entity

Assistance with emergent needs relating to health care services, daily living services, personal financial planning and counseling, transportation services, temporary income support services, fiduciary and representative payee services, legal services to assist the eligible individual with issues that may contribute to the risk of suicide, and childcare

Other services necessary for improving the mental health status and wellbeing and reducing the suicide risk of eligible individuals and their families as VA determines appropriate.

Outreach to identify those at risk of suicide

Eligibility:

Must be a military veteran with a discharge status other than dishonorable

Must fill out an intake form, a psychosocial assessment, and a screening

Veterans must have an eligible score to qualify for the program

Contact:

Program Director: Jose M. Rios

Phone: (718) 852-6004

Worried About a Veteran (WAV) provides first-hand accounts from peers, suicide-prevention tools, and educational resources to friends and family members worried that a veteran they love may be considering suicide.

Visit the New York State Division of Veterans' Services' Governor's Challenge website for suicide prevention resources.

Stop Soldier Suicide connects veterans with a Wellness Coordinator who provides personalized attention and develops wellness plans that are customized to address a veteran's specific needs.

Veterans Suffering From Illness

Mesothelioma Vets: Hundreds of thousands of military members were exposed to asbestos during their service, causing high rates of mesothelioma among Veterans. Learn more, including how to get VA benefits to fund treatment, at Mesothelioma Veteran Center.

Lung Cancer Center: When someone receives a lung cancer diagnosis, it may impact the mental health of the person, their family members, caregivers, and friends. It’s important to recognize these changes and understand how this can affect the person and the people around them. Knowing the symptoms and warning signs of someone struggling can help you expedite getting the support and treatment they need to combat these effects.

Training Programs

NAMI Homefront is a free, 6-session educational program for families, caregivers, friends of military service members, and veterans with mental health conditions. NAMI Homefront teaches veterans how to learn to care for themselves and teaches their loved ones how to manage a crisis and show their support. The program also provides the latest research and information on mental health, including posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depression and substance use. Find the NAMI Homefront nearest to you. If a class isn’t available, contact your local NAMI Affiliate about starting one.

The RTM™ Protocol removes the distressing linkage between the brain and the client’s memory of the traumatic event.

The RTM Protocol™ has proven particularly effective for treating veterans who have experienced combat, sexual, childhood, and other severe traumas. The focus of the RTM Protocol™ is to separate the traumatic feelings from the memories using a relaxed re-imaging process. Clients are guided to dissociate themselves from the traumatic memories, and while separated from feelings of fear, terror, and/or helplessness, make changes so that the memory no longer signals fight, flight, or danger. Following the RTM Protocol™ treatment, people find they no longer feel preoccupied with trauma events and their nightmares and flashbacks no longer trouble them.

The RTM Protocol™ is a non-drug, non-traumatizing treatment that re-programs the neurological connection between the brain’s feeling center and specific traumatic memories. It requires 3-4, ~90-minute therapy sessions. The sessions are clinician-led during which the client sits in a comfortable chair and visualizes pictures on an imagined movie screen in a way that separates the traumatic memories from the traumatic feelings.

Transcendental Meditation is a simple, natural, effortless technique practiced 20 minutes twice a day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. It’s not a religion, philosophy or lifestyle. Transcendental Meditation allows the active thinking mind to settle inward to experience a naturally calm, peaceful level of awareness. During TM, the body enjoys a profoundly rejuvenating rest, while the brain functions with significantly greater coherence.

The Open Center, provides a gateway to self-discovery and personal growth. Their advanced trainings range from comprehensive state-certified professional certificate programs to in-depth holistic and integrative studies. These trainings are designed to support your existing practice, help you launch a new business or change careers, or take your passions to the next level.

Alternative Therapies

Veterans Yoga Project is a national 501(c)3 on a mission to support recovery and resilience among our veterans, military families, and communities. Working in partnership with veterans, active-duty military personnel, student veterans’ organizations, veterans treatment courts, and other non-profit organizations, VYP-trained instructors and clinicians provide programs, resources, connections, and teach over 100 free yoga classes each week.

David Lynch Foundation and Meditate America: Meditate America is a national initiative to address the pandemic of trauma and toxic stress in the country by bringing the evidence-based, stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation® technique to under-resourced adults and children who are in need. Meditate America raises funds and supports large-scale, randomized controlled trials on the benefits of the TM® practice for addressing chronic health issues, including reducing the symptoms of PTS and suicide among veterans, lowering high blood pressure and the risk of heart disease among elderly Black and Brown populations, and reducing burnout and anxiety and improving resilience among frontline healthcare workers. Outcomes from these trials will be used to qualify TM as a medical intervention covered by government and private insurance companies. This approach will allow any individual who suffers from such stress-related disorders to learn TM at no cost, thus benefiting many millions of people.

David Lynch, Women's Health Initiative: To help combat the epidemic of violence and assault against women and children, the David Lynch Foundation launched a Women's Health Initiative in 2012 that offers Transcendental Meditation®, an evidence-based, alternative therapy shown to heal and empower survivors of abuse. The Initiative partners with leaders in the field of domestic violence and human trafficking across the U.S. and around the world to provide this therapy to women and children who need it most. Healing and Empowering Women and Children.

The NY Open-Center is the longest-running urban holistic center in the country. Theis mission is to address real-life challenges of existence through spiritual, holistic and integrative practices to create a harmonious relationship between ourselves, each other and the planet. Programs include Chair Yoga, Shamanic Cosmology and Mindfulness Journeys, Animal Energy Healing, Reiki, Art and Creeative Expression and other holistic practices.

The Outdoor RX Coalition's mission is to improve access to nature for military service members, veterans, and their families across NY State.

The mission of the Man O’ War Project at Columbia University Irving Medical Center is to explore the use of and scientifically evaluate equine assisted therapy to treat/help individuals who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other mental health problems.

Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT) is a widely used alternative treatment for many people struggling with mental health and life problems, including veterans. While anecdotal evidence suggests that EAT provides benefits to those with PTSD and other mental disorders, it remains to be proven how effective it is in treating PTSD and how the therapy should be most effectively administered.

Another Summit’s outdoor adventures range from beginner to advanced difficulty levels and are led by certified outdoor leaders.

Boots & Paws provides free companion dogs. Dog ownership provides therapeutic benefits, including reducing stress & anxiety, easing depression & loneliness, and encouraging regular exercise. They also offer contracted therapy dog visitation events, bringing comfort, morale boosts, and stress reduction to businesses, schools, and communities.

Encore is a free program providing opportunities to learn, write, play, record, and share music.

Achilles International’s portfolio of programs includes the Achilles Freedom Team which serves wounded military personnel and veterans; Achilles Kids which provides training, race opportunities, and an in-school program for children with disabilities; the TriAchilles Team which expands our running program into biking and swimming; Achilles Chapter workouts; and, our signature Hope & Possibility® race which takes place in several cities worldwide.

In 2014, Staten Island Performing Provider System (SI PPS) formed an integrated network of medical, behavioral, and social services agencies under the New York State Department of Health Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program (DSRIP). Our founding goals included improving the quality of care, reducing costs and improving health outcomes for Staten Island’s Medicaid and uninsured populations.

Yoma Method: Mecca Nelson is a Licensed Massage Therapist, the founder of Mecca’s City of Wholeness, and creator of the YOMA Method, a revolutionary practice combining Vinyasa style yoga, mixed martial arts, mindfulness, and meditation. She also provides motivation through public speaking engagements. Mecca is a Gold Star spouse of a veteran killed in action (U.S. Army) and Board Member of Cole Heart Women Recovery Network Organization.

Operation Canine Companion provides uniquely trained, loving and supportive canine companions to our veterans, first responders, and their families who live with physical and emotional injuries incurred in the line of duty.

Clear Path Enrichment Programs offer lifelong learning and enrichment, which is why they provide an array of options so you can discover a new hobby, master a new craft, or brush up on some old skills.

Clear Path Canine Program: A service dog can comfort a veteran when they feel overwhelmed. The dog can serve as a battle buddy and help facilitate social interaction.Veterans living with trauma may constantly feel on edge or in a state of hypervigilance. Service dogs can make them feel safer by accompanying them on public outings and providing unconditional loyalty.

Mindstrong Guardians was founded by U.S. Coast Guard veterans to improve mental health outcomes for public servants and corporate clients. Their team draws upon the talents and lived experience of veterans, therapists, trauma survivors, chaplains, coaches, and medical professionals to model primary prevention and post-traumatic growth. They are highly empathetic, non-judgmental, active listeners with cultural competence and always lean-in to challenges.

GallopNYC provides two, free unique equine programs for veterans. Riding for Veterans and Groundwork for Veterans. Veterans will have the opportunity to grow their confidence from learning to be in charge of a large herd animal, exercise their leadership skills by exploring alternative approaches to giving commands and demonstrate their competence by learning new skills.

Onward Ops: The transition out of uniformed service is difficult, whether you served four years or forty. Onward Ops' mission is to support active duty service members in their journey back into civilian life. They connect new Veterans with trained sponsors from their destination community with a focus on the 12 months between leaving the military and reintegrating into civilian life as a new Veteran. They give you the tools to achieve your goals, along with a sponsor to guide you along the way. A program by Vets for Vets.

Trauma & Resiliency Resources Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is a powerful psychotherapeutic approach that includes horses as part of a psychotherapy team. The other members of the team are a licensed mental health professional and an equine specialist professional. All work with the horses takes place on the ground only – there is no riding.

TRR’s Warrior Camp® is designed to prevent suicide. With a focus on Military Moral Injury as a core component of Combat Trauma, it supports force preservation and enhances resilience. Warrior Camp® is a 7-day residential program that integrates 5 therapy modalities in the context of community. We eat all our meals together and lodge together. Group activities are Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, Yoga, Narrative Medicine and Native American Sweat Lodge. EMDR therapy is conducted one to one.

Additional Resources

The NAMI Homefront Mental Health Resources is a web tool accessible through computers or mobile devices that provides service members, veterans and their families with information about mental health conditions, treatment options, approaches to increase overall wellness, tips for self-care and managing stress, communication strategies, tips for transitioning service members, links to helpful organizations and crisis services, and more.