In This Issue

Feature Topic

PTSD Treatment in Your Community

After a trauma or life-threatening event, it is common to have reactions such as upsetting memories of the event, increased jumpiness, or trouble sleeping. If these reactions do not go away or if they get worse, you may have PTSD.

There are good treatments available for PTSD - and with the Veterans Choice Act - Veterans now have more choices than ever for their care, whether at a VA health care facility or in the community.

• Know Your PTSD Treatment Options. View a series of short, animated videos that describe PTSD and what treatment is like.
• Find Help. Read some suggestions for finding a therapist, counselor, or mental health care provider.
• Get started on your own with PTSD Coach. Download a free app that can help you learn about and manage symptoms that commonly occur after trauma.

Resources for Veterans and Their Families

The Veterans Choice Act connects Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare to timely and convenient access to health care.

• Find VA PTSD Treatment programs with our PTSD Program Locator
• Discover new ways to talk with a Veteran about your concerns and about treatment options with Coaching into Care.
• Learn what to expect when returning from a war zone, and how to better adapt back to home life with our Returning from the War Zone Guide.

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For Providers

Consult with PTSD Experts

The PTSD Consultation Program offers free PTSD consultation to any provider who treats Veterans in any setting. This program is now open to Community Providers.

Have a question about PTSD? Contact us:
Call 866-948-7880 or
Email PTSDconsult@va.gov

Understand Military Culture

New to treating Veterans? Take VA's free, interactive course - Military Culture: Core Competencies for Healthcare Professionals (PDF). Receive a total of 8 continuing education credits for learning about how to better serve those who served.

Become a Veterans Choice Act Provider

Interested in becoming a Veterans Choice Act Provider? (PDF) Many Veterans will now have the option to receive non-VA health care rather than waiting for a VA appointment or traveling to a VA facility.

Find more Resources

VA's Community Provider Toolkit gives you more tools to support the mental health services you provide to Veterans. You can find information on connecting with VA, understanding military culture and experience, as well as tools for working with a variety of mental health conditions.

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For VA Providers

2015 PTSD Consultation Lecture Series

Subscribe!

VA staff please sign up for VA Staff PTSD Updates to receive monthly notices that include a registration link and instructions for joining the live lectures.

Next Lecture in the Series

• 3/18 at 2 pm ET - Paula Schnurr, PhD on Physical Health and PTSD

Mark your calendar for the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 2 pm ET.

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Research at the Center

Bringing Providers Together to Improve Care

Investigators are in the midst of a project that connects providers from 28 VA and DoD mental health clinics into one collaborative practice-based implementation network. The network will identify barriers to adoption of innovative practices and try out different solutions.

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PTSD in the News

Prolonged Exposure: A first-line treatment for PTSD. In a January 27th VAntage Point blog, Dr. Paula Schnurr, Dr. Marsden McGuire and Dr. Tracey Smith responded to concerns expressed in the media about the use of Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) for PTSD in VA. Read more.*

Be sure to forward this update to others so they can subscribe. We send one update per month to keep you informed of the latest PTSD developments.

Thank you,

The Staff of VA’s National Center for PTSD

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