VA Mental Health Services: A Recovery-Oriented System of Care

VA is here to support the recovery of every Veteran with a mental illness. Recovery is the main focus of VA's mental health services. Recovery-oriented care is led by you. This means that you are an active part of your treatment planning and recovery. There are 4 main areas that are central to a life in recovery:

• Health. This means managing your health problems. It means living in a healthy way for both body and spirit.

• Home. This means having a stable and safe place to live.

• Purpose. This means having meaningful daily activities. These activities may include getting a job, going to school, taking up creative interests, or volunteering.

• Community. This means having relationships and social networks that give you support, friendship, love, and hope. 

VA is committed to supporting you in your recovery. The VA offers a wide range of services. The goals of these services are to promote:

• Hope

• Strengths and responsibility

• Respect

• Partnership  

VA’s services are focused on you and your strengths. Here’s how these services can help:

• You have the right to guide your own treatment. This includes working with your healthcare providers when making your treatment plan.

• You will receive hope and support throughout your recovery. They are very important in every service you receive.  

• Your mental health care services work together to support you in your mental health recovery.

• You are respected and not defined by your mental illness. Often a goal of treatment is to help you work through the stigma about mental illness.

• Your culture, ethnicity, and personal beliefs help guide the recovery process.

• Your family and loved ones can join you in your journey of mental health recovery, if you choose.

• Your family may receive services such as family therapy, marriage counseling, and grief counseling.

• You can receive Peer support services. They are offered to all Veterans wanting mental healthcare. Peer Specialists are specially trained Veterans who have experienced mental illness. They can give you hope and help you build healthy relationships.

• Your need for meaningful work and activity is encouraged and supported.

What resources are available?

VA mental health staff work together to support your mental health recovery. There are many staff members and programs that are available to help. These staff and programs include:

• Local Recovery Coordinators. The coordinators are in every VA medical center. They are there to support you and your treatment team with your mental health recovery journey.

• Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Centers. These centers have programs that help Veterans who have serious mental illnesses live their lives to the fullest. They provide skills training, support, and education to help you get back into the community.

• Peer Support. Peer Specialists are trained mental health staff who also have lived with mental illness. They support you in your recovery. They are an important part of a recovery-oriented healthcare system.

• Evidence Based Psychotherapies (EBP). These are treatments that have been shown to help recovery from mental illness. Examples of these therapies are social skills training, illness management and recovery, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. There are also other therapies to help with daily living tasks, communication, problem solving, coping skills, and reaching goals.

• Vocational Rehabilitation Services.  Although employment may occur in varying ways for Veterans, it often provides meaning and purpose in supporting recovery. These services provide therapeutic support and interventions to help Veterans develop skills and overcome barriers in accessing, maintaining, or returning to employment. 

To learn more

If you are enrolled in VA healthcare, talk with your VA mental health service or healthcare provider for more information.

You can also find a complete list of VA healthcare facilities at www.va.gov.