Compassionate and effective therapy empowers veterans to regain a sense of peace, stability, and purpose in their lives after military service. Many veterans struggle with their mental health—including PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide—and treatment at a veterans rehab center can provide supportive therapy to help them cope.
Why Veterans Should Seek Therapy
Veterans face unique challenges, including trauma from combat, the struggle to reintegrate into civilian life, and coping with physical or emotional scars. Plus, even if veterans have issues with their mental health during their military careers, they’re not always likely to speak up about them during service. Fears of persecution, punishment, or loss of advancement opportunities. Delaying treatment for mental health issues can make symptoms worse, lead many people to try and self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, and cause suicidal ideation.
Specialized therapy allows veterans to address their mental health conditions, reconnect with their sense of self and security, and create a plan for managing their mental health in the future. Counselors work with veterans to help improve their relationships, manage their stress, and reintegrate into civilian life.
How Specialized Treatment Could Help
From processing trauma to strengthening relationships, a tailored therapy plan can help veterans manage their mental health.
- Processing trauma: Combat or other traumatic military experiences can lead to PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other issues. Therapy for veterans, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), helps them process their trauma and regain control of their lives.
- Transitioning to civilian life: Veterans returning to civilian life often face difficulty finding purpose, reconnecting with loved ones, or adjusting to a new routine. Therapy—especially group support—can help by tackling feelings of isolation and identity loss and building stability.
- Addressing guilt and moral injury: Guilt and moral injury can happen to anyone, especially survivors of trauma, and difficult, life-changing decisions veterans made during service can impact their mental health. Talk therapy offers a space to process these emotions with compassion and understanding.
- Strengthening relationships: Deployments, frequent moves, and mental health issues during and after service don’t just affect veterans but their families, too. Family therapy helps veterans and their loved ones process their feelings and learn how to rebuild and strengthen their connections.
- Substance use issues: Veterans are slightly more likely than civilians to develop substance use disorder. Specialized treatment tackles the root causes of substance use while promoting healthier coping strategies.
Specialized treatment for veterans addresses the unique mental health challenges that arise during and after military service. A focused approach like this is more meaningful and relatable to former servicemembers than one-size-fits-all treatment.
Should Veterans Go to Private or VA Inpatient Mental Health Treatment?
The VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) healthcare system does provide mental health services, but veterans are not limited to seeking treatment there. If you’re looking for veterans mental health treatment, there are a few factors you should consider:
- Level of care needed: Inpatient care or programs that provide outpatient services with transitional living options can provide intensive, specialized care. Consider your local VA and non-VA options that offer the right type of care.
- Insurance coverage: Veterans have automatic coverage for many services at the VA; that coverage varies from veteran to veteran, with many able to access free mental health services. Some private treatment centers accept TRICARE and other major insurance carriers. Consider which option is best for you.
- Treatment availability: The VA does offer same-day services for mental health. More intensive care will depend on availability. Check the availability at your VA and the other treatment centers near you.
- Quality of care and amenities: The biggest advantage private treatment can offer veterans looking for specialized care is quality. They often have lower numbers of clients in treatment at any given time and can focus more on a better treatment experience.
Red Oak Recovery® offers partial hospitalization (PHP) care with transitional housing support at our treatment center in North Carolina. Our veterans program provides specialized mental health and substance use treatment—including medication management, personal therapy plans, and family counseling.
You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
We provide compassionate and specialized care for veterans at our treatment center for men in North Carolina. Our experienced team is here to guide you every step of the way, starting with the first: contacting us today at 828.382.9699 or online.
