5 mental health resources for spouses and partners of service members and Veterans with PTSD

If you’re the spouse or partner of a military service member or Veteran with post traumatic stress disorder, it can be difficult to step back and focus on yourself. This is even more true if your loved one has additional mental health issues such as anxiety or depression or has substance use disorder.

As you and your spouse try to stay together while managing symptoms of one or more of these issues, you as the caregiver may need more than the listening ear and support of family or friends. But you’re not alone if you’ve tried and failed to find qualified, affordable mental health services. That’s because there’s unprecedented demand and a nationwide shortage of behavioral health specialists.

National leaders are calling the situation dire, exacerbated in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1, the White House announced a new strategy to address what it called America’s national mental health crisis. The strategy calls for more mental health funding, research and services, including improved same-day care for Veterans at risk of mental health and substance use issues (https://rly.pt/3iAk8aV).

Until (and if) this strategy is fully realized, what’s available to you now? Keeping in mind what works best for your relationship and your individual well-being, here are five resources to explore:

1. Caregiver Resource Directory (CRD). This 344-page directory provides you with information on just about every national, state and local agency, organization or program that supports you as a military or Veteran caregiver, including assistance related to mental health and well-being, peer support and mentoring, pet and service animal assistance, rest and relaxation, sports and recreation, support groups, and more. The information in the directory is divided into about 25 topics, with resources listed in alphabetical order within topic area.

Details: Get the digital directory at https://rly.pt/3CUvcsx or request hard copies of the CRD by emailing [login to see] .

2. Mobile apps. Although not a replacement for professional mental health care, mobile apps could be a free or lower cost, easy-to-access option for reducing relationship stress through mindfulness, learning more about PTSD, practicing self-care or even messaging a therapist. Here are some options:

Mindfulness Coach (https://www.ptsd.va.gov/appvid/mobile/mindfulcoach_app.asp): Developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) National Center for PTSD, this free mindfulness app gets 4.8 stars from 5,000 users on the iPhone app store. It’s designed to help you understand the benefits of and to practice mindfulness, letting you log your exercises and track your progress.

PTSD Family Coach App (https://www.ptsd.va.gov/appvid/mobile/familycoach_app.asp): This is another free VA-developed app specifically for family members of service members or Veterans with PTSD. According to VA, it provides information about PTSD, how to care for yourself and your relationship with your loved one or children, and how to connect your spouse with treatment for PTSD. The app incorporates tools for practicing mindfulness, rebuilding social networks, tracking stress levels and locating support services.

PTSD Coach (https://www.ptsd.va.gov/appvid/mobile/ptsdcoach_app.asp): Geared for loved ones in treatment for and managing symptoms of PTSD, this VA-developed app has been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times and garners generally positive reviews from mental health experts. Highlighted features include the ability to track moods, enter personal music selections and build social networks.

Other top mental health mobile apps (https://www.psycom.net/25-best-mental-health-apps): This article, updated Dec. 22, 2021, lists other free or low-cost alternatives to therapy for PSTD and related issues such as anxiety, depression and substance use.

3. DOD Military Caregiver Support forums. Network and share experiences with the military caregiver community — including on handling relationship stress — during monthly in-person or virtual “PEER” meetings, which are Personalized Experiences, Engagement and Resources forums. Military Family Life Counselors run these Defense Health Agency-hosted events. Virtual teleconferences are on the first Thursday of the month at 11 a.m. and the fourth of Thursday of the month at 2 p.m. In-person events are typically monthly at each of the 10 regional locations staffed by a PEER Support Coordinator (https://rly.pt/3NdWwHd).

Details: Email [login to see] to RSVP for virtual events or locate a regional, in-person event near you at https://warriorcare.dodlive.mil/Caregiver-Resources. Access the main Military Caregiver Support page at https://warriorcare.dodlive.mil/Caregiver-Resources.

4. Military OneSource. No matter where you are in the world, this 24/7 resource is available to you if you’re a family member of a service member on active duty, in the National Guard or in the reserves (including the Coast Guard), and you need no-cost, confidential support from trained professionals. This includes assistance dealing with relationship strain due to mental health issues or the daily demands of life.

“When you just need to talk, experts trained in military life provide private, non-medical counseling to help you through improving relationships at home and work, job stress, marital and communication issues, grief or loss, deployment difficulties, and more,” according to a November 2021 U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) benefits handbook.

Although this is a DOD program, the service is available to you for 365 days after your service member loved one separates or retires from the military, according to the benefits handbook.

Details: Read more about these services at https://rly.pt/367TBio and then visit http://www.MilitaryOneSource.mil to access a live chat or calling [login to see] to talk to a Wounded Warrior specialty consultant.

5. Vet Centers. Across 300 Vet Centers, 83 Mobile Vet Centers and nearly 1,000 community access points, trained Vet Center counselors deliver individual, group, marriage and family counseling services and traditional counseling for symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and military sexual trauma. According to Vet Center eligibility rules: “Our services are also available to family members when their participation would support the growth and goals of the Veteran or service member.”

Details: Contact 877-WAR-VETS (273-8255) to discuss available services with trained combat Veterans or family members of combat Veterans or visit https://www.vetcenter.va.gov/eligibility.asp.

Learn more

Read Understanding PTSD and PTSD Treatment, a that includes screening questions: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/publications/print/understandingptsd_booklet.pdf.

Locate additional military caregiver resources at the Military OneSource Wounded Warriors resources hub: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/wounded-warriors/wounded-warriors-resources.

For more military caregiver benefits, see Chapter 3 of the Wounded, III, and/or Injured Compensation and Benefits Handbook, November 2021: https://rly.pt/3ubYkaI