>>Text: WOMEN VETERANS HEALTH CARE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR WOMEN
>>Narrator: The number of women in the armed services – and in our Veteran population – is rapidly growing.
They are modern-day warrior women, leaders, colleagues,
mothers, daughters, sisters and partners bridging military and civilian life.
No matter how you served or what you’ve experienced in military or civilian life,
as a woman Veteran you may face challenges that affect your health, relationships, and life.
You don’t have to face them alone.
VA is here to provide and connect you with trusted,
safe mental health resources and support to manage your personal health needs.
Our specialty-trained mental health professionals are here to address your concerns,
including those that may have been uniquely affected by military service
whether anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder,
or experiences with trauma including military sexual trauma, and more.
VA also has a women’s Mental Health Champion,
who is a clinician with specific interest and training in women Veterans' mental health,
at every VA medical center to help you find the gender-specific care that you need.
As a part of your health care team, VA Mental Health clinicians provide holistic,
evidence-based care to address your unique needs and achieve the goals you choose.
>>Cherissa Jackson, Veteran, U.S. Air Force: Having been deployed three times to Iraq and Afghanistan, I suffer from PTSD,
post-traumatic stress disorder, so I needed care after I retired and separated, and I
found my local VA that’s been really awesome in providing that care for me.
The first thing I tell women is "you’re a Veteran. And as a Veteran
you have services and resources available to you.
Don’t deny yourself those services."
And I advocate for that for women every single day.
>>Elizabeth Greene, M.D., Women's Health Clinic Psychiatrist: There are numerous benefits for women Veterans seeking care at the at the VA.
Number one, we have a lot of experience in treating Veterans,
and we know about their military experiences.
We provide gender-specific care, both medical
and mental health-wise. We collaborate with each other,
so a female Veteran seeing me for psychiatry needs or a counselor for their therapy needs-
we easily can speak with and collaborate with their other medical providers and specialists.
And so, they get like a whole comprehensive package of care.
>>Narrator: VA offers gender-related mental health services that address premenstrual syndrome,
postpartum depression, menopause, pelvic pain, breast cancer, and more.
VA also excels in providing care for military sexual trauma and intimate partner violence.
>>Patricia Crawford, RN, Veteran, U.S. Air Force, Chief Nurse, Mental Health: When they come in, we meet them where they are- person-centered care-
see what's going on and see what their needs are. We've seen the outcomes to be very good.
>>Narrator: Whether you need support with adjustment after leaving the service, relationship tension,
starting a family, or experiencing caregiver stress, VA can help.
VA offers convenient in-person or telehealth appointments.
>>Elizabeth Greene: I believe that women Veterans should seek their mental health treatment at the VA because women can get all their
health care needs met, from primary care to specialty medical care to mental health care.
When a woman is seeing their primary care doctor for whatever, you know,
issues that brings them in, usually mental health screening is part of the process.
So, they're asked a variety of questions specifically looking for mental health concerns
because sometimes the women themselves aren't necessarily keen to bring them up themselves.
At that point, if a mental health need is identified we
schedule an appointment for as soon as possible, to help that Veteran.
>>Patricia Crawford: We also have additional services that, if indeed they have thoughts of hurting themselves,
we have our suicide prevention program, which is just phenomenal.
I think the coordinated care that we provide with the VA is just unmatched.
>>Narrator: Your status as a Veteran is just one part of a complex life—and VA is here to
serve as your trusted, holistic, mental health provider – delivering
the high-quality care you need and focusing on what matters to you.
Learn more about the full continuum of mental health services for women Veterans, including
primary care-based outpatient, specialty, residential, and inpatient treatment care options.
You can call or text the Women Veterans Call Center
to learn more about VA’s services at 855-VA-WOMEN.