Trauma & service
Veteran mental health is more than one diagnosis.
Military experience matters, but it does not determine a diagnosis. A personal assessment leaves room for mood, sleep, grief, transitions, and life outside service.
For a veteran seeking care, the conversation can become narrowly focused on trauma before anyone asks what brought them in. For another veteran, trauma is central and has never been taken seriously enough.
Both are reasons to begin with the person’s own account.
Shared context is not a complete understanding
I am an Air Force veteran. My service can give us a point of connection, but branches, jobs, eras, units, deployments, and personal experiences differ. I will not assume that my experience explains yours.
I want to know about your life now, including relationships, work, health, sleep, and the things that matter to you outside military service.
Leave room for more than PTSD
A psychiatric assessment can explore trauma symptoms alongside mood concerns, grief, sleep problems, medication effects, and transitions. An existing diagnosis is useful history, not a reason to stop asking questions.
If PTSD is part of the assessment, we discuss treatment options and the role of trauma-focused psychotherapy. This practice provides medication management and assessment, and can coordinate with a therapist with appropriate permission. The VA outlines evidence-based PTSD treatment options.
Private care does not have to mean disconnected care
If you are receiving treatment through the VA or another practice, let me know. A current medication list and relevant records help us discuss how care can be coordinated. A release of information authorizes agreed communication; it does not grant me automatic access to your VA chart.
This practice is independent and cash-pay. It is not a VA service, and I do not provide VA claims work or disability determinations. The evaluation is $250, with standard follow-ups at $150.
What to ask at the consultation
Ask whether the service matches what you need. Do you want a fresh psychiatric assessment? Ongoing medication management? A type of therapy or evaluation this practice does not provide?
The free video or phone consultation gives us 15 minutes to clarify those questions. You do not need to establish a connection between every concern and military service to belong here.
Common questions
Is this practice part of the VA?
No. It is an independent cash-pay practice. It does not bill insurance or provide VA claims work or disability determinations.
Can care be coordinated with my current clinicians?
We can discuss exchanging relevant information through appropriate secure channels and authorization. Access to another organization’s medical record is not automatic.