Explore VA’s virtual mental health resources

Stop for a moment and think about all the things you do every day to take care of your physical health.

It can be as simple as brushing your teeth before bed, eating a balanced meal at dinnertime, or scheduling an annual checkup. You don’t have to be under the weather or facing a specific illness to take steps to support your health.

It can be helpful to think about your mental health the same way.

Everyone has mental health, and you don’t have to face a specific challenge to take steps to take care of yourself. You can start virtually with VA, which offers several ways for you to support your mental health and address any challenges you might be facing.

Try out a VA mobile app

Whether you want to be more present, track your PTSD symptoms, or address challenging thoughts and emotions, VA mobile apps offer a range of support for your mental health. You can use them to complement traditional therapy or track and manage certain conditions on your own. Two available apps include:

• Mindfulness Coach: Practicing mindfulness can help you focus on the present moment and reduce stress or cope with unpleasant thoughts and emotions. Mindfulness Coach helps you understand and build mindfulness into your daily life.
• PTSD Coach: Use this app to help track your PTSD symptoms and access strategies for managing them.

Get instant support

In addition to mental health apps, VA Health Chat is available if you have a question about a non-life-threatening health concern. You can message a VA staff member through the app and quickly receive a response.

Not all channels, such as Clinical Triage and Virtual Clinic Visit (Urgent Care), are available in all VISNs. You can see the channels that are available to you by signing in to the app.

Join virtual visits

Use VA Video Connect, VA’s secure videoconferencing app, to meet with your VA mental health provider for scheduled TeleMental Health video visits. Connect through a smartphone, tablet or computer with an internet connection.

If you’re assigned a mental health assessment, the MHA for Veterans lets you to complete it between appointments. Once you’re done, you can also use the app to review your scores and see trends over time.

Want to learn more about VA’s virtual mental health resources? Visit the VA App Store on VA Mobile.

If you need immediate help, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988, then press 1.