FREE ONLINE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR VETERANS
FREE ONLINE SKILL-BASED CLASSES
Vets Prevail: Provides individualized evidence-based (CBT) mental health interventions to individuals who otherwise may not be able or willing to engage with traditional avenues for care. Its interface is very interactive, almost reminiscent of a video game, and Veterans earn points for completing courses that they can trade in for gift cards. https://www.vetsprevail.org/
PTSD Coach Online: Tools for coping with sadness, anxiety, and other symptoms that people who have been through trauma can develop. Some tools are brief and can help you relax when you feel stressed, or improve your mood, for example. Longer tools teach you how to tackle difficult problems, change thinking patterns, and take steps to achieve your goals. http://www.ptsd.va.gov/apps/ptsdcoachonline/default.htm
Moving Forward: Online educational and life coaching program that teaches Problem Solving skills (8 classes) to help Veterans to better handle life’s challenges. It is designed to be especially helpful for Veterans, Military Service Members, and their families.
http://www.veterantraining.va.gov/apps/movingforward/index.html
Afterdeployment.org: Self-care solutions targeting post-traumatic stress, depression, anger, anxiety, stigma, mild TBI, sleep, health & wellness, MST, financial health, work adjustment, and other behavioral health challenges commonly faced after a deployment. http://afterdeployment.t2.health.mil/
Veteran Parenting: Online course featuring key tools to support your parenting. This parenting strategies learning program is targeted to Service Member and Veteran parents. You will find guidance to help you reconnect with your children after a deployment and beyond. http://www.veterantraining.va.gov/apps/veteranparenting/index.html
Veterans Crisis Line: Connects Veterans in crisis and their families and friends with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders. Veterans and their loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1. www.veteranscrisisline.net
FREE ONLINE EDUCATIONAL / INFORMATION SITES
Make the Connection: A national, public awareness campaign that features candid, personal testimonials from Veterans and their loved ones. This website gives information on everything from transitioning out of the military, homelessness, depression, anxiety, feeling on edge, chronic pain, drugs/alcohol problems, and countless other topics. www.maketheconnection.net
V.E.T.S.: serves America’s veterans and separating service members by preparing them for meaningful careers, providing employment resources and expertise, and protecting their employment rights. http://www.dol.gov/vets/
Veterans Employment Toolkit: http://www.va.gov/vetsinworkplace/
Hire Our Heroes: https://www.hireheroesusa.org/
FREE MENTAL HEALTH SMARTPHONE APPS FOR VETERANS
Resource list compiled by: Brittany Hartzell, Psy.D., Local Recovery Coordinator, Fayetteville VAMC
US DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS & DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, SMARTPHONE APPS
The Mindfulness Coach App provides you with tools and guided exercises to help you practice mindfulness, which means paying purposeful attention to the present moment without passing judgment on it or your feelings. Mindfulness Coach can be used alone, but is not intended as a substitute for therapy (iPhone only).
The PTSD Coach App helps you learn about and cope with the symptoms related to Posttraumatic Stress (PTS) that occur following trauma. PTSD Coach can be used alone, but is not intended as a substitute for mental health treatment.
The Virtual Hope Box (VHB ) contains simple tools to help patients with coping, relaxation, distraction, and positive thinking. Patients and providers can work together to personalize the VHB content on the patient’s own smartphone according to the patient’s specific needs.
Breathe2Relax is a portable stress management tool. Breathe2Relax is a hands-on diaphragmatic breathing exercise. Breathing exercises have been documented to decrease the body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ (stress) response, and help with mood stabilization, anger control, substance use urges, and anxiety management.
Tactical Breather App can be used to gain control over physiological and psychological responses to stress. Through repetitive practice and training, anyone can learn to gain control of your heart rate, emotions, concentration, and other physiological and psychological responses to your body during stressful situations.
Moving Forward App provides on-the-go tools and teaches problem solving skills to overcome obstacles and deal with stress. It is especially helpful in managing challenges such as: returning to civilian life, balancing school and family life, financial difficulties, relationship problems, difficult career decisions, and coping with physical injuries.
T2 Mood Tracker App: The app records a range of emotions for anxiety, depression, head injury, stress, posttraumatic stress and a user’s general well-being. Users can also create items to track their progress in unique areas. The saved results are displayed in an easy-understand graph. The data is saved in a graphical or spreadsheet file which can be transferred by e-mail or other wireless connection.
Resource list compiled by: Brittany Hartzell, Psy.D., Local Recovery Coordinator, Fayetteville VAMC
Life Armor: Comprehensive learning and self-management tool to assist with common mental health concerns. Contains information on 17 topics, including sleep, depression, anger, relationship issues, substance use, and post-traumatic stress. Brief self-assessments help the user measure and track their symptoms, and tools are available to assist with managing specific problems.
The Concussion Coach App provides you with resources to help you manage symptoms of concussion or mild to moderate traumatic brain injury. Concussion Coach can be used alone, but may be more helpful when used along with treatment from a provider.
Together Strong: Interactive app that lets you practice what to say and do when a peer is struggling with adjustment to civilian life. Through interactive role-play and simulations, you’ll become prepared to have a conversation that will motivate a friend to seek help, build resilience, and lead a positive life.
Parenting2Go App helps Veterans and Service Members reconnect with their children and provides convenient tools to strengthen parenting skills. Parents can find quick parenting advice; relaxation tools to use when frustrated or stressed; tools for positive communication; and strategies to switch gears between military
life and home.
Stay Quit Coach App helps you “stay quit” after you stop smoking with tools to control cravings, reminder messages and support links. Stay Quit Coach is best used while in treatment with a therapist or after your treatment has ended.
MOVE! Coach Mobile (MCM) is a weight loss app for Veterans, service members, their families who want to lose weight. This 19-week program can monitor, track,and receive feedback regarding progress with weight, diet, and exercise goals. This app also helps teach SMART goals and problem-solving skills to overcome barriers.
Positive Activity Jackpot (Android/Google play only): Positive Activity Jackpot uses a professional behavioral health therapy called pleasant event scheduling (PES), which is used to overcome depression and build resilience. This app features technology to help users find nearby enjoyable activities and makes activity suggestions with local options and the ability to invite friends.
BioZen: This app takes many of the large medical sensors in a clinic and puts them in the hands of anyone with a smart phone. Showing real-time data from multiple body sensors including electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyography (EMG), galvanic skin response (GSR), electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), respiratory rate, and skin temperature to show users their meditative & attentive cognitive states.
Resource list compiled by: Brittany Hartzell, Psy.D., Local Recovery Coordinator, Fayetteville VAMC
US DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS SMARTPHONE APPS, FOR USE WITH THERAPY
The ACT Coach App helps you work with a mental health professional during Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT aims to help you live with unpleasant thoughts and feelings without avoiding them or being controlled by them. ACT Coach is not a self-help tool and should only be used while in therapy with a provider.
The CBT-i Coach App helps you get the most out of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i) so that you can develop good sleep habits and sleep better. CBT-i Coach is best used while in therapy with a provider.
The CPT Coach App helps you work with your therapist during Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). CPT is used to reduce symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by helping you work through your thoughts and feelings about your trauma, and decrease avoidance of difficult memories. The App helps you track your progress, appointments and PTSD symptoms. CPT Coach is not a self-help tool and should only be used while in therapy with a provider.
The PE Coach App helps you work with a mental health professional during Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy. PE therapy is used to reduce symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by helping you decrease distress about your trauma by engaging with reminders of the experience (triggers). The App helps you track your progress, appointments and PTSD symptoms. PE Coach is not a self-help tool and should only be used while in therapy with a provider.
OTHER APPS NOT FROM US DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS/DoD & NOT ENDORSED BY VA
WebMD Pain Coach App offers a holistic approach to balancing lifestyle with chronic pain conditions to help inspire a better day. It is a mobile companion to help you through daily health and wellness choices so you can better manage your chronic pain. Enjoy a personalized experience as physician-reviewed tips related to your specific condition are delivered daily to you. The App puts you in control of your lifestyle choices so you can review personal patterns to understand triggers, set goals, and easily share progress with your physician.
Suicide Safe: Designed for providers, but can help Veterans and family members by equipping them with education and support resources to assess risk of suicide, communicate effectively with patients and families, determine appropriate next steps, and make referrals to treatment and community resources.
Addicaid – Addiction Recovery Support: Free phone app dedicated to the prevention & treatment of addiction & alcoholism. Find and rate support meetings for a variety of addictions, track your progress, complete daily goals, and stay inspired to maintain sobriety with their newsfeed including news, videos, and music.
Resource list compiled by: Brittany Hartzell, Psy.D., Local Recovery Coordinator, Fayetteville VAMC
Quit That!: Simple app to track all the habit/addiction you are trying to quit. Find out how many hours, days, minutes, weeks, or years it has been since you quit each habit/addiction. Need extra motivation? You can also keep track of how much money you have saved since quitting!
Take a Break! Guided Meditations for Stress Relief: From the developers of relaxation apps at Meditation Oasis comes this free app to quickly recharge. Listen to a seven-minute Work Break or 13-minute Stress Relief recording with or without music or nature sounds
Relax and Sleep Well with Glenn Harold (FREE): Twenty-nine minute guided meditation with music to help you fall and stay asleep. Relaxing and gentle, another free App available is: Relax with Andrew Johnson Lite (14 minute meditation).
Sleep Bug: Can’t fall asleep to the sound of noisy neighbors or honking cars? Sleep Bug is the perfect on-demand white noise machine. Get transported to the beach, a zen garden, or the middle of a jungle with the push of a button. There’s also a custom timer and even the ability to add noises—like rain or a whale’s call—to the scene.
US DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS SMARTPHONE APPS, NON-MENTAL HEALTH APPS
The 311VET: App was designed for Veterans to ask general VA Benefits questions and receive answers 24/7/365 from any mobile device, allowing answers at any time and from anywhere. 311VET allows Veterans to gather information on Health Care Benefits, Pensions, Life Insurance, Dependents and Survivors Benefits, and much more. Web-based
Launchpad: The VA Mobile Launchpad houses all Apps for Veterans that connect to VA’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) and access your personal VA health information. By signing into the VA Mobile Launchpad once with a DS Logon Level 2 (Premium) Account, you can access multiple resources without logging in to each App or website individually. **Web app (link to website) https://veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/launchpad/
New phone resources are routinely becoming available for our Veteran and Active Duty Service Members. You may wish to check the following websites for additional or new smart phone applications:
The Department of Veteran Affairs App Store: https://mobile.va.gov/appstore/all
The National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2) is part of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE). The mission of T2 is to lead the innovation of health technology solutions for psychological health and deliver tested, valued health solutions that improve the lives of our nation’s warriors, veterans, and their families. http://www.t2health.dcoe.mil/products/mobile-apps