The short answer
Yes. VA's PTSD Consultation Program gives free consultation to any provider who treats Veterans, in any setting. Email PTSDconsult@va.gov or call 866-948-7880. Responses usually come within one business day, and the program also offers free lectures and continuing education.
What is the PTSD Consultation Program?
It's a free service from VA's National Center for PTSD for providers who treat Veterans, inside or outside VA. You can ask the team anything related to trauma and PTSD. You don't need to work for VA, and you don't need a VA contract. See the program page.
How do you contact it?
- Email: PTSDconsult@va.gov
- Phone: 866-948-7880
No forms are required. VA says responses normally come within one business day.
What can you ask about?
Any question related to trauma and PTSD. Community therapists commonly use it for things like:
- Choosing a treatment approach for a complicated presentation.
- Assessment questions, such as which measures to use.
- Co-occurring problems such as substance use, sleep, or chronic pain.
- Getting a Veteran connected to VA services.
- Finding training in an evidence-based treatment.
The consultants are clinicians who specialize in PTSD. Think of it as a curbside consult with someone who does this all day.
Does it offer training too?
Yes. The program runs a lecture series, and the National Center for PTSD has many online courses available at any time. VA says there's no fee to take its courses or to get continuing education credit. Outside providers take them through TRAIN. See How to get CE credits.
Subscribing to the program's monthly newsletter gets you registration links for upcoming lectures.
Why does this matter for therapists in private practice?
Isolation is one of the hard parts of solo work. Trauma work can be heavy, and not every community has a PTSD specialist nearby to call. This program gives you one, free, whenever you need it.
How ValorWell handles this
ValorWell therapists use the same free VA resources as any community provider, and ValorWell encourages it. ValorWell doesn't provide formal clinical consultation itself. Its admin team, which generally responds within a few hours, covers the business side: authorizations, billing, scheduling, and client coordination. Treatment decisions stay with you, including whether to use a consultation and what to do with the advice.
ValorWell may also support continuing education case by case.
Important limits
- Consultation isn't supervision. The consultant advises; clinical responsibility stays with you.
- Protect client privacy. Share only what the question needs, and follow HIPAA and your licensing board's rules when describing a case.
- It isn't a crisis line. If a client is in crisis, connect them with the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988, then press 1) or emergency services.
- Program details can change. Check the program page for current contact information.