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Psychological Health Center of Excellence

Mental health is health.

The Psychological Health Center of Excellence is one of the Centers of Excellence within the Research and Engineering Directorate of the Defense Health Agency. PHCoE collaborates across the Department of Defense and with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies to provide leadership and expertise to inform policy and drive improvements in psychological health outcomes.

Confidential military crisis support button

If you have an emergency or are in crisis, please contact the Military Crisis LineLinks to the Military Crisis Line or the Suicide & Crisis LifelineSuicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.

Real Warriors Logo  InTransition Logo

PHCoE Mission

Improve the lives of our nation’s service members, veterans, and their families by advancing excellence in military psychological health care research.

PHCoE Vision

Be the trusted source and partner to facilitate evidence-based research and clinical practices across the continuum of care to enhance the psychological health of the military community.

PHCoE Purpose

  • Enhance the readiness of the military community by providing psychological health research consultation and expertise to leaders, providers, service members, and their families
  • Serve as the primary Defense Health Agency hub supporting, guiding, and managing empirical research to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of psychological health care and prevention of psychological health disorders in the military community
  • Provide research to support the increase of access, reduction of barriers, and optimal use of psychological health resources across the Military Health System
  • Create and manage empirically-based information and products to support optimal psychological health and readiness across the enterprise

History of PHCoE

First established in 1995 as the Gulf War Health Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, its mission was to care for Gulf War veterans with war-related physical and mental health challenges. In 1999 it became the Deployment Health Clinical Center – one of three DOD centers of excellence for deployment health. (The others being the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center and the Naval Health Research Center.) The center was responsible for coordinating the evaluation of veterans seeking care for post-deployment health concerns.

In 2008, the National Defense Authorization Act provided a congressional mandate for the creation of centers of excellence for posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury within the DOD. As a result, DHCC became a center under the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. The NDAA charged the center with implementing plans and strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of PTSD and other mental health conditions. 

In 2016, DCoE and its centers, including DHCC, transitioned to DHA and in 2017 DHA completed the consolidation of DCoE and its centers and retired the DCoE brand. DHCC officially changed its name to the Psychological Health Center of Excellence to better align with its current mission.

PHCoE Brochures

Download these brochures to learn how PHCoE projects, resources, and services can help health care providers and service members:

 

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Confidential Mental Health Resources Available to Military Families

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“Checking in on your mental health can be as easy as making an appointment with a mental health professional, such as a therapist or psychiatrist – and that can be done face to face or virtually,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Anna Fedotova, mental health flight commander, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

Mental Health Stigma Campaign Will Be New Hub of Hope

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Walter Reed Expert Shares Five Ways to Prioritize Mental Health

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Dr. Diaz discusses the importance of mental fitness with U.S. Army Pvt. 2 Kaliyah Rowan at the Mental Fitness Information table during Staff Resiliency Week at Walter Reed. Diaz says prioritizing mental health is key to building resilience, and shared five ways staff members can do just that in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. (Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jesse Sharpe, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center)

In today's fast-paced health care environment, it's more important than ever to prioritize mental health to build resilience, and in honor of National Mental Health Awareness Month and Staff Resiliency Week at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dr. Kristine Diaz, a personnel psychologist, shares five ways staff members can prioritize their mental health to unlock resilience.

Managing Significant Life Events for Better Mental Health

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New Mental Health Care Initiative Improves Access to Care and Readiness

Article Around MHS
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A room plaque for the 341st Operational Medical Readiness Squadron mental health flight is pictured inside the base clinic June 23, 2021, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. The mental health flight offers mental health services to active duty members and manages the Family Advocacy and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment programs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Heather Heiney)

For more than a year, the Air Force Medical Service has been rolling out Mental Health Targeted Care, an initiative that helps Airmen and Guardians understand all of the available options for support and connects them to the right resource either in a mental health clinic or outside the military hospital with another supporting agency that best meets their need.

Changes in Behavior, Personality or Mood Following Concussion/mTBI Fact Sheet

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This TBICoE fact sheet can be used by health care providers to educate patients with a concussion, or mild TBI, on how to manage changes in mood related to their injury. Patients and caregivers would also find this information useful.

Brandon Act Aims to Improve Mental Health Support

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Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr., undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, signed a policy today to initiate implementation of the Brandon Act and improve the process for service members seeking mental health support.

Concussion Protocols Aid Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery

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Whether on the sport field or the battlefield, the Defense Health Agency is the global leader in research on the effects of concussion—known as mild traumatic brain injury—in the military. Its research has fueled the development of protocols to help providers assess and treat concussion from initial injury to acute and post-acute medical settings, rehabilitation, and, ultimately, a return to family, community, work, continued duty, or recreation.

Aerospace Medicine Branch Enhances Airmen Psychological Performance

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From left: Aeromedical and Operational Clinical Psychology, or AOCP, branch members Dr. Ivan Colin-Rivera, Lt. Col. Kristen Galloway, Dr. Rachael Martinez, Tech. Sgt. Christopher Thompson and Somtirtha Bag at a team event in the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, at High Bay at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.  (Photo by Jeremy Ward, U.S. Air Force)

The office of Aeromedical Operational and Clinical Psychology, or AOCP, offers aerospace and operational clinical consultation for units throughout the U.S. Air Force and has done so for over a decade.

Austin Presses Ahead with Recommendations from Suicide Prevention Committee

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A soldier's 23-year struggle with mental resiliency, the horror of combat, and personal challenges prompt him (with the help of a lovable labradoodle) to advocate for better awareness and treatment of mental health.

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PSA video with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell bringing attention to suicide prevention and promoting the DSTRESS Line and Community Counseling Centers.

Talking to Your Family and Friends About Your Depression

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Talking with your friends and family about your depression symptoms is not easy. Use this worksheet to help plan the discussion. 1. Decide who to talk to. List the family and friends that you will tell. Bold or underline the person you will tell first.

Patient Self-Management for Depression

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You can do several things to help yourself feel better, even when you’re not at your best. Start by selecting one of the activities from this list. Remember to take it slowly and add new things as you begin to feel better. (Make copies of this worksheet, and review it weekly with your mental health provider or a trusted family member or friend to track your progress.)

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Last Updated: May 01, 2023
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