Veterans Mental Health Department

The Veterans Mental Health Department (VMHD) is focused on ensuring access to competent mental health services for service members, veterans, and their families. VMHD accomplishes this task by providing training, certification, and technical assistance across Texas. In addition to connecting veterans in need directly to local services, VMHD also works with partners at the national, state, and local level to address veteran-specific issues including suicide prevention/intervention, veteran homelessness, military cultural competency, peer support services, military-related trauma, women and rural veterans, and justice involvement. Across all programming, VMHD is fortunate to have the broadest definition of veteran regardless of discharge status, branch of services, or having served one day or a career. All services including training, technical assistance, and direct services provided across VMHD programming are offered freely to all who are in need.

Contact Mental Health

Find Help Here: Military Veteran Peer Network
Crisis Line: Call 988 and click 1


Blake Harris, Ph.D.
Director, Veterans Mental Health Department
blake.harris@tvc.texas.gov
(512) 676-1895

General
vmhd@tvc.texas.gov
1-512-463-6091


General Contact Form

Mental Health Resources & Contacts

 

Veterans Mental Health Starts Here:

Suicide Prevention

While suicide is often thought of as an individual problem, it has devastating impacts on families, loved ones, and communities, making it a public health issue. At the Texas Veterans Commissions, Veterans Mental Health Department, our goal is to reduce Veteran suicide in Texas through collaboration with national, state, and local partnerships and initiatives bringing together many different resources, perspectives, and strategies aimed at saving the lives of Texas Veterans.

Homelessness

The Homeless Veterans Initiative is overseen by the Veterans Mental Health Department of the Texas Veterans Commission.  The goal is to improve the accessibility of resources and services for military veterans and their loved ones in Texas that are experiencing homelessness or are at-risk of becoming homeless. The Initiative identifies and highlights services aimed at preventing veterans from entering homelessness and provide trainings to direct service providers.

 

(JIV)

Justice Involved Veterans

The JIV Program works to improve veteran services across the entire criminal justice continuum. The JIV Coordinators serve as resource to provide technical assistance and training to all Veteran Treatment Courts across Texas. The JIV Program also partners with the local and state law enforcement to deliver officers relevant trainings such as trauma affected veterans and crisis intervention strategies. JIV Coordinators also collaborate with the local jail and state prison systems to better ensure that incarcerated veterans have access to veteran-specific services and programming.

(MVPN)

Military Veteran Peer Network

The MVPN is made of TVC-Certified Peer Service Coordinators and their peer volunteers strategically placed within the local mental health authorities across Texas to create a statewide peer-to-peer network for any service member, veteran, or family member. The MVPN provides services including direct peer-to-peer support, training on suicide prevention and military cultural competency, coordination of mental health first aid, and warm-handoffs to local resources based on the individual needs of the veteran and family.
 

Provider Training

The aim of the Veteran Provider program is to offer licensed clinicians and any mental health professionals with training and technical assistance aimed at promoting military cultural competency. Based on the unique mental health needs of the veteran community, the Veteran Provider Program offers trainings tailored to the needs of the audience as it relates to suicide prevention, lethal means restriction, military traumas, and evidence-based practices. The Veteran Provider Program also oversees technical assistance to a team of veteran counselors focused on providing evidence-based treatments to trauma affected veterans in rural settings.

Community Partners

VMHD works to increase military trauma-informed community- and faith-based organizations by: encouraging local SMVF-serving collaborations and committees are provided training about the trauma-affected SMVF community; including Moral Injury all conversations with and trainings for community- and faith-based organizations and agencies; and connecting community collaborations and committees with statewide, curated resource listings.
 

Upcoming Events

View Calendar

View All Mental Health Events

 

Mental Health In The Media


View All Mental Health Media

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Veterans Mental Health Department?

The Veterans Mental Health Department (VMHD) is a branch of the Texas Veterans Commission. The Veterans Mental Health Department is focused on ensuring access to competent mental health services for service members, veterans, and their families. We accomplish this task by providing training, certification, and technical assistance across Texas.

In addition to connecting veterans in need directly to local services, VMHD also works with partners at the national, state, and local level to address veteran-specific issues including suicide prevention/intervention, veteran homelessness, military cultural competency, peer support services, military-related trauma, women and rural veterans, and justice involvement.

What does the Veterans Mental Health do?

The Veterans Mental Health Department connects veterans to resources that assist them in receiving the services they need. These can include counseling referrals.

Is the Veterans Mental Health Department available to provide tailored training to organizations upon request?

Yes, the Veterans Mental Health Department is available to tailor specific training to an organization that serves veteran clients. Send us an email with your request, and we will get back to you to provide the training that meets your organization’s needs.

What is the cost for Veterans Mental Health Training?

All of our trainings for free, including CEU credit.

What is the Justice Involved Veterans Program?

The Justice Involved Veteran (JIV) Program is housed within TVC’s Veterans Mental
Health Department and its aim is to improve veteran services across the criminal
justice continuum. JIV Managers serve as a resource to provide technical assistance
and training to all Veteran Treatment Courts across Texas, partner with the local and
state law enforcement to deliver the officers relevant trainings such as trauma-affected
veterans and crisis intervention strategies. JIV Managers also collaborate with the local
jail and state prison systems to better ensure that incarcerated veterans have access to
veteran-specific services and programming.

Who is considered ``Justice Involved``?
Any veteran who has a relationship with the Texas criminal system is considered Justice Involved.
This includes:
  • County Jails
  • Veterans Treatment Courts
  • Prisons & State Jails
  • Probation & Parole
What trainings are offered by the JIV Program?

The JIV Program offers FREE trainings to Veteran Treatment Courts, Law Enforcement,
Community Supervision, Mental Health Providers, and Community Stakeholders.

Trainings include:

  • Suicide Awareness & Prevention (CALM & AS+K)
  • Military Cultural Competency
  • Military-Informed Care
  • Mental Health First Aid
  • TCOLE 4067 Trauma-Affected Veterans*
  • TCOLE 1850 De-escalation Techniques*
  • *Denotes Law Enforcement ONLY Trainings
How do we get more Justice Involved Information?

You can reach out to the JIV Program directly at:

Terri Williams, M.A., LPC, terri.williams@tvc.texas.gov, Cell: (737) 237-4080

Cynthia Gray, cynthia.gray@tvc.texas.gov, Cell: (512) 815-7906

What is considered “Homeless”?

An individual that has a primary nighttime residence that is public or private not meant for human habitation, a shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (to include transitional housing and hotels paid by a charitable organization), or is exiting an institution where they resided for 90 days or less and resided in one of the previous two living arrangements immediately before entering that institution.

What types of veteran status can the Homeless Initiative Assist?

Any individual that has served in the U.S. military regardless of time in service and discharge status.

Do you know a homeless veteran? How can you help?

Any individual to include Family and loved ones can reach out on behalf of the veteran to help facilitate available local resources.