MIRECC / CoE
Coaching Into Care | When a Veteran you know needs help
Are you looking for help in encouraging a Veteran to get support or mental health care? Call 888-823-7458
- If we miss your call, leave a message or email CoachingIntoCare@va.gov and we’ll return your call within one business day.
Announcement About Coaching Into Care
The Coaching Into Care (CIC) service, a service within the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP) that has functioned as a contact center and telephone-based clinical service from June 2011 to the present, is being deactivated. Beginning April 5, 2024, calls to the CIC toll-free number, (888) 823-7458 will be redirected to the Caregiver Support Line. This website will remain live for the foreseeable future, but will focus on resources, information, and guidance to family members for existing VHA educational resources. If you wish to receive coaching to encourage a Veteran family member to seek mental health care, consider the VA Family Study. See below.
Help enhance our services, get support helping your Veteran seek mental health care in the VA Family Study. Find out more by clicking "Learn more."
This remote study can help you encourage your loved one to get the treatment they need and deserve, through a telephone coaching program. If you join this study, we’ll provide you with access to brief telephone coaching (support and advice) to help you effectively encourage your loved one to start treatment for their PTSD. If you are eligible and you join the study, you will be compensated up to $170 for your time.
Get Started
Guidance for Helping the Veteran You Love
The key to helping the Veteran you care about seek care is to learn to use a more successful and supportive approach. Read more about how to help your Veteran feel supported and focus on what they need to get back on track.
Spouses and Significant Others
As a Veteran’s intimate partner, you may have questions about how to support the Veteran you love. Find answers through the following resources and programs:
- Use our tips on communicating during difficult conversations with your loved one.
- Learn to recognize mental health symptoms.
- Learn about VA’s treatment options.
- Learn about PTSD’s effect on relationships.
- If you worry about the threat of violence in your relationship, seek domestic violence support.
Parents and Family Members
As a Veteran’s parent or other family member, you may need help in your efforts to show your support. Explore the topics below to get the help you need:
- Find tips on communicating during difficult conversations with your Veteran family member.
- Recognize mental health symptoms.
- Learn about VA’s treatment options.
- Learn about PTSD’s effect on families.
- If the Veteran in your family hears voices or has delusions or hallucinations, learn about psychosis.
Veterans
Find support for yourself or another Veteran in making treatment decisions. Start by exploring the resources below:
- Recognize mental health symptoms and hear fellow Veterans’ stories of treatment and recovery.
- Use our tips on communicating during difficult conversations with a Veteran.
- Find information on benefits that are available to Veterans.
- Call a Vet Center to talk to a fellow Veteran and discuss military experience or challenges in readjusting to civilian life.
Other Veteran Supporters
Whether you are a friend, neighbor, or co-worker of a Veteran, you can make a difference by helping them seek care if they need it. Get started by exploring the topics below:
- Use our tips on communicating during difficult conversations with the Veteran.
- Recognize mental health symptoms and how to help someone with PTSD.