For Veterans With PTSD, Virtual Treatment Takes The Place Of In-Person Therapy

Speaker 1: 00:00 Among the healthcare providers attempting to use telemedicine is the veterans administration. Veterans dealing with post traumatic stress disorder have found their in-person treatment regimen badly disrupted by Kogut 19 now the VA and other providers are trying to move the therapy online. Stephanie Calambini of the American Homefront project reports from Tampa Speaker 2: 00:23 yoga instructor forests spalls leading a meditation session on the video chat service zoom. Speaker 3: 00:29 Inhale, straighten and exhale bad Speaker 2: 00:36 small windows at the top of the screen. Show veterans in their living rooms. Following along the session is run by the Tampa area nonprofit veterans alternative. It typically brings vets to Florida from across the country for intensive alternative treatment programs. The Corona virus is preventing that from happening, so the groups offering virtual therapy instead, Speaker 3: 00:56 just remember, there's no wrong way to do this just as there's no wrong way to be you Speaker 2: 01:02 joining for yoga is Kathleen Statler from Connecticut. The Persian Gulf war veteran has battled PTSD for decades and attended a program with the group in February, just weeks before her community shut down. Speaker 4: 01:14 So that's really hard because me staying home and just being idle is not good for any, any person, nevermind a veteran with PTSD. They need to get out and they need to be on the move. Speaker 2: 01:27 Statler says there are times when the isolation and concerns for her loved ones safety trigger her PTSD symptoms. When she feels some come on, she tries to remember what she learned during treatment to calm down things like we're calling positive memories and spending time in nature. Statler's life is about to get a lot more stressful. She's starting a new job as an emergency department nurse and we'll be on the front lines fighting this pandemic. She says virtual therapy is a huge help. Speaker 4: 01:54 This is teaching me how important it is to be practicing those tools. That gives me peace during times that I don't have the peace or my body won't let me have that piece. Speaker 2: 02:07 Covert 19 has led to a dramatic increase in virtual therapy for vets. The department of veterans affairs is it's mental health providers completed thousands more appointments with the VA video connect app in March compared to February and vet centers which provide counseling services separate from VA medical facilities, so a 200% increase in the number of virtual appointments. Michael Fisher is the VA's chief readjustment counseling officer and oversees those centers. Speaker 5: 02:34 Our focus has always been on that face to face connection and creating community by bringing in veterans and service members and allow them to connect with each other. Speaker 2: 02:44 Fisher says it may not be ideal to provide counseling virtually, especially for group therapy, but it's essential right now. Speaker 5: 02:51 We have to continue making sure individuals are staying on track with whatever their goals might be, but I think the other thing is making sure that we're effectively dealing Speaker 2: 03:00 with the anxiety and the fear that these kinds of situations create. But video chats and virtual yoga don't work for everybody. Not every veteran has access to the technology or feels comfortable with it. Fisher says for those vets, the VA offers mental health care over the phone and for those who really need in person interaction, that centers are still open and taking protective measures to prevent the spread of covert 19 the VA has also deployed mobile vet centers in New York, Los Angeles, and other communities hit hard by the virus to target vulnerable veterans near public places like parks and grocery stores. This is not a permanent thing. It is really just so we get through this response while we're keeping veterans and service members and their families. Safe. Mental health experts say it's critical. Veterans maintain social bonds right now, even if they don't receive formal therapy. They say any sort of support system will help. That's get through this uncertain time. I'm Stephanie beanie in Tampa. This story was produced by the American Homefront project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans funding comes from the corporation for public broadcasting.