Serving the country takes a real toll. At SMHWI, our board-certified psychiatrists and therapists provide mental health care built around the specific experiences of veterans and active duty service members. Tricare accepted. No VA referral required.
The VA does important work, but it isn't the only option. Wait times can stretch for months, and not every veteran finds the VA system a comfortable fit. SMHWI provides mental health care for veterans and active duty service members outside the VA system, with Tricare accepted at all four locations and no referral required for most services.
Our board-certified psychiatrists and licensed therapists understand military culture in a way that matters for treatment. Combat trauma, moral injury, military sexual trauma, and the cumulative stress of service all require a clinician who can hear what's being said without requiring extensive explanation of what military life actually involves.
We treat PTSD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and co-occurring conditions using VA-endorsed therapies including EMDR, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Prolonged Exposure, alongside psychiatric medication management at all four of our locations in Arizona and Texas.
Tricare accepted at all four locations. Call directly or use our patient portal. Coverage verified before your first appointment.
Tricare verified before your first appointment. No VA referral required at any SMHWI location.
Become a Patient →Military service creates mental health challenges that are distinct in important ways from what civilians experience. These are the conditions our clinicians most frequently treat in veterans and active duty service members.
PTSD from combat exposure, training accidents, or cumulative operational stress is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions among veterans. We treat it with EMDR, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Prolonged Exposure, all VA-endorsed approaches, alongside medication when appropriate.
Depression is significantly more common among veterans than civilians and frequently co-occurs with PTSD. Transitioning out of the military, the loss of unit identity, and the difficulty of returning to civilian life all contribute to depression that deserves direct treatment, not just watchful waiting.
A nervous system trained to stay alert doesn't automatically stand down after a deployment ends. Persistent hypervigilance, panic attacks, and generalized anxiety are common among veterans and can be meaningfully reduced with targeted therapy and, when indicated, medication.
Military sexual trauma affects veterans of all genders and branches. The combination of the traumatic event, the military environment in which it occurred, and the reporting dynamics that often followed creates a complex clinical presentation that requires careful, specialized care in a confidential setting.
Moral injury results from actions taken, witnessed, or ordered that violated deeply held beliefs about right and wrong. It's distinct from PTSD, though the two frequently overlap. It shows up as persistent guilt, shame, a sense of spiritual damage, and difficulty reconnecting with meaning or purpose after service.
Traumatic brain injury and PTSD frequently co-occur in veterans from post-9/11 conflicts. TBI can complicate the presentation of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, and treatment planning needs to account for cognitive symptoms alongside the psychological ones. Our psychiatrists evaluate for both.
Tricare covers a broad range of mental health services, and SMHWI accepts Tricare at all four locations. One of the questions we hear most often is whether a VA referral is required. For Tricare Prime, a referral is typically needed from your primary care manager. For Tricare Select and most other plans, you can schedule directly without one.
Coverage is verified before your first appointment so you know exactly what to expect. If there are any gaps or prior authorization requirements for specific treatments, our team works through those details with you before your first visit, not after.
Covered services typically include psychiatric evaluations, ongoing medication management, individual therapy, and evidence-based trauma therapies including EMDR and CPT. For specific coverage questions, call your nearest location and our team will help you work through the details.
The following Tricare plans are accepted at SMHWI locations:
Psychiatric evaluations, medication management, individual therapy, EMDR, CPT, and Prolonged Exposure therapy. Telehealth sessions are covered under most Tricare plans for services delivered throughout Arizona and Texas.
Call any SMHWI location and our team will verify your Tricare benefits, confirm whether a referral is needed for your specific plan, and let you know what to expect before your first appointment.
The treatments below are the same ones the VA recommends for its own patients. You don't have to be in the VA system to access them. At SMHWI, they're available with shorter wait times, flexible scheduling, and telehealth options throughout Arizona and Texas.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they lose their emotional charge. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn't require extended discussion of the traumatic event and can be delivered in-person or via telehealth.
CPT was originally developed for survivors of sexual assault and later validated extensively in veteran populations. It targets the stuck points, the distorted beliefs about why the trauma happened and what it means, that keep PTSD symptoms active. A structured 12-session format with clear progress markers.
Prolonged Exposure systematically reduces the avoidance behaviors that keep PTSD active. Through gradual, controlled engagement with trauma-related memories and situations, it helps the nervous system learn that those memories, while painful, are not currently dangerous.
Our board-certified psychiatrists evaluate and manage medications for PTSD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and other conditions. For veterans, medication decisions account for the full clinical picture including any existing VA prescriptions, physical health conditions common in military populations, and how the medication will interact with ongoing therapy.
Tricare accepted. EMDR, CPT, and Prolonged Exposure available at all four locations.
Become a Patient →If you or a veteran you know is in crisis, call or text 988 and press 1. Confidential, free, and always available. You can also chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net or text 838255.
The process is straightforward, and you don't have to navigate VA paperwork to get there.
Contact any of our four locations directly or schedule through our patient portal. Let the team know you're using Tricare and they'll start the verification process before your first appointment.
Our team verifies your Tricare plan, confirms what's covered, identifies any referral or authorization requirements, and resolves those before your first visit so there are no billing surprises.
Your first appointment is a careful psychiatric or therapy evaluation with a clinician familiar with military experience. You share what you're comfortable sharing. There's no pressure to recount experiences in detail before you're ready.
Based on what comes out of your evaluation, your psychiatrist and therapist build a treatment plan together with you. If you've had treatment before, that informs what comes next. The goal is a plan you actually believe in.
Psychiatric appointments and therapy sessions are available via HIPAA-compliant telehealth throughout Arizona and Texas. Covered by Tricare and most major insurance plans. For veterans who travel frequently, live in rural areas, or simply prefer not to commute, telehealth keeps care consistent without requiring it to be on-site every time. EMDR, CPT, and medication management follow-ups are all available virtually.
Tricare is accepted at all four SMHWI locations, alongside most major commercial insurance plans. Coverage verified before your first appointment. Call your nearest location to confirm your specific plan.
SMHWI provides mental health care for veterans and service members at four locations across the Phoenix metro area and North Texas, with telehealth available statewide in Arizona and Texas.
8350 E Raintree Dr, Ste 125 & 130
1492 S Mill Ave, Ste 206 & 214
6120 W Bell Rd, Ste 130
810 E Ralph Hall Pkwy, Ste 140
These are the most common questions veterans and service members ask before scheduling. If you have others, call any location directly.
For most Tricare plans, no. Tricare Select, Tricare for Life, and Tricare Reserve Select generally do not require a referral from the VA to see providers outside the VA system. Tricare Prime may require a referral from your primary care manager, but that can often be processed quickly. Our team verifies the requirements for your specific plan before your first appointment so you know exactly what to expect. You can also call any of our four locations and the team will walk you through it.
No. SMHWI is a private practice and your treatment records are protected under HIPAA privacy regulations. They are not reported to the military, the VA, or any government agency without your explicit written authorization. The only exceptions are situations mandated by law, such as imminent safety concerns, which apply to all licensed mental health providers regardless of setting.
Yes, Tricare covers EMDR when delivered by a licensed therapist for a covered diagnosis such as PTSD. Coverage details and any prior authorization requirements vary by plan. Our team verifies your specific Tricare benefits and handles any authorization paperwork before your first appointment. If EMDR is the right approach for your situation, we work through the insurance side so you can focus on the treatment.
The VA provides a broad range of services to eligible veterans and does important work. The differences at SMHWI are primarily access and coordination. Most patients are seen within a few days rather than weeks or months. You don't have to navigate a large system to get to the right provider. And because SMHWI integrates psychiatry and therapy within the same practice, your prescriber and your therapist communicate directly. Whether SMHWI or the VA is the better fit depends on your situation, and some veterans use both.
Yes. Therapy and psychiatry are offered at all four SMHWI locations under the same practice. Your therapist and psychiatrist coordinate directly rather than operating in separate systems. For veterans managing both trauma symptoms and medication, that coordination matters. You don't have to repeat your history at two separate appointments or hope that two separate providers are communicating about your care.
Yes. Military sexual trauma is treated at all four locations using evidence-based trauma therapies including EMDR and Cognitive Processing Therapy. MST involves a specific set of dynamics, including the institutional environment in which it occurred, the reporting barriers many survivors faced, and the complex mix of responses it produces, that our therapists are trained to work with carefully. All care is confidential.
Yes. Tricare covers telehealth mental health services, including psychiatric appointments and therapy, for eligible beneficiaries throughout Arizona and Texas. EMDR therapy and medication management follow-ups are both available via telehealth. If getting to a clinic is difficult because of location, scheduling, or personal preference, telehealth keeps care accessible without interrupting continuity.
Active duty service members with Tricare coverage can receive care at SMHWI for conditions not related to duty status or fitness for duty determinations. If you have questions about what that means for your specific situation, call any of our locations and the team can help clarify. Mental health care outside the military chain of command is available to most active duty members, and many choose to pursue it precisely because of the privacy it affords.
Crisis lines, official VA resources, and peer support organizations for veterans and service members.
Contact SMHWI at any of our four locations. No VA referral required. Tricare and most major insurance accepted. Benefits verified before your first appointment.
