FALLS CHURCH, Va. –
[Editor’s note: This article discusses mental health and resources that can help. The 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is just a call or text away. You can reach them by calling and pressing "1" or texting 838255. There's also a dedicated Veterans Crisis Line and Military Crisis Line, which you can access by chatting online. If you're overseas, start by chatting online to find the best phone option for your location. For Spanish speakers, press "2" to get support.]
The Defense Health Agency’s Behavioral Health Resources and Virtual Experience, or BRAVE, is helping our patients around the world get quicker access to mental health resources. BRAVE augments local mental
health services with video teleconferencing at facilities where mental health services may be in short supply.
BRAVE is primarily for active duty service members—and overseas, it’s available to adult active duty family members. The program is embedded at 84 locations in the U.S., Europe, and Indo-Pacific region, spanning 11 time zones.
BRAVE offers services like medication management, psychotherapy, and mental health evaluations to patients who need less intensive care and monitoring. This allows local mental health providers to focus on patients with more acute needs, shortening wait times and improving services.
The DHA Virtual Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, administers BRAVE. According to Patrick Brady, the BRAVE program director, BRAVE offers a lifeline to service members when local services are stretched thin. “BRAVE allows us to help patients build skills and tools to improve their mental health and well-being when those services otherwise wouldn’t be available,” said Brady. “We’re providing support where we might be the only behavioral provider at that time.”
BRAVE services focus on brief interventions, with all providers trained in evidence-based approaches. The team consists of medication management prescribers and therapists, including psychologists and licensed clinical social workers. Therapy sessions usually occur once a week for 12 to 17 sessions, according to Melanee Barnard, a BRAVE health system specialist at the DHA Virtual Medical Center.
Patients don’t have to be at the clinic to use BRAVE. Barnard said “85% of BRAVE appointments” occur with patients outside the clinic, which makes access easier, and can put patients at ease. “Meeting from their home or other location helps them feel secure and private,” she said.
Real-life impact: Misawa Air Base, Japan
Misawa Air Base in northern Japan, with 5,200 active duty service members, launched BRAVE in August 2023. U.S. Air Force Maj. Kimberly Lane is the mental health flight commander for the 35th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron at Misawa. “BRAVE is an invaluable resource for Misawa due to constant manning constraints because of our isolated location, PCS's [permanent change of station], and deployments,” said Lane. “BRAVE has let us provide care to a remote, isolated U.S. Army unit, slashing wait times from 32 to five days” for first appointments, she added.
Remote BRAVE services also make care more appealing for some at Misawa, Lane said. Some clinic staff find that their close working relationships with mental health providers make them reluctant to seek care locally. “Many clients like the anonymity BRAVE provides,” she said.
Looking ahead
According to Brady, BRAVE makes a significant impact on the patients who use it, the facilities where it’s offered, and the whole DHA. Benefits include quicker care, lower costs, reduced stigma, and better patient engagement.
The DHA plans for BRAVE to be available worldwide by the end of 2025. DHA is also looking to make BRAVE services available to more patients, including more active duty family members. DHA also plans to add adolescent mental health and medication management services.
Since the launch of BRAVE on Nov. 5, 2022, the program has facilitated about 60,000 virtual therapy sessions.
BRAVE practitioners are some of the program’s biggest promoters. “We need to make sure that everyone understands the value of BRAVE and how it can support our service members,” Barnard said.
Service members are also using the tools they’ve learned through the BRAVE program to help others. Barnard said she’s heard of BRAVE patients saying: “’Hey, battle buddy, I'm getting into the trench with you because I've been there.’”
She added, “I encourage leadership and providers to continue promoting BRAVE as a frontline option for those facing barriers to in-person care.”
Be BRAVE and seek help
The MHS Mental Health Hub can help you find a list of resources for immediate assistance or appointments. Service members and beneficiaries can find more help on the DHA.mil suicide prevention and mental health webpage.