Service members, retirees and families
TRICARE
We check your plan, and help with any referral or authorization it needs.
TMS therapy for veterans, service members and military families
No one gets left behind. That includes you.
TMS for depression, anxiety and PTSD, overseen by a psychiatric provider. We work with TRICARE and TriWest (VA Community Care), and we check your benefits for you before anything is booked.
Book my free evaluation (opens Calendly)Call (310) 895-7122
TMS is FDA-cleared for depression. Its use for PTSD is off-label. Coverage depends on your plan.
Limited time · Free
A free Military Brain Health Evaluation
As a thank you for your service, we’re offering a complimentary Brain Health Evaluation, for a limited time, to eligible active-duty service members, veterans, reservists and dependents.
Whether it’s mood, memory, focus, sleep, or the effects of a concussion or your service, it’s a first step toward better brain health.
What’s included
- An EEG, a recording of your brain’s electrical activity
- Cognitive and symptom assessments
- A one-on-one consultation to go through your results
- A clear answer on whether treatment, including TMS, may be right for you
Schedule my free evaluation (opens Calendly)
About an hour, at one of our clinics. Or call (310) 895-7122.
The part nobody sees
“I sit where I can see the door.”
“Fine at work. Not fine at 3 a.m.”
“A car backfires and I’m back there.”
“My fuse with the kids is shorter than I want.”
“I stopped calling the guys from my unit.”
“I tell everyone I’m good. I’m not.”
If any of this sounds like you, you’re far from alone, and it isn’t weakness. It’s something we can help with.
In crisis right now? Dial 988, then press 1, for the Veterans Crisis Line. Or text 838255.
What is TMS?
TMS, transcranial magnetic stimulation, is a non-invasive treatment. Gentle magnetic pulses stimulate the parts of the brain involved in mood. It’s FDA-cleared for depression.
- Non-invasiveNo surgery, no anesthesia and nothing implanted. You’re awake the whole time.
- Not a pillIt works alongside the care you already have, including any medication.
- 20 to 30 minutesYou sit in a chair, then drive yourself home and get on with your day.
- FDA-cleared for depressionIts use for PTSD is off-label, and we’ll explain what that means for you.
The most common side effects are scalp discomfort and headache. Seizures are rare.
Trained to stay on alert. Hard to switch off.
In service, your brain learned to scan for danger and react fast. Back home, that alarm can stay on, long after you need it.
TMS sends gentle magnetic pulses to the front of the brain, the part that helps calm that alarm. The aim is to turn the volume down.
One call. We take it from there.
-
01
You call
Our New Patient Coordinator listens, and checks your TRICARE or TriWest benefits for you.
-
02
We listen
A psychiatric evaluation: what you’re living with and what you’ve tried. It can be by telehealth.
-
03
Your plan
Your psychiatric provider plans your TMS with you, around the care you already have.
-
04
Treatment
About 20 to 30 minutes a day, overseen by your provider. You drive yourself home.
Your benefits, checked for you.
Veterans using VA care
TriWest VA Community Care
Community Care starts with a referral from your VA. Tell us where you are, and we’ll help with the next step.
When you ask us to check
- We get your plan details
- We check your coverage
- We help with referrals and authorization
- You hear back, before anything is booked
Coverage depends on your plan. TMS for depression is often covered; for PTSD, some plans cover it case by case. We’ll tell you exactly what we find.
A psychiatric provider oversees your TMS.
Our psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse practitioners look after you from your first visit to your last session. The provider who evaluates you is the one who oversees your TMS, so you never start over with someone new.
- Your evaluationA careful look at what you’re living with, and what you’ve tried
- Your TMSPlanned and followed by your provider, start to finish
- Medication, if you need itWe can look after that too, or work with your own doctor
Research in people who served
- TMS for depression in US veterans, across the Veterans Health AdministrationJournal of Affective Disorders, 2022 (opens in a new tab)
- The VA’s own review of the evidence on TMS for PTSD and brain injuryVA Evidence Synthesis Program (opens in a new tab)
- A registered clinical trial of TMS for PTSD in service membersClinicalTrials.gov (opens in a new tab)
Straight answers.
Do I need a referral?
For VA Community Care, yes: it starts with a referral from your VA. With TRICARE, it depends on your plan. Prime usually needs one from your primary care manager. We’ll help you work out what you need.
I’m still active duty. Can I come?
Yes. Tell us when you call, and we’ll go through the TRICARE steps with you.
Is TMS approved for PTSD?
TMS is FDA-cleared for depression. For PTSD, it’s used off-label. Many people with PTSD also live with depression, and treating it can be part of your plan. We’ll explain what that means for you before you decide.
What does a session feel like?
A light tapping on your scalp. You’re awake, there’s no anesthesia, and you can drive yourself home and get on with your day. Scalp discomfort and headache can occur; seizures are rare.
Who will I see?
A psychiatric provider: our psychiatrist or one of our psychiatric nurse practitioners. The same provider evaluates you, prescribes your TMS and oversees it from start to finish, and we encourage a short check-in with them each week. If you need help with medication, they can look after that too.
Do I have to stop my medication or my therapist?
Usually not. TMS is often added to the care you already have, and you can keep your own doctor and therapist. Please don’t stop a medication on your own.
I’m calling for someone else. Is that OK?
Yes. Many calls start with a spouse, a parent or a friend. We’ll talk you through how to help.
For the people at home, too.
If you served, or you love someone who did, make the call. We’ll handle the paperwork.