About PTSD Services at VA Portland Health Care System

The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Clinical Team (PCT) is made up of mental health therapists, medication prescribers, chaplains, and recreation therapists who all have expertise in assessing, diagnosing, and treating PTSD. Our team values diversity and is committed to helping Veterans recover from PTSD. We provide services on the Vancouver and Portland Campus, as well PTSD specialty services at the Hillsboro and Fairview VA Clinics.

Our Mission 

The mission of the PCT is to be a collaborative team committed to compassionate, Veteran-centric, and evidence-based care for Veterans with trauma-related conditions by meeting them where they are in their recovery and helping them achieve a meaningful life. 

Our Vision

Be a leader in PTSD treatment that helps Veterans with PTSD live to their full potential.

Our Services

We provide services to Veterans who are experiencing symptoms of PTSD due to trauma during active military duty or sexual trauma during active or inactive status. These services include assessment and treatment of PTSD. Once the Veteran has met with a PTSD specialist on our team for an assessment, a treatment plan is collaboratively created with them based on their treatment goals.

PTSD is often misunderstood, and because of this, many believe that PTSD cannot be treated.  However, treatments for PTSD exist, they are available, and they work.  Trauma-focused psychotherapies are considered the gold standard for PTSD treatment, meaning they are backed by research and are the most effective method of decreasing PTSD.  These treatments allow the Veteran to process their traumatic experiences in a manner that is safe and beneficial. Medications can also be helpful in managing PTSD.

Not only is PTSD treatable, the treatments are relatively brief, typically consisting of 50- to 90-minute weekly or twice-weekly sessions for 8-15 sessions. During treatment, Veterans learn to become their own therapists, which allows the treatment to keep working long after they have ended therapy.

To learn more about PTSD treatments we offer, please visit these additional resources from the National Center for PTSD

• Brief whiteboard videos about PTSD, its treatment, and its impact on the brain 
• Hear Veterans share their stories about PTSD and its treatment on the VA’s About Face site and Make the Connection site.
• PTSD Decision Aid to compare treatment options

To Get Connected to Care

Ask for a referral from your VA mental health provider. You may call the Mental Health Triage Line at 503-220-8262 ext. 56409 or ask your VA primary care provider to help you get set up with a VA mental health provider if you do not already have one.  

Your referring mental health provider will need to enter a consult to the PTSD Team to connect you with a 60-90 minute appointment in our clinic. At that time, we will offer you an orientation where we will give you information about our team and the treatments we offer, and answer any questions you may have about our team and our approach to treating PTSD. You can then make an informed decision about whether to invest in a full individual consultation with us to help determine the best “next step” for you to take in your recovery.

As we do not do disability evaluations or compensation and pension exams, please refer to the Compensation website if these services are needed.

For questions about our services, please call our program at 503-220-8262, ext. 33899, Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm.