About the VA Mental Health Group

Mission

The Office of Mental Health Services mission is to maintain and improve the health and well-being of veterans through excellence in health care, social services, education, and research.

Intended Audience

The Office of Mental Health Services internet site is intended to serve veterans, their family members, mental health clinicians, VA staff, affiliated mental health associations and the community.

Overview

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mental Health Strategic Healthcare Group provides general inpatient psychiatric services at 132 medical centers as well as mental health outpatient services in 689 medical centers and community-based outpatient clinics. In addition, readjustment counseling services are available for veterans and their families at 209 Vet Centers across the nation.

Mental health services are available in primary care clinics, VA nursing homes, and residential care facilities where veterans receive health care.  Veterans with a serious mental illness are seen at facilities and clinics where specialized programs, such as mental health intensive case management, day centers, work programs and psychosocial rehabilitation are provided. The list of programs that Mental Health supports are:

• Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC)
• Serious Mental Illness Treatment, Research and Evaluation Center (SMITREC)
• Program Evaluation and Resource Center (PERC)
• Mental Illness Research, Education & Clinical Centers (MIRECC)
•  Informatics
• Homeless & Residential Rehabilitation & Treatment Services
• Mental Health Disaster Response/Post Deployment Activities
• National Center for PTSD (NC/PTSD)
• Psychiatry
• Psychosocial Rehabilitation & Recovery
• Addictive Disorders

Chief Officers for Mental Health

• Ira R. Katz, MD, PhD, Deputy Chief Patient Care Services Officer for Mental Health
• Antonette Zeiss, PhD, Deputy Chief Consultant
• Vincent Kane, Acting Executive Assistant/VACO MIRECC Liaison
  • Vashtie Reedy, Program Assistant
  • Kenya Griffin, Program Analyst
  • Fred Zimmerman, Budget Analyst
  • Syvonne Carter, Program Assistant
• Brad Karlin, PhD, Director, Psychotherapy Programs
  • Robert Rosenheck, MD, Director, NEPEC
  • Fred Blow, PhD, Director SMITREC
  • Keith Humphreys, PhD, Director PERC
• Kathleen Lysell, PhD, Associate Chief Consultant for Informatics
• Paul Smits, MSW, Associate Chief Consultant, Homeless Residential Rehabilitation & Treatment Services
  • Walter Lipscomb, Budget Analyst
  • James McGuire, Program Manager, Homeless Prevention Incarcerated Veterans Programs
  • Roger Casey, Director VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program
  • John Kuhn, Program Manager, Project CHALENG
  • Theresa Hayes, Program Manager, Multifamily Housing
  • Lisa Pape, Director VA Residential Rehabilitation & Treatment Services
  • Jamie Ploppert, Program Manager, PRRTP & CWT/TR
• Laurent S. Lehmann, MD, Associate Chief Consultant, Mental Health Disaster Response/Post Deployment Activities/PTSD & Liaison to PTSD Special Committee
  • Robert Green, MD, Director Clozapine
  • Matthew Friedman, MD, Director National Center for PTSD
• William W. Van Stone, MD, Associate Chief Consultant for Psychiatry, Professional Services, Inpatient/Outpatient Services, Liaison to SMI Committee
• Robert Gresen, PhD, Associate Chief Consultant for Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Services
  • Tim Smith, Director of Outpatient Recovery Services
  • Dan O’Brien-Mazza, Director of Peer Support Services
  • Susan McCutcheon, Program Manager
  • Anthony Campinell, PhD, Director for Therapeutic & Supported Employment Services
  • Ralph Zaccheo, Administrative officer
  • Rick lee, Rehabilitation Planning Specialist, CWT&IT
  • Charles McGeough, Program Specialist, Marketing
  • Judy Patten, Program Assistant
• Vacant, Associate Chief Consultant for Addictive Disorders
  • Robert Dewey, Acting Associate Chief Consultant for Addictive Disorders and Program Specialist
  • Dan Kivlahan, PhD, Director CESATE, Seattle
  • Jim Mc Kay PhD, MD, Director CESATE, Philadelphia

Contact Us

For more information on VA Mental Health services visit our Contact the VA site.

Our mailing address is:
Mental Health Services
810 Vermont Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20420

For Public Affairs inquiries, please contact Ev Chasen, Chief Communications Officer at 202-273-6409

Please contact us with any technical issues you might have in regarding this website.