Veteran and First Responder PTSD Treatment in San Diego
For police, firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers, service members and veterans carrying what the job left behind. Treatment happens in the Wings men's program, with a trauma therapist on your team.
- Trauma-focused care with EMDR and on-site psychiatry
- Residential, PHP and IOP with the same therapist
- Nothing shared with your department without your consent
- Admissions checks TRICARE and TriWest coverage
- Works with many PPO plans, and verification is free
If this is a medical emergency, call 911. For a mental health or suicide crisis, call or text 988.
What first responder and military work can leave behind
Years of hard calls or a deployment do not always show up as one event. More often it is sleep, anger, drinking or a flat, numb feeling that has slowly taken over.
At home
Sleep that has stopped working
Nightmares, waking on alert, or shifts that never let you come down.
Anger that reaches home
A short fuse with your partner or kids that was not there before.
Drinking to switch off
Using alcohol or something else to sleep, to numb out, or to get through.
Mental health and substance use →
From the job
Calls that stay with you
Scenes that replay, or come back with a sound, a smell or a date.
Trauma and PTSD →Numb, flat or depressed
Pulling back from people, and the job or the service feeling like the only thing left.
Depression →Suicidal thoughts, or a recent hospital stay
Including an inpatient stay that needs a planned next step.
After a hospital stay →
Confidential treatment: what stays with your care team
Many people in uniform put off treatment because of what it could mean for their job. Your care is protected by privacy law, and you decide who hears about it.
Your department or command
Wings does not contact your employer, chain of command or union about your care without your written consent.
Leave and paperwork
If you need FMLA or short-term disability forms, you decide what is shared and with whom.
Your family
You choose who we can talk to. With your consent, a spouse or partner can stay involved through treatment.
Trauma work with structure behind it
Treated in the men’s program
First responders and veterans are treated alongside other men in the program, with the same therapy, groups and psychiatry.
A trauma therapist on your team
A primary therapist and a trauma therapist, with trauma work such as EMDR part of the plan from the start.
On-site psychiatry
A medication visit with psychiatry every week, including for sleep, mood and anxiety.
Structure and time
Full therapy days in residential, then the same therapist as you step down to PHP and IOP.
Paying for treatment as a first responder or veteran
Coverage depends on the plan you have. Admissions checks it before admission and tells you what is needed to start.
Department, union or employer plan
Wings works with many PPO plans. Admissions verifies your benefits before admission, at no cost.
Verify insurance →TRICARE and TriWest
Admissions checks your TRICARE coverage and whether an authorization or referral is needed before you start.
VA Community Care
Community care through the VA starts with a referral from your VA. Admissions can explain what to ask for.
Wings works with many PPO plans, including
Not sure what your plan covers?
Call admissions with your plan card. Checking is free and does not commit you to anything.
Residential, PHP and IOP for first responders and veterans
The clinical assessment decides where you start. Length of stay is set clinically, reviewed as you progress, and depends on what your plan authorizes.
- Step 1
Men's residential
Full therapy days and support 24/7, living in a Wings home.
Learn more
- Step 2
Partial hospitalization (PHP)
Treatment five days a week, living in supportive housing or at home.
Learn more
- Step 3
Intensive outpatient (IOP)
Five days a week to start, morning or evening, around work.
Learn more
Calling for a first responder or veteran who won't call
You can call admissions before he is ready, to understand the options and how to raise it with him. He is an adult, so he makes the final decision and signs his own consent.
When another program or level of care fits better
If another program would serve you better, admissions will say so and help with the next step.
Addiction or detox is the main concern
Admissions will help you find a program that fits
Active psychosis or a primary eating disorder
These need a different level of care
You need a fitness-for-duty evaluation on its own
Admissions can point you to a provider who offers it
Your only coverage is Medi-Cal or Medicare
Admissions can point you to programs that accept your plan
Visit our offices in Carlsbad
Office hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m., seven days a week
Wings Recovery on Google Maps ↗Areas we serve: Carlsbad · San Diego · North County San Diego · Los Angeles · Orange County
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Questions from first responders and veterans
Privacy at work, TRICARE and VA coverage, keeping your job and calling for a spouse.
Don't see your question?
Admissions answers calls 9 a.m.–5 p.m., seven days a week. Calls are confidential.
Call(760) 388-6369Visits, phones, what to bring and more in the admissions FAQ →All the ways to reach Wings →Is there a separate program for first responders and veterans?
First responders and veterans are treated within the Wings men's program, alongside other men, with a trauma therapist on their team.
Will my department or command find out?
Wings does not share information about your care with your employer, chain of command or union without your written consent, except where the law requires it.
Does Wings take TRICARE or TriWest?
Admissions checks TRICARE and TriWest coverage case by case, including whether an authorization or referral is needed. Verification is free.
Can I use VA Community Care?
VA Community Care starts with a referral from your VA. Call admissions first and they can explain what to ask your VA for.
Can I keep working during treatment?
IOP runs mornings or evenings, so many people keep working. For residential or PHP, admissions can explain FMLA and short-term disability.
My husband needs help but won’t call. Can I?
Yes. You can call admissions on your own to understand the options. He is an adult, so he makes the final decision and signs his own consent.
Does Wings treat PTSD?
Yes. Trauma-focused care is part of every plan at Wings, with a trauma therapist, EMDR and on-site psychiatry.