Psychological Health Center of Excellence (PHCoE)

Mission:
Improve the lives of our nation’s service members, veterans, and their families by advancing excellence in psychological health care, readiness, and prevention of psychological health disorders.

Vision:
e the trusted source and partner in facilitating implementation of evidence-based research and practices across the continuum of care that will enhance the psychological health of the military community.

History:
The Psychological Health Center of Excellence (PHCoE) was first established in 1995 as the Gulf War Health Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, with a mission to care for Gulf War veterans with war-related physical and mental health challenges. That same year the Department of Defense (DoD) instituted the Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program (CCEP) to provide systematic clinical evaluations for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions connected to service in the Gulf War. The Gulf War Health Center developed the tertiary treatment component of the CCEP, a three-week specialized care program for veterans with medically unexplained physical symptoms. The program focused on individual and group therapy, patient education, physical and occupational therapy, and alternative medicine.