By E. C. Hurley, DMin, LMFT
As a Tricare and Military OneSource provider I want these agencies, along with the Department of Defense (DOD), to know of the efficacy of EMDR and recognize it as an effective treatment model. Since they did not authorize payment for EMDR I must provide EMDR treatment outside their network. However, in doing so, I plan to have the soldiers and spouses who are treated with EMDR to sign a document indicating the helpfulness of EMDR to them, along with requesting these agencies to accept EMDR as a treatment modality with payment for these services.
I believe the strongest move toward getting EMDR accepted by these agencies will be at the request of military personnel and their families in submitting documentation with requests to these agencies. When a spouse tells me that EMDR has given her husband back – the way he was before going to Iraq, I want that documented and sent to the appropriate POC at DOD and Tricare. Other clinicians may have similar ideas/approaches – I would appreciate hearing from you.
E. C. Hurley, DMin, LMFT
Chaplain (COL), USA (Retired)
Director, Soldier-Center
EMDRIA Approved Consultant
February 27, 2009 at 3:22 am
Today I started looking and calling around for places where my husband can go through EMDR for PTSD. It’s pathetic that Tricare is nearly the ONLY health care provider that doesn’t recognize EMDR as an effective psychotheraputic treatment. So, upon calling a few certified EMDR providers, I found out that the local VA (Nashville) has a few doctors that do EMDR there and that VA recognizes it as an effective treatment. So, good news if anyone seeking this treatment is a veteran…bad news for anyone else who desperately needs it and is on Tricare. What a screwy system! Please let me know if you are getting anywhere with Tricare!