Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, trauma therapy, and integrative psychiatry, available to eligible veterans through a Veterans Care Agreement (VCA) with the VA.
Post-deployment stress, MST, moral injury, chronic anxiety, sleep that never recovered, depression that did not respond to the standard playbook. These are the reasons most veterans walk through our doors, and they are the reasons our model exists.
We do not just prescribe and monitor. We work to understand the root: trauma history, nervous system regulation, sleep, gut and hormonal health, genetics, and the medications that may or may not be helping. Then we build a plan with you.
Our founder, Dr. Laurie McCormick, has 25+ years of clinical experience as an MD, is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and has been delivering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for over five years.
When authorized through a VCA, the following services are available at no out-of-pocket cost to eligible veterans.
Intramuscular or IV ketamine paired with prepared, supported psychotherapy sessions. This is not a standalone infusion clinic model. Each medicine session is bookended by preparation and integration therapy.
FDA-approved esketamine nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression, administered in-office with required monitoring.
Medication management, deprescribing where appropriate, and a functional medicine workup to identify physiologic drivers of mood and anxiety symptoms.
EMDR, CBT, DBT, and trauma-informed psychotherapy delivered by clinicians experienced with combat trauma, MST, and complex PTSD.
For veterans who cannot easily travel to Cedar Rapids, many services are available via secure telehealth across [CONFIRM licensure states].
A Veterans Care Agreement (VCA) is an authorization the VA uses to send eligible veterans to community providers when a needed service is not available through the standard VA Community Care Network. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is one of those services.
You must be enrolled in VA healthcare and have an established VA primary or mental health provider. If you are not enrolled yet, start at va.gov/health-care/how-to-apply.
The VA reviews eligibility and, if approved, sends an authorization to our clinic through HealthShare Referral Manager (HSRM). You do not file paperwork on our end. We do.
Once we receive your authorization, our Veterans Care coordinator calls you to schedule your intake and explain what to expect.
There is no co-pay or out-of-pocket cost to you for VA-authorized care under a VCA. We bill the VA directly. You cannot be billed by us or your other insurance for authorized services.
Veterans must receive VA approval before obtaining care from a community provider in most cases. If you book and pay out-of-pocket without authorization, the VA generally cannot reimburse those visits.
Five stages, in order. Some patients move through them quickly; others stretch them out as the work asks for.
60 to 90 minutes
A full psychiatric and medical history, a review of what you have already tried, and a conversation about goals. We do not push every veteran into ketamine. If something simpler will help first, we say so.
Before each medicine session
You meet with your therapist to set intentions, talk through what to expect, and learn nervous system tools you will use during and after dosing.
2 to 3 hours
KAP sessions are held in a private, comfortable room with a trained provider present. Eye shades, music, and a quiet environment support an inward experience.
After each medicine session
You meet with your therapist to make sense of what surfaced and put it to work in your daily life. This is where the real change consolidates.
Coordinated with your VA team
Length of treatment varies; a typical KAP series is 6 to 8 medicine sessions plus integration, sometimes followed by maintenance.
If your question isn’t here, our Veterans Care coordinator can walk you through it. Call (319) 800-2125 or request a callback below.
Yes. The VCA pathway requires that you are enrolled and that the VA authorizes your referral to us. If you are not enrolled, you can still see us as a self-pay or insurance patient.
No, for VA-authorized care under a VCA there is no co-pay or out-of-pocket cost. We bill the VA directly and cannot bill you or your other insurance for authorized services.
Authorization timelines vary by VA facility. We recommend asking your VA provider to submit your referral as soon as possible. Once the authorization reaches us through HSRM, we contact you within [CONFIRM: 1 to 2 business days] to schedule.
Family members are not covered under a veteran’s VCA. We do see family members through self-pay, insurance, or CHAMPVA where applicable.
Yes, for many services. Some services such as in-person ketamine administration require an in-clinic visit.
No. Ketamine is a generic anesthetic used off-label for mental health conditions and is delivered intramuscularly or intravenously here. Spravato (esketamine) is an FDA-approved nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression.
This page is not for emergencies. If you are in crisis, call or text the Veterans Crisis Line at 988, then press 1. You can also text 838255 or chat at veteranscrisisline.net.
The first step is a short conversation, not a commitment. Our Veterans Care coordinator will walk you through eligibility, what to ask your VA provider, and how the referral works.
Call or text the Veterans Crisis Line at 988, then press 1. Or text 838255 or chat at veteranscrisisline.net.
Our Veterans Care coordinator will reach out within one business day.
