How do I get mental health care with TRICARE?

Direct answer: In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room; TRICARE says you do not need a referral or pre-authorization. For ongoing care, what you need depends on your plan: under TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select you generally do not need a referral for outpatient visits, with exceptions for psychoanalysis and some substance use therapy, but inpatient care needs authorization.

Applies to: All TRICARE plans · All regions

Details

Right now

Emergency: call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. No referral or pre-authorization is needed. After an emergency admission, contact your primary care manager or regional contractor within 24 hours or the next business day.
Crisis support: in the U.S., the Military and Veterans Crisis Line is reached by dialing 988 and pressing 1, or by texting 838255. Numbers for service members stationed overseas are on TRICARE’s page.

Ongoing care, by plan

TRICARE’s mental health appointments page lays out the rules:

TRICARE Prime: no referral or pre-authorization is needed for outpatient visits with a network psychiatrist or psychologist, except for psychoanalysis and outpatient therapy for substance use disorder. You must see a network provider in your region, or you may pay point-of-service fees. Counselors who are not certified mental health counselors need a doctor to supervise the care. Inpatient care needs a referral and pre-authorization from your regional contractor.
TRICARE Select and similar plans (Select Overseas, Reserve Select, Retired Reserve, Young Adult Select): no referral is needed for appointments, with the same exceptions, and you can see any TRICARE-authorized provider. Inpatient mental health care needs pre-authorization.
US Family Health Plan: no referral for outpatient visits, with the same exceptions; inpatient care needs a referral and pre-authorization.
TRICARE For Life: you follow Medicare’s rules for mental health care until those benefits run out.
Active-duty service members and activated Guard or Reserve: get mental health care at a military hospital or clinic when possible. Care from a civilian provider needs a referral and pre-authorization, which your primary care manager arranges.

Finding a provider

Use TRICARE’s Find a Doctor tool or your region’s provider directory, or look up your military hospital or clinic. Seeing a provider outside the network can cost more. TRICARE’s referrals and pre-authorizations page explains how to request an authorization, and costs by plan are on its cost comparison page.

What to do next

Confirm this with your Primary Care Manager or regional contractor before scheduling — rules can vary by region and by service.