Combat Stress

Combat Stress is the UK’s leading military charity specialising in the care of veterans’
mental health. We look after men and women who are suffering from a psychological
condition related to the Service career as a small but significant number of veterans leave
the Armed Forces with psychological wounds. This can lead to depression, anxiety, a
phobia or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Combat Stress works with veterans of
the British Armed Forces and members of the Reserve Forces, through effective treatment
and support for mental health problems.
Everything that we do is free of charge to the veteran. Our work is made possible through
statutory, non-statutory and voluntary fundraising. We simply couldn’t do what we do
without the generosity of the Great British public.
What we provide At Combat stress we know that serving your country can take its toll.
So we’ve used our expertise of supporting veterans suffering from mental ill-health to
provide a range of services to deliver support, advice and treatment wherever you are.
24-hour Helpline The Combat Stress 24-hour Helpline is on 0800 138 1619, text 07537
404719 (standard charges may apply for texts), or email combatstress@rethink.org
The Helpline is for the whole military community (serving personnel and ex-service men
and women) and their families, looking for confidential and safe help and advice about
service-related mental health issues.
Community Outreach Support The Combat stress Community Outreach Support brings
our expertise to you. Many veterans also need help with the day to day stuff – benefits,
entitlements, money problems and the like, so we take a “whole person approach” to the
care of veterans with mental health problems. So, as well as clinical treatments for mental
health problems, our Community Outreach Teams offer welfare support to veterans too.
Each team is made up of a Regional Welfare Officer, a Community Psychiatric Nurse, a
Mental Health Practitioner and a Desk Officer. Together they offer both practical and
clinical support to veterans and their immediate families, in their own homes and in local
communities. A lot of the staff in our Community Outreach Teams are ex-services
themselves, so they’ll understand you and your needs because they have served too.
More intensive treatment We’re experts in the treatment of service-related mental health
problems and provide specialist clinical treatment at our three short-stay residential
Treatment Centres, in Shropshire, Surrey and Ayrshire. We also run a Well-being and
Rehabilitation Programme – available to all veterans receiving treatment in our short-stay
centres – as part of a structured occupational therapy model. It includes employment
mentoring, life skills workshops, social activities in the community and so on.