Behavioral Health Care Services

You can receive your first eight outpatient behavioral health care visits per fiscal year (October 1–September 30) without prior authorization. Before the ninth visit, your behavioral health care provider must obtain prior authorization from Humana Military.
      

Authorized Behavioral Health Care Providers

The following types of behavioral health care providers may be authorized by TRICARE:

Certified psychiatric nurse specialists are licensed, master’s-level psychiatric nurses with an additional American Nurses Association certification in behavioral health care. They perform psychotherapy and manage medications.

Mental health, licensed professional, and pastoral counselors have a master’s degree in counseling. They perform counseling and psychotherapy services but cannot prescribe medication. In order to provide services to TRICARE beneficiaries, these providers require written physician referral and ongoing clinical supervision from a doctor of medicine (MD) or doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) prior to your initial visit.

Certified marriage and family therapists have a master’s degree in counseling, with an emphasis on family and marriage therapy. They perform individual counseling and family and marriage therapy but cannot prescribe medication.

Licensed clinical social workers have a master’s level degree in social work, with additional training in psychotherapy and counseling. They perform psychotherapy and counseling services but cannot prescribe medication.

Clinical psychologists have a doctoral-level degree (doctor of philosophy or doctor of psychology) in psychology. They perform psychotherapy, psychological testing, and counseling services but usually cannot prescribe medication.

Psychiatrists are physicians who have a general medical degree (MD or DO) and have completed advanced residency training in psychiatry. Most psychiatrists treat persons with more serious disturbances for which medication is helpful (e.g., Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).  Psychiatrists perform psychotherapy, manage medication, and work in collaboration with the provider types listed above. If you are unsure about the type of provider that would best meet your needs, visit the TRICARE Mental Health Resource Center for more information.