Virginia  Therapists Grapple with Forced Office Return

VA mental health therapists are required to return to shared office spaces, despite being hired under remote telehealth arrangements, causing widespread confusion, stress and ethical concerns. A memo obtained by NPR shows that therapists are instructed to warn patients that sessions may not be fully confidential. Clinicians argue this violated core principles of mental healthcare and federal privacy laws. 

The return-to-office policy comes as the VA restructures and plans to cut tens of thousands of positions, despite recent funding increases under the PACT Act. Lawmakers, therapists, and mental health organizations fear this move will worsen access to care, lengthen wait times, and put veterans’ wellbeing at greater risk.

“Many clinicians expressed bewilderment about why certain workers were on the list of mandatory returns and others are not.”