Veteran Mental Health
How much do you really know about veteran mental health? Are you aware that it goes beyond just the common misconceptions that a majority of veterans struggle with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury? Over the past year, I’ve had many discussions with veterans, their family members, and those who serve veterans about thisRead more about Veteran Mental Health Bootcamp: Beyond PTSD and TBI[…]
Dear America, Just wanted to take a few minutes to say thanks and get a few things off my chest. Life’s been a little challenging for us veterans, maybe more than we expected. When I joined your Armed Forces, I looked around and saw a cross-section of your citizens that I never knew existed before.Read more about An Open Letter to America, From One of Your Veterans[…]
I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom. -Bob Dylan I had been in the Army for less than a day when I was given responsibility over something. A book, the basic information that a trainee needs to navigate initial training. It was my responsibilityRead more about The Responsibility Paradox[…]
A veteran you care about is hurting. Everyone can tell, it seems, but the veteran themselves. They’re withdrawing from others, speaking less, can’t seem to control their emotions. They’re anxious all the time, angry at little things, or constantly depressed. Maybe they’re drinking too much, or engaging in reckless and dangerous behavior. You’ve suggested thatRead more about Helping Veterans Reach Out For Help[…]
You can take the service member out of the military. It’s very hard to take the military out of the service member. It’s not that it can’t be done, only that it’s very difficult…and the service member may resist it kicking and screaming. When discussing the need to see military life as a separate culture,Read more about Internal and External Characteristics of Military Culture[…]
This article was originally published in the November issue of Counseling Today. Counseling Today is the official professional publication of the American Counseling Association. It was written in cooperation with the Department of Veteran Affairs Suicide Prevention Office. Thank you, as always, for your support! If you have suggestionsRead more about Counseling Today: Suicide prevention strategies with the military-affiliated population[…]
If there’s one thing that service members, veterans, and their families are able to do, it’s adapt. There are many more things that they can do, but adaptability is one of the most important. Things change in the military literally overnight. While deployed to Afghanistan, the time for my next assignment came up. I pulledRead more about The Adaptability Paradox[…]
Full Episode Summary Episode About Today’s Guest: Maureen joined the Army in 2001. During her military career she served in Darmstadt, Germany and Monterey, California. She was promoted to corporal in June 2004 and sergeant in February 2005. Maureen was awarded the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. Maureen currently lives in Bowie,Read more about HST150 – Maureen Elias – Advocacy for Suicide Prevention[…]
“Awareness allows us to get outside of our mind and observe it in action.” Dan Brule Sometimes, we don’t know what we don’t know…we just do stuff. We don’t know why we do stuff, much of the time. Things just kind of happen. Maybe we understand after it happens, if we look back atRead more about Three Questions About Joining the Military[…]
Full Episode Summary Episode About Today’s Guest: Bobby Herrera is the author of The Gift of Struggle, a book about leadership and the life-changing lessons we learn through our struggles. He is also the co-founder and president of Populus Group. With a passion for building strong culture and communities through trust and storytelling, his leadershipRead more about HST149 – Bobby Herrera – The Gift of Struggle[…]
And I said, “Fly on my sweet angel” – Jimi Hendrix The day before it happened, two days before, you had no idea that your life was about to change. It came as a shock, and unbearable truth that you couldn’t avoid: the tragic loss of someone you cared about. Death is sometimes hardRead more about On Responding to Unexpected Traumatic Loss[…]
Full Episode Summary Episode About Today’s Guest: As Vice President of Community Partnerships at Cohen Veterans Network, Dr. Caitlin Thompson is responsible for establishing and maintaining critical national and local collaborations between CVN and public-private partners. She was most recently Executive Director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Suicide Prevention, leadingRead more about HST148 – Caitlin Thompson – Suicide Prevention[…]