There is something about a sunrise that I appreciate more than a sunset. A sunrise illuminates a new day of promise and potential. I’ve seen sunrises all around the world, and when I take the time to appreciate them, I’m able to recognize the joy of a new day. I’ve Read more…
There are several challenges regarding veteran mental health, and the combination of them can often make the task of accessing mental health services impossible for veterans. There is, of course, the stigma attached to seeking mental health services. There is also the need for counselors and therapists to be culturally Read more…
If you are not a veteran, you may have some thoughts about what PTSD is and how it may impact veterans. If you’re a coworker or employer of a veteran, you might think to yourself, “I love veterans. I thank them for their service. I shake their hand on Veteran’s Read more…
If there’s one thing that veterans are familiar with, it’s loss. Sacrifice, by its definition, is to accept loss, and sacrifice is what veterans do. We leave our families behind when we join the military. We leave the familiarity of our environment. When we are in the military, more change, Read more…
While at the 2016 Colorado Mental Health Professionals Conference, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Irvin Yalom speak about his career, psychotherapy, and existentialism. One key point that I picked up on, out of many, is that clients in therapy often do not approach, consider, or talk about, death and mortality. Read more…
I often talk to other mental health professionals and community members about how to understand veterans. One of the challenges that veterans experience in seeking mental health treatment is the thought that “they don’t understand.” There is the idea that one has to have experienced combat or been in the military before Read more…
As a professional counselor and military veteran, one of the most rewarding aspects of the work that I do is helping other veterans come to a point of awareness and understanding about their experiences in the military, and setting the stage for change if that’s what the veteran is willing Read more…
If you ever want to interact with veterans in any way, I highly recommend that you listen to Jay Knight’s podcast, Veteranology, for an unvarnished inside look into what it’s like for a young leader in the military to rejoin the civilian world. Most specifically, one of the best episodes to Read more…
I hear it all the time, both when I work with veterans individually and when I talk to veterans in the community. You’re not going to get ME in a therapist’s office. All they want to do is to bring up old stuff from the past. They’re just going to Read more…
There seems to be a gulf, a divide, between veterans and those around them. I think the reasons for this divide are numerous, and many are unnecessary. In many cases, a veteran creates this divide themselves, by isolation. Seculsion. Withdrawing. By assuming that there is no way that anyone other Read more…