This post was originally posted as part of the American Counseling Association Blog Project. Original post can be located HERE The mental health and wellness of those who have served in the military is of critical importance to the veteran, their family, and the community in which they live. There Read more…
Everyone has a story. You just have to listen to it. As a mental health counselor working exclusively with veterans, it often surprises me how difficult it is…and also how easy…for a veteran to be able to tell their story. The impacts of combat, deployments, or even just military Read more…
This is the fourth post in a series of articles describing how a group of veterans in Colorado Springs are attempting to make a difference for other veterans in their community. You can read the FIRST POST HERE, the SECOND POST HERE, and the THIRD POST HERE. Ma Deuce. Ol’ Read more…
There has been much discussion over the past fifteen years about the stigma of mental health with veterans and active duty service members. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office, which consists of results obtained from 23 focus groups at six locations, indicates that the stigma against mental health Read more…
In previous posts, I’ve talked about how awareness is the key to recovery for veterans, I’ve joined with others talking about what PTSD is and what it isn’t, and I’ve attempted to describe what happens emotionally to veterans when they return from combat. All of these are an attempt to Read more…
I don’t know who they were, but they odds are nearly 100% perfect that it’s true. It will be true on the day I post this, and it will be true on the day that you read it. Another Veteran will have succumbed to the struggle and died by suicide. Read more…
There has been much discussion of the adverse effects on exposure to trauma and combat by veterans, and rightly so. In an all-volunteer force, citizens join the military of their own free will, with varying degrees of understanding about what they may face. Sometimes, the reality of what happens in Read more…
The violence of action paradox is this: those actions and emotions that protected us in combat are dangerous to us at home, and those actions and emotions that are supportive at home were dangerous in combat. A recent discussion on LinkedIn points out a significant truth that seems to be Read more…