This week, I’m talking about resources for individuals grappling with PTSD and other military service-related emotional challenges. Yesterday, I talked about Give an Hour, a non-profit that provides free mental health services for veterans and their family members. Today I’m going to talk about a similar organization, The Soldiers Project.
The Soldiers Project, a non-profit organization, was started in 2004 by psychiatrist Dr. Judith Broder, MD. After seeing a makeshift Arlington-like display on the Santa Monica beach and then seeing a play about combat written by a former Marine, Dr. Broder felt she needed to act. On the verge of retirement, she instead launched The Soldiers Project, which provides free, confidential, and unlimited counseling to OEF/OIF/OND servicemembers/veterans, and their families (spouses, children, parents, grandparents, significant others, siblings, etc.).
The Soldiers Project is smaller than Give an Hour, with several hundred, rather than several thousand, professionals volunteering their time. Like Give an Hour, all mental health professionals looking to volunteer must provide proof that they are licensed and insured. However, unlike Give an Hour, The Soldiers Project goes one step further and requires that all new volunteers attend three standardized trainings on Military Culture, PTSD, and TBI, before they be allowed to begin seeing participants.
Here’s what else I like about them: their Adopt-a-College program. Veterans are flooding onto college campuses in numbers not seen since the original GI Bill was created just after WWII. And, having worked in one, I can tell you colleges aren’t prepared for that. The Soldiers Project works with colleges to help prepare their faculty to handle the specific needs of student veterans and with getting these student veterans the referrals they need to be able to have a successful academic career.
To get started with The Soldiers Project, simply click on the “Getting Help: Getting an Appointment” tab and locate the contact information for the chapter nearest to you. (There are active chapters in Chicago, Long Island, New York City, Pennsylvania, Sacramento, Southern California, Washington State, and Wyoming.) Contact the chapter and leave your information and someone will contact you within 24 hours, likely sooner. Then, 24-48 hours later, you will be contacted with the name and contact information of a therapist and you call and set up the appointment. You will be seen at that therapist’s office, again free of charge, regardless of how many sessions you require, and completely confidential. If the therapist doesn’t suit you, simply contact The Soldiers Project again and ask to be paired with a different therapist.
One note: If a family member wishes to use these services, he/she does may contact The Soldiers Project independent of his/her servicemember/veteran and may attend the sessions without the servicemember/veteran’s involvement or knowledge.
PTSD, TBI, grief, stress, marital trouble – these are all things that can come along with military service. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. I know how it goes – how you walk wide around the mental health building, or whatever they’re calling it these days, because you’re afraid just being near it will have them revoking your clearance or questioning whether you are fit for duty. But let’s be clear – needing help is not a sign of weakness. In fact, teamwork, not relying on yourself, but learning to rely on others, is a key tenant of military training. You don’t go into a firefight alone, you don’t even go to chow alone, so why would you try to struggle with some of these issues alone? Let these people be your teammates; let them help you get through whatever you may be struggling with so you can go on to focus your energies on your next challenge, whether that’s your next mission or a college degree or finding a new job.
You can check out The Soldiers Project here.
And, for those of you who have already come out of the other side of these struggles or who want to keep being a battle buddy, even if you’ve taken off the uniform for good, here’s a link where you can raise money for The Soldiers Project just by shopping online.
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