Thursday, January 31, 2013

Veteran Mental Health Workers

Kristina Derro
Veterans Disability Lawyer
 
Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology has started a program that helps train veterans to become therapists who can help other veterans. The “Train Vets to Treat Vets” program has been funded for over two years by the state of Massachusetts with $250,000. The funds help the school reach out and train veterans to become therapists, as well as to allow veteran therapists to travel and visit college campuses around the state to promote mental health professions.

In the past decade, less than a half percent of Americans were serving on active duty in the military. This reduction in the population of active duty military personnel leads to a reduction in the population of veterans. As such, the population of veterans involved in the mental health field is decreasing. This has left many returning veterans feeling isolated while working with non-veteran therapists. Research has obviously shown that veterans feel more comfortable talking to other veterans. If the goal is acclimating recently-discharged veterans back to civilian culture, fellow veterans will need to be utilized. This program will provide veterans with the skills, training, and background to counsel these individuals.

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