Behavioral Health Services and Peer Support for Veterans and Military Families

The primary goal of this program is to support veterans, military-connected individuals, and their family members by: Addressing barriers to accessing behavioral health services (BHS) and other support systems Veterans , military connected individuals, and their family members struggle in linking to BHS due to a variety of barriers including lack of employment, resources, income, and housing. Many are unable to link to existing resources through the Veteran’s Administration due to these barriers, while others are unable to connect to these resources due to issues such as discharge status or length of service times. Providing these support services by peers with actual military experiences or as a family member of a veteran, potential participants are more able to avail themselves of BHS Veterans Services Program. Addressing the family component of the issues facing Veterans, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury , substance use, and other mental health issues. By addressing these issues, the goal is to prevent or provide early intervention by training family members to communicate using non-confrontational techniques, with improving knowledge of PTSD symptoms, developing resiliency, and coping skills that will facilitate resolution of family issues. Enhancing the Veterans support system, by strengthening the family unit, will decrease the trauma symptoms that affect the Veterans. Family members will become more resilient and will have improved coping skills which will enable them to recover from their traumas. Providing services to the family unit will reinforce the important advantage that a family provides in recovering from PTSD and other Behavioral Health issues. An evaluation of current Behavioral Health Veterans programs suggests family members are often affected by secondary trauma symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and communication issues due to the Veteran’s behavior. However, some family members lack the understanding and awareness to effectively cope on a day-to-day basis and do not have skills to effectively communicate in a non-confrontational manner. Additionally, the family member is often intimidated by the physical presentation (perceived intimidation) of the Veterans. Compounding the issue is the fact that the Department of Veterans Affairs is tasked with serving the Veterans not the Veterans’ families and without another agency with the knowledge, ability, or funding to assist the family members, these families are left with little to no resources. The impact of this gap in services threatens family stability, further contributing to symptoms of trauma. An offering of peer support services and mental health services to Veterans, military-connected individuals and their families, provides comprehensive support to this vulnerable population