VBA Economic Initiatives Program Series Summary

Larry Pruitt — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 16:08:08 -0400

Over the last year and a half, there have been several Command Posts written by Service member and Veteran Mental Health experts in Washington State. This has been part of an effort to promote awareness of- and engagement with- mental health services that Service Members and Veterans have earned through their sacrifices and courage.

Originally, I had planned this post to be about the values of sacrifice and courage, but I quickly came to realize that that would be ‘preaching-to-the-choir’ in so many ways. The folks reading this have lived those values day-to-day, and know better than most what they mean. So, instead, I thought this opportunity could be better used to reintroduce those reading this post to the topics we’ve covered in this series. And, at the end, I have a challenge for you all.

In the first post, Dr. Nicole Ayers wrote a Command Post entitled Why Won’t You Get The Help You Need?: https://rly.pt/366Cee6 detailing a personal story of a dear friend and Service member who couldn’t see ‘asking for help’ as an option for the stressors they were facing. This led to a mental health crisis that shaped both of their lives and careers. This post ended with a call to action, “As leaders, we need to lead from the front by sharing our stories, shifting the language, and supporting our friends, brothers, sisters, and communities when we are struggling. Suicide prevention is all our responsibility and we are in this fight together.” This is a theme that ran throughout this series.

The next post focused on increasing safety from suicide by checking our firearm safety habits. That was a post I wrote called, Will they take away my firearm?: ttps://rly.pt/3w65UCU and it focused on understanding that we all define safety in different ways, and take different steps to maintain our safety. Many think about firearm safety as a way of protecting those we care about (by preventing accidents or by improving home defense). But, do we take the same level of care to be safe from suicide? Have you ever talked to your doctor or mental health provider about that? What can happen if you do, and why you should, are both discussed.

Our third post, written by Codie Garza discussed upstream suicide prevention: https://rly.pt/3619sLR. Codie provides not only an academic overview of the causes of suicide related behavior but uses her experience as a military spouse and a professional tasked with military and Veteran suicide prevention to make those lessons real. As a way of addressing that eternal question of “what can we do?”, Codie offers three strategies for moving prevention “left of the boom” to get ahead of the moment of crisis. These include: 1. Realizing that needing help doesn’t make someone a burden, 2. The importance of maintaining connections with others, especially when they’re in need, and 3. How talking about- and planning how to manage- our struggles are essential to keeping one another safe if a crisis arises.

As an example of getting “left of the boom” the fourth post in this series focused on the military family and the unique stressors and challenges of being a military parent. Parenting with Vet-isms: https://rly.pt/3x3fgR3 means learning to switch between those military/Veteran habits that benefit someone in a military environment and those habits that benefit our families in the home environment. 1SG James Gibson provided strategies for connecting with your children in meaningful ways to show them they matter and to decrease stressors in the home.

The fifth article in this series, written by Dr. Peter Schmidt, took a close look at trauma, and more specifically the idea of posttraumatic growth: https://rly.pt/365y5XP . Posttraumatic growth is the ability to take a negative experience and see that it can spur positive change. It is a choice in how one views trauma, and how letting go of the past can open and welcome the future. It is where trauma is the change agent and the space where change can occur, with a lot of time, energy and struggle. Dr. Schmidt shares lessons learned from his clinical work with “Veterans who have experienced challenging life experiences as a result of combat and carrying the burden of death, killing and destruction. Over time as they have worked through their guilt, injury and anger they found a positive change in family relationships. They came to appreciate life around them, their family members, friends, and others.”

The most recent post, by SFC Moises Lozacruz, gave a clinical provider’s account of just how difficult it can be, seeking mental health services for the first time: https://rly.pt/3xaSlTM . He also makes a good case for why it’s important to take that step, especially when our other ‘go-to’ coping methods stop working or only make things worse. He shares the wisdom that “if you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, ask the question, ‘How is this working for you so far?’ If the answer is negative, please take the time to connect with provider mental health provider near you. Be selective when choosing your provider as having a good fit is just as important as making taking the first step.”

So here’s that challenge I mentioned…
I challenge you to read, in full, the six other posts I linked above.

I challenge you to take a moment or two after you finish each one to think about how that topic does, or does not, relate to you and what you’re facing in your life right now.

And, if you find that you are ready to reach out and talk to someone about ways to improve or sustain your mental health and wellness, then I challenge you to take that step by contacting one of the resources below:

1. Reach out to the Military and Veterans Crisis Line ( [login to see] , then press 1) or visit Veterans Crisis Line: Suicide Prevention Hotline, Text & Chat: https://rly.pt/3x7wIUE The Military and Veteran’s Crisis Line isn’t just for those in urgent crisis, it’s there for any Service member or Veteran who would like to reach out, but may not be sure how to get started.
2. Find confidential counseling and therapy at a Cohen clinic here: https://rly.pt/CohenClinics
3. Locate and connect with your local Veterans Affairs Healthcare Facility at Find VA Locations | Veterans Affairs: https://rly.pt/2OZCary

Why Won't You Get The Help You Need? | RallyPoint

I will never forget the day I opened my Facebook to find a message from my best friend saying good-bye. He had been struggling since his last deployment but asking for help wasn’t even an option in his mind. He thought he should just be able to “suck it up” like he did after every other deployment. He did for a while, and the world moved on around him, until he just couldn’t anymore. As luck, or fate, would have it, we were stationed in Korea...

Response by SPC Nancy Greene made Jun 30 at 2021 4:28 PM

SPC Nancy Greene — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 16:28:54 -0400

Great Information and resources Larry Pruitt!

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Jul 2 at 2021 8:30 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 08:30:19 -0400

Thank you for sharing the information. Thanks for your service.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jul 6 at 2021 1:10 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 13:10:05 -0400

The army is failing at taking good care of the PTSD SMs. They have no SOPs, checklists, and lack comprehensive guidance.