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Groups evolve programs to meet growing mental health services needs for veterans

Times-Tribune - 5/29/2023

May 29—With growing requests for mental health services for veterans, two groups evolved programs to meet needs.

Dave Ragan founded Veterans Promise in 2016, amid a rash of suicides among former service members.

The Dickson City-based nonprofit continues to serve veterans in various ways as their needs evolve.

"We survived through the pandemic, and that kind of changed a lot of areas we were helping veterans in, like hardship grants," Ragan said. "In this economy and environment, people are hurting financially."

Ragan, a United States Army veteran battling post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, said he was suicidal at one point and nearly died.

The ability to continuously adapt to changing circumstances has been vital to the organization's mission, he said.

"I feel we've really evolved, and it's given us the ability to have some different programming and help veterans in different ways," Ragan said. "We've become kind of a gap filler for the other resources in the area."

The organization aims to provide veterans struggling with mental health conditions the support to overcome their demons.

"Veterans suicide is probably the most heartbreaking thing," Ragan said. "People probably don't want to talk about it but when it happens, it affects so many people and really is a detriment to our community. I feel we're right on the front lines of trying to help reduce those numbers and bring quality of life to veterans and their families."

Veterans Promise works to get people the resources they need in a timely manner — sometimes as quickly as 24 to 48 hours, Ragan said.

"We're structured to have things be as convenient as possible and give veterans and their families a chance to not be in crisis," he said.

Ragan stressed volunteers work to connect veterans with the right resources even if the group can't directly assist them. For instance, they refer those seeking clinical care to Valhalla Veterans Services, a Scranton-based nonprofit led by Army veteran Eric Darling.

"We're able to be a resource center for veterans and their families," Ragan said. "We try really hard not to ever send someone out the door without a good referral for whatever they need."

Another group, the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania, offers an outlet for veterans and their families seeking assistance.

Clinic director Leah Blain, Ph.D., noted demand remains high even as the pandemic begins to wane.

"I feel like people, unfortunately, have stopped taking account of the effects of the pandemic prematurely," said Blain, a licensed clinical psychologist. "We've seen the pandemic really exacerbate mental health concerns for veterans in a number of ways, and we've seen those impacts continue even as we've returned to this new normal. Our staff probably doubled in the seven years we've been here and the number of clients we see a year has more than doubled. The need is everywhere."

Specifically, Blain noticed a significant increase in families of veterans reaching out for assistance.

"The need for couples therapy services has been unprecedented since about Jan. 2021," she said. "We've seen increases in depression from isolation and even though folks are able to get back out a bit more now, we're still seeing social tears and the inclination to lean away versus leaning into relationships."

She also witnessed a shift in the most effective methods of care.

"I've seen a real emphasis on ensuring veterans get access to not just therapy, but evidence-based care founded in research that move them toward their goals," Blain said.

The clinic's main line — 844-573-3146 — is answered 24/7. No referrals are necessary and there is no cost to receive services.

The organization also doesn't discrimination against veterans regardless of their type of military discharge.

"We're able to provide them with the mental health (services) based on what they committed for our country, and they signed up for, not on their mistakes," said 30-year Army veteran Pete Whitney, an outreach manager for the clinic.

Contact the writer: rtomkavage@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @rtomkavage on Twitter.

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