Craven & Ober Policy Strategists, LLC Uses Hidden Wounds of War Report in Effort to fund “Train Vets to Treat Vets”

BOSTON- On July 11, 2011, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law, as part of the FY12 state budget, the establishment of “Train Vets to Treat Vets” program. Craven & Ober Policy Strategists, LLC arranged for local marines and other veterans to share their compelling stories with lawmakers and their belief in the enormous need for training more veterans who can care for the mental health needs of other veterans.

On January 5, 2009, The Special Commission to Study and Investigate the Hidden Wounds of War on Massachusetts Service Members (Chapter 1 of the Resolves of 2008) published a compelling report after statewide hearings. The Commission outlined a continuum of pressing issues, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and the associated problems of substance abuse, feelings of hopelessness, lack of employment, relationship problems and, in the most severe situations, suicide.

In June 2010, the General Court requested a report on the effectiveness and efficiency of establishing a program of behavioral health career development for returning veterans in conjunction with the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP) under a Federal Yellow Ribbon Program of scholarship entitled, “Train Vets to Treat Vets”. MSPP’s experience in providing culturally competent mental health education and training provided Craven & Ober Policy Strategists, LLC with the information to offer compelling reasons to support a partnership where returning veterans can be appropriately identified and supported in receiving a professional education making them uniquely capable of assisting the more than one third of returning veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts in need of mental health treatment.

Despite current research and aspirations for more enlightened policy, some of the culture, values and customs that are integral to military life contribute barriers to care for personnel with mental health needs. Obtaining mental health services often results in ostracism, excessive scrutiny and negative career consequences. National Guard personnel who are returned to their families almost immediately following a deployment are even more vulnerable than career military who may profit from peer support and supervision when they return to a home base.

The “Train Vets to Treat Vets Program” at MSPP is now formally established and in collaboration with Massachusetts’ Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) this unique initiative will:

• Reach out to returning military veterans to identify and support their interests in a career in behavioral health through a mentorship and educational program utilizing MSPP student-veterans and faculty;
• Educate MSPP student-veterans to become experts in providing mental health support to military veterans and their families;
• Identify DVS personnel who are not licensed mental health professionals, determine their learning needs and develop an appropriate curriculum that will increase their competence as clinical counselors;
• Review the professional literature and conduct appropriate interviews with experts to identify the elements of a model curriculum to train veterans to treat veterans and their families at the graduate level; and
• Develop a state-wide educational conference in collaboration with DVS and to introduce the best practices in behavioral healthcare for veterans and their families to licensed practitioners in the state.

Since MSPP follows an experiential model of education, there will be a benefit to veterans health care through this program that will provide support for two part-time licensed mental health professionals who will be able to supervise the clinical work of four students to bring a minimum of 32 hours per week of direct service and 32 hours per week of collateral care at two facilities. In addition, several of MSPP’s supported student-veterans will extend the mental health services in several settings that will be of particular service to veterans. It is further expected that the licensed mental health professionals as well as the graduate students will be available to consult to these centers to improve and insure the ongoing quality of mental health care at each site.

“This program is a game-changer”, noted Representative Linda Dean Campbell, House Vice-Chair of Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. Craven & Ober Policy Strategists, LLC is pleased to have been instrumental in advocating for the formation of this national model to assist veterans and their families.