CareForTheTroops is always in search of good content that can be useful to military families, therapists, congregation leaders, or any visitor to this web site.
The content can be original or found on the internet where we can link to it ... it's an opportunity to be creative and helpful at the same time. Please send to cftt.hq@gmail.com
Our Partners
Training Development
• Fraser Counseling Center Non-Profit Opns Mentoring
• Pathways Comm Network Mental Health Providers
• EMDR Clinicians of GA
• Marriage and Family
Therapists (GAMFT) Congregation Outreach
• Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
• Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
• The Presbytery of Greater
Atlanta & Presbyterian
Women
• Catholic Charities and the
Archdiocese of Atlanta
• The Georgia Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship (CBF)
• The Lutheran ELCA
Southeast Synod
There is an excellent non-profit that began operating in late 2008 that is very complementary to the mission and goals of CareForTheTroops
Veteran´s Heart Georgia fosters the healing of veterans of all wars by attending to the spiritual and emotional needs of veterans, their families and our communities.
We urge you to link to their web site and take advantage of their training and support activities. CareForTheTroops is inclusive and believe that by working together we can best support the returning veterans and their extended family members.
State of Georgia "Paving The Way Home" Veteran's Initiative Volunteer Information and Registration
Introduction:
The State of Georgia's Paving The Way Home Veteran's Initiative has developed 6 Action Areas.. To accomplish these Action Areas in the timeframes needed to benefit the many military families that reside in Georgia, volunteers are required as soon as possible.
Information about the 6 Action Areas is contained on this web page. Please read over them carefully and consider volunteering your time to this very worthwhile cause. To submit your name and contact information for inclusion on any of the Action committees being formed or to ask a question about your volunteering, please use the form below
These Action Areas-and many of their recommendations-have implications for multiple disciplines and systems of care, further underscoring the need for collaborative effort. The fact that there is no separate category called "Families" reflects three realities: 1)Family members' needs are often inseparable from those of their service members and veterans; 2) As long as families are relegated to a separate category, our society continues to run the risk of marginalizing them and neglecting their needs; and 3) Service systems must find integrated ways of addressing the needs of service
members, veterans, and families. This web page presents the specific goals recommended at the Statewide
Meeting, organized under the six Action Areas. The purpose of the Action Area Committees that you might volunteer for is to clarify, prioritize, and do the planning to carry out these recommendations.
THANK YOU and we look forward to working with you!
Vonshurii S Wrighten, M.Div., MAC, Adult Program Specialist
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Disabilities
vswrighten@dhr.state.ga.us
Can I get a copy of the entire Paving The Way Home booklet? - Yes. You can download a PDF version of the booklet by simply CLICKING HERE OR ON THE IMAGE OF THE BOOKLET SHOWN ABOVE. You will then be presented with a copy of the booklet. The download will take a few seconds as it is a large file.
How much volunteer time is anticipated? - This will vary by committee as you might expect. As a rule of thumb, expect a minimum of a day a month and some months may require 4 or 5 days. A typical month would be 2 days made up of smaller blocks of time. Any additional time beyond these times would be considered exceptions.
How much volunteer travel would be expected? - Some travel should be expected but it would likely be kept to a minimum. Committee meetings held will accomodate use of conference calls for those who are distant from where the interim committeee meetings are held. However, from time-to-time, smaller working group meetings will be conducted and some travel could occur in these circumstances.
Are any expenses reimbursed? - There is no expense reimbursement expected at this time. However, there will be logistical support provided by the State agency to support the Committee's logistic needs such as conference call participation in meetings. This is in consideration of the fact that this is a volunteer organization and there is no intent to financially burden those who participate.
Who can I call or email if I have any questions? - If you have questions about the overall initiative, details about the Action Areas, committees, or the participation as a volunteer, please contact Sally VanderStraten at 404 657-1686 email: Pavingthewayhome@dbhdd.ga.gov. If you have technical problems using this website or the enrollment process, please contact Peter McCall at 770-329-6156 or email: petemccall1@gmail.com
Do I have be a vet or member of the military or a State employee to work on these committees? - Absolutely not. All are welcome; from the public and private sector, military and non-military background. In fact, the more diversity in background we have on the committees, the better our chances of getting successful results. The key elements are a willingness to participate and a passion for this cause.
Can I work on more than one committee? - Yes you can. A key consideration is your time and that it doesn't get spread too thin. It is important that you are able to devote the alloted time and meeting the goals and milestones that the Chairs expect of you. This will be a chance to monitor the progress of other Action Areas while working on another Action Area. So that could suffice for you without being an official member of a specific Action Area
A Brief Overview of Georgia's Paving The Way Home Six(6) Action Areas
> Development of a system-of-care approach modeled on the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's recovery-oriented
systems and services approach and other evidence-based models
> Increased networking efforts among Community Service Boards, to
share lessons and solutions
> At the community level, Transitional Roundtables that gather all
community members and service providers supporting veterans and
service members
> Expansion of the stakeholder community involved in this dialogue to
include law enforcement, faith communities, universities, employers,
and other essential stakeholders
> The gathering of suggestions and support for building collaborative
relationships between local treatment providers and entities such as the
VA and Military OneSource
> Community-by-community collaboration with law enforcement and
emergency services to develop procedures for identifying veterans and
service members with mental health and addictive disease issues and
providing treatment alternatives to incarceration (e.g., the Veterans
Court under development in Augusta)
> A directory of service providers and their services, organized by region
and zip code, with service-specific and location-specific information on
navigating service systems
> A service providers meeting similar to the Regional Commission on
Homelessness, designed to acquaint all the players with one another's
services
> Efforts to increase provider familiarity with common comorbidities,
risk factors, disease progression, and other challenges, and their
implications for the referral process
> Referrals to clinicians consistently based on qualifications and skills,
rather than on familiarity
> Examination of customer service and satisfaction regarding referrals,
and technical assistance in making prompt referrals to service providers
well matched with veterans' and service members' needs
> Collaboration with other referral systems, such as the United Way's 211
system
> Interviews and focus groups with veterans regarding the transition
process and access to and effectiveness of services, and use of the results
for improved services and systems
> An analysis of the challenges that veterans, service members, and
families experience in navigating service systems, with the results used
to re-engineer service systems for smooth, rapid navigation
> Interviews with and assessment of agencies that offer services to
veterans, service members, and families, to learn more about conditions,
challenges, innovations, and effectiveness of services
> An examination of existing and possible methods of expediting referrals
and services, with the results used for system improvement
> The development of guidelines and procedures that Community
Service Boards will follow in determining an agency's or organization's
eligibility to provide specific services to veterans, service members, and
families
> The development of standards that Community Service Boards will
apply to ensure that veterans and service members who seek services
will receive same-day assessment and see physicians within the same
week, and that any housing issues will be determined and addressed
> Efforts to secure more Federal Recovery Coordinators (FRCs)
> Development of Deployment Readiness Centers at major military
installations
> Collaboration among civilian and military partners to ensure that
support systems are in place for service members and families prior to
deployment
> Collaborative efforts within prevention and treatment to provide predeployment
prevention services, briefing, counseling, education, books,
movies, and other resources for service members and families
> Preparation of civilian service systems for the increases in need that
will accompany delayed onset of PTSD, depression, and substance use
disorders 5 to 10 years after deployment, when veterans no longer have
access to military or VA services
> Examination of the availability of service member- and veteranappropriate
treatment services throughout the state, and the
development of plans to supplement these services where they are
scarce or absent
> Direction of additional resources toward the provision of ancillary
services to improve treatment access
> Assessment and improvement of public transportation systems and
infrastructure, to expand existing systems and make them accessible to
wounded warriors
> Development of volunteer programs for the transportation of veterans,
service members, and families to services, as needed
> Exploration of the possibility of expanding local Give an Hour services
(in which mental health providers may donate an hour of services to
veterans, and veterans donate other services within the community) to
include the provision of other kinds of services designed to eliminate
barriers to service and access
> Exploration and utilization of the veteran volunteer component of the
Give an Hour program, using veterans to transport other veterans,
service members and families to needed services
> Assessment of the need for and availability of ancillary services such
as child care, housing, training, and financial assistance to individuals
and families within the Reserve Components (National Guard and
Reserves), and development of plans to ensure that needed services are
available
Includes dissemination of information and the training of counselors, community partners...
Dissemination of Information about:
_T_r_a_i_n_i_n_g_ _O_p_p_o_r_t_u_n_i_t_i_e_s_
> Development and maintenance of a web-based list of training providers
and opportunities, with quality control and the capacity for trainers and
training organizations to submit appropriate evidence and post their
training opportunities
> Design and dissemination of a statewide training and technical
assistance program, using Community Service Boards with particularly
successful efforts to serve veterans as models and concrete examples
> The preparation and use of Community Service Boards for training on
the military culture
> The use of states such as North Carolina as models for effective crosstraining
between military and civilian providers
> Cross-cultural training between military and civilian providers, with
attention to promoting mutual understanding and trust, cross-cultural
competence/sensitivity/ humility, and effective communication
> Cultural and linguistic training of civilian service providers by military
personnel, including essential concepts, values, principles, practices,
terms, and acronyms
> Training for civilian partners in the experience of war and challenges in
homecoming and reintegration
> Regional training for civilians working with military populations in the
full spectrum of cultural issues, including issues of ethnicity, military
culture, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
> The hiring and training of military veterans to provide needed services,
to increase newer veterans' levels of comfort in seeking and accepting
services
> Incentives (e.g., college credit, repayment of college loans) for well
prepared and qualified students willing to work with veterans in
underserved areas
> Provision of training and technical assistance to Disability Navigators
working with veterans in Department of Labor career centers, and
collaboration with the Department of Labor on quality-assurance
measures
> Provision of appropriate training and education to a variety of
community partners, e.g., clinicians, VA employees, community groups,
faith leaders, based on the understanding that anyone in the community
might be a referral source for veterans in need of services
> Dissemination of up-to-date information among service providers and
not-for-profit organizations regarding the eligibility of National Guard
and Reserve members for services
> Continued education of primary care physicians regarding the spectrum
of challenges and conditions for which service members and veterans
are at risk, and effective terminology to use in discussing these issues
with service members, veterans, and their families
> At the outset, regional and state-based education of coalition members
in the technology of the effective outreach, including the dissemination
of knowledge and understanding and the transfer of skills
> Involvement of prevention in pre-deployment briefing and counseling,
and the development and dissemination of books and films for
preparation for challenges during deployment
> The development of multimedia products and after-school specials on
military families and deployment, providing a variety of perspectives in
a user-friendly format
> Family education, both upon entering the military and in preparation
for return from deployment, including education for the spouse on
ways of promoting reintegration (from training programs to brief
"infomercials" increasing their awareness of options)
> Increased collaboration between prevention and treatment service
providers and the Family Readiness Groups that provide reintegration
support and assistance to military families
> Initiatives such as a "Weekend at the Marriott" program, providing
encouragement and reintegration resources for military families
> The use of social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, Georgia's "Care for
the Troops" page, MySpace, Twitter, Blackberry resource for service
members) to target young veterans and families
> Increased access to information through the training of veterans, service
members, and families in the use of computers
> Collaboration between military and civilian systems in promoting
within the military culture: 1) greater understanding and acceptance of
the reality of combat and operational stress effects and 2) the strength
inherent in seeking and accepting appropriate help
> Within military systems, development of rewards for commanders who
encourage service members to seek care for stigmatized conditions such
as PTSD or substance use disorders
> Encouragement of military officers who are willing to disclose their own
need for, and willingness to receive, help for these conditions
> Continued education of service members in appropriate ways of
encouraging their fellow warriors to talk about their stress responses
and reacting to such disclosures, through national (e.g., the Real
Warriors campaign), state, and local initiatives
> Education for military spouses to normalize their experience of stress
and overwhelm, help them understand that they are not weak, and
promote greater comfort with the idea of asking for help
Within the Community:
> Strength-based education for communities on issues of resilience,
mental health, substance use disorders, traumatic brain injury, and the
effects of traumatic stress on the human stress system
> Community education on military culture, values, and terminology,
including education within schools, faith communities, medical settings,
and social service settings
> Improved use of social networking websites to disseminate this sort of
information
> Cross training and continued collaboration between military and
civilian families, to increase mutual comfort and understanding
> An online directory of service providers, their services, and eligibility/
reimbursement, organized by region and zip code, with a "map"
or flowchart of services and service-specific and location-specific
information on navigating service systems (veterans, service members,
and family members might access this directory with an ID number)
> A hotline that can serve as a single point of contact for Active
Component and Reserve Component service members, veterans, and
families in need of services
> A consolidated website collecting up-to-date information about
military, VA, and civilian service options for service members, veterans,
and families
> Development of a clearinghouse for organizing and keeping track of the
wide variety of web-based resources
Non-Electronic:
> Development of a service members' and veterans' service resource
directory for each county, including military and civilian resources
> Non-electronic outreach to service members and veterans with no
Internet access, including homeless veterans and families
> Collaboration between community and VA case managers and Social
Workers in an adaptation of the current VA model in which staff
disseminate information about services (e.g., fliers, CDs) in person in
community settings
> Dissemination of information about national resources such as Military
OneSource, Real Warriors, Give an Hour, and many others, through
public service announcements, directories or listings, and media
campaigns
> A media campaign with information about the hotlines, websites,
wounded warrior blogs, and other resources that are available
> "Low-tech" options such as newsletters (new or in collaboration with
existing social service newsletters), pocket-sized cards, brochures, and
posters, disseminated in schools, doctors' offices, law-enforcement and
judicial arenas, faith communities, and community- and faith-based
organizations
> Canvassing of communities with information about service providers
and the services that are available
> Establishment of a "point person" at each VA office to answer questions
from the community
> Development of a resource directory for each county
> Training of veterans in describing and navigating the services and
resources that are available, to enable them to serve as resources for
newly returned service members and veterans
> Training and college credit for veterans enrolled in higher education
who are willing to speak to other veterans and serve as "walking
resources"
> Education, training, and recruitment of military veterans in the
provision of needed social services for service members and veterans, to
increase the acceptability of these services and the likeliness that people
will be willing to seek help
> Examination of existing evidence-based peer-to-peer programs for
service members and veterans, to determine their effectiveness and
replicability
> Development of local or statewide peer support groups and peer
mentorship programs, based on effective, evidence-based models, with
peer-to-peer follow-up contact taking place on a regular schedule, at
least once a month
> Continuation of peer mentorship beyond the period in which service
members and veterans are receiving professional services
> Provision of training, technical assistance, and supervision to peer
mentors
> Examination of the possibility and methods of engaging younger
veterans in organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the
American Legion
> Collaboration with the Family Readiness Groups in the development or
expansion of peer-to-peer support services for family members
> Targeting family peer efforts toward preparation for deployment,
support during deployment, preparation for reintegration, and
knowledge of the resources available to families, service members, and
veterans
> At gatherings of military spouses or families, presentations by families
who have successfully weathered deployment and reintegration
_P_e_e_r_ _B_a_s_e_d_ _H_o_u_s_i_n_g_
> Development of programs for the provision of housing to service
members, veterans, and families in buildings or communities in which
other military or veteran families live and receive services and/or
information about services, to normalize service access (in some cases
using models such as the Oxford Houses)
_O_n_g_o_i_n_g_ _R_e_c_o_v_e_r_y_ _S_u_p_p_o_r_t_
> Involvement of families and communities in the recovery process, from
the first raising of awareness to ongoing recovery support
> Investigation or development of peer-based community programs
based on the 12-Step model, to address issues such as PTSD and TBI
Action Area 5 - Expanding services, including advocacy and Federal Recovery Coordinators (FRC's)
Includes screening, treatment, ongoing care, and follow up...
_P_r_e_-_T_r_e_a_t_m_e_n_t_
> Collaborative development of a screening instrument (10-20 true/false
questions)
> Administration of screening in routine settings, rather than waiting
until symptoms reach crisis level or family members intervene
> Timely assessment of common conditions such as PTSD, TBI, depressive
and anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders
> Cross-training of screening and assessment personnel in determining
military or service status; communicating effectively with the military
culture; recognizing symptoms and risk factors specific to this
population; and appropriate referral of military members, veterans, and
family members
_T_r_e_a_t_m_e_n_t_
> Stigma reduction through the development of culturally appropriate
rewards for service members and veterans who seek and accept
treatment
> Strength-based approaches to care and support that focus on skill
building and emphasize empowerment, resilience, and capability,
rather than pathology and deficits
> Culturally competent celebration of short-term gains, to encourage
continued treatment and progress
> Involvement of families in the treatment of service members and
veterans throughout the process, from pre-treatment through ongoing
recovery
> Equal focus on the family's needs in treatment, including weekly
sessions in which family members can receive the treatment and
support they need, with flexible hours, daycare, and other barrierreduction
measures
> Provision of comprehensive services, including non-traditional Centers
in which service members and veterans can receive a variety of services,
including mental health, physical health, knowledge (e.g., benefits,
family benefits), and job opportunities
> Provision of alternate treatments such as relaxation, stress management,
sleep techniques, skills in managing post-deployment stress symptoms
(e.g., hypervigilance, social isolation, flashbacks), equine therapy, and
outdoor group team-building and trust-building programs
> Involvement of peer mentors throughout the clinical experience, to lay
groundwork for ongoing support
_C_o_n_t_i_n_u_i_n_g_ _C_a_r_e_
> Assistance to service members and veterans in developing individual
action plans for building support networks, creating financial security,
and addressing barriers to recovery and reintegration
> Development and encouragement of peer support groups, with training
for group leaders in effective means of managing post-deployment
symptoms and reintegration challenges
> Use of a social work model to facilitate reintegration with all significant
entities, including family, faith community, school, workplace,
neighborhood, and social networks
> Attention to the need for housing or transitional housing, and
opportunities for service member- or veteran-specific housing (e.g.,
Oxford Houses for veterans)
> Maintenance of peer mentoring after professional services have ended
Advocacy for Individual Service Members
_V_e_t_e_r_a_n_s_ _a_n_d_ _F_a_m_i_l_i_e_s_
> In developing programs that help people navigate service systems
and obtain needed services, examination of terminology to eliminate
disempowering language (e.g., avoiding terms such as "case
management," with the implication that the person is a "case" to be
managed" rather than an individual who has successfully served our
nation)
> Establishment of the advocate's position as a single point of contact
or entry for service members, veterans, or families in need of services,
education, or training
> Ensuring that advocacy is in place immediately after services such as
inpatient treatment have ended
> Assertive linkage for service members, veterans, or families, e.g.,
making the call with them, helping the navigate difficult systems
> Ensuring that each VA has a Transition Patient Advocate (through the
national TPA program), to conduct outreach and assist veterans and
family members
> Collaboration among VA and CSB staff in the development of a
Georgia-specific advocacy model for service members, veterans, and
families, modifying and building on existing models (e.g., Federal
Recovery Coordinators, Department of Labor Disability Navigators,
KidsNet program)
> Establishment of a contact person in each county to assist individuals
(possibly Family Connections coordinators)
> Establishment of local Veterans Employee Advocates, to assist local
veterans in workforce reintegration
> Efforts to secure more Federal Recovery Coordinators (FRCs) (possible
efforts including gathering evidence of statewide, regional, and local
need for FRCs; advocating the assignment of additional FRCs to
Georgia, one at each military installation; and ensuring that Federal
Recovery Coordinators have the connections necessary to serve as
liaisons. train new personnel, and coordinate the expansion of this
program)
Model programs, remaining barriers, training and education...
_M_o_d_e_l_ _P_r_o_g_r_a_m_s_
> Investigation of the applicability and replicability of models such as
Top Steps, a Department of Labor program in which individuals in
vocational rehabilitation and individuals leaving incarceration are
assigned counselors who help them attain bonding and provide tax
credits to employers who hire them
> Investigation of the possibility of offering tax credits to employers who
hire veterans who have not been referred through government services
> Celebration of existing successes, in the manner of the Department of
Labor's list of the top 20 businesses that hire veterans, and recognition
of companies such as Walgreens and Home Depot that take steps to
ensure that they will hire veterans
_E_m_p_l_o_y_e_r_ _E_d_u_c_a_t_i_o_n_
> Education for employers in the strengths that veterans bring to the
workplace, the values embodied in the military culture, the realities
that replace the myths about post-deployment stress affects, relevant
laws (e.g., the Americans with Disabilities Act, USERRA) concerning
accommodation of disabilities, and ways of creating veteran-competent
workplaces
_O_u_t_r_e_a_c_h_
> Dissemination of information to veterans concerning the job-seeking
and job-training resources that are available, ways of gaining access to
those resources, and the people to contact for assistance in these efforts
> Exploring the benefits of social networking sites and other Internet
resources in service members' and veterans' career development and
job-seeking efforts
> Outreach to families in need of job training or employment assistance
while service members are deployed
> Addressing the needs of the whole person, to eliminate distractions and
barriers to employment
> Establishment and training of local Veterans Employee Advocates
> Investigation of the possibility of finding sponsors for healthcare
services for veterans and families not covered sufficiently by military
benefits, to expand employment options beyond those that provide
health benefits
> Development and maintenance of a website that presents career and
employment training opportunities
> Provision of assistance to service members and veterans in accessing
educational benefits through the G.I. Bill
> Development of service members and veterans as entrepreneurs, using
the skill sets they have developed during Active Duty
> Identify Officers with the knowledge, skill, and compassion necessary
to train veterans in workforce skills and assist them in employment
searches
> Educate veterans in appropriate expectations of Department of Labor
Navigators, to ensure that veterans can be effective advocates for the
services they are entitled to receive
> Educate and train veterans to provide peer services and (if appropriate)
clinical services to service members and veterans
Completing and submitting this form will automatically send an email to both to us; the copy to you will contain the information you just completed. We can't promise to respond to everyone or to respond in a timely manner, but we will review each email sent to us. Meanwhile, if you feel you need to contact someone before you hear back from us, please feel free to call 404 657-1686 or email: Pavingthewayhome@dbhdd.ga.gov
Introduction:
Action Area 1 - Increasing Access to Services
