The month of May is both Military Appreciation Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. That they both fall in the same month may be coincidental, but it is a totally appropriate pairing.
To truly appreciate former and present members of our military, we need to understand the mental health challenges they face.
Resilience. We’ve all heard this word. Each military branch offers resiliency training, there are courses to build resilience, and it is a popular topic as we try to navigate the numerous stressful events and experiences that dot each of our lives.
After Sharita’s recent experience, she shares how she navigated military medical emergencies. Watch for helpful tips on navigating these difficult situations.
For more than 60 years, legendary comedian Bob Hope traveled around the world supporting our nation’s service members and their families. Inspired by his dedication to the troops and their families, the USO founded the Bob Hope Legacy Reading Program in 2017. This program is largely driven by virtual, on-demand story time offerings, helping military families stay connected no matter where their service takes them.
When I flew to Richmond, Virginia, in February, 2017, it was to help my new husband PCS from his AIT at Fort Lee.
It was like a vacation. Ten days at a Candlewood Suites, during which I slept, read books I’d had on my list for years, and binged Once Upon a Time, all while he out-processed.
In the evenings, we made dinner together, explored the surrounding area while playing Pokemon Go, and enjoyed being together after months apart.
Lovely. And at the time, I thought every PCS would be as dreamy.
Motherhood is never easy. I thought I was struggling with just the one kid at first. I wasn’t very confident in my “mommy skills” and felt as if I was messing up constantly. I was a new parent, but I felt as if I should have been doing more.
Your spouse comes home from work, tosses the car keys on the hook, squeezes the kids.
Then, turns to you and says, “Honey, I have good news and I have bad news. Which do you want first?”
Just over one year ago, the world changed. We were thrust into a global pandemic, and we had to adapt to social distancing, staying home, and spraying disinfectant on every surface. We tried to navigate this “new normal.”
Amid this challenging year, nonprofits needed to pivot from business as usual and find innovative ways to fulfill their important missions. At the USO, a nonprofit organization that has supported America’s service members and military families for 80 years, we had to innovate our programs to this new virtual environment.
When I meet with individuals seeking support at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Hope For The Warriors, located in Jacksonville, North Carolina, I truly understand their situation. I’ve been there!
I’m the outreach manager for the clinic, which offers mental health services for post-9/11 veterans and military families. In February, our clinic also started treating active-duty service members.
Currently, our services are provided virtually through Cohen Veteran Network (CVN) Telehealth face-to-face video therapy across the state of North Carolina. When pandemic restrictions are lifted, we will also offer in-person sessions in our newly renovated 5,300-square-foot clinic in Jacksonville.
Mission: Milspouse is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN Number: 88-1604492
hello@missionmilspouse.org
P.O. Box 641341
El Paso, TX 79904