Lake-McHenry veterans program first of its kind

A new approach to identify and treat postwar mental health problems of veterans will begin building from the ground up next month in Lake and McHenry counties.

Fueled by a federal grant of $3.67 million over five years, the program will be the first in the country to try to connect the veterans and their families with comprehensive counseling specific to the needs of both groups.

“Traditional Veteran Administration and Department of Defense programs do not reach out to the families of traumatized veterans,” said Ted Testa, director of behavioral health services at the Lake County Mental Health Department and the grant application writer.

“But the family is most often where the trauma is most clearly seen and its effects have the most impact,” Testa said. “We want to design a program that gets everyone involved in the healing process.”

Dr. Neal Brown, an administrator at the federal Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, is one of the people overseeing the 20 grants awarded this year by his agency, including the one to Lake and McHenry counties.

He said the proposal submitted by the two health agencies stood out from other applicants' because it was aimed at a unique population and because of its design.

“This grant was awarded not only because it was in an area of great interest, but because the plan they put together was outstanding,” Brown said. “These grants are focused on transformation; changing the way we deliver services in the community.”

That will put the Lake and McHenry project in the spotlight, Brown said.

“We are very excited about watching the progress of the agencies in Lake and McHenry counties,” he said. “We want to have every opportunity to take the ideas developed there and apply them in other communities.”

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq pose a host of potential for breeding mental health problems, Testa said, from multiple deployments of service members to increased reliance on units from the National Guard and reserves to soldiers facing ever-present danger.

“Traumatic situations are not specific to combat vets because exposure to people who may be coming after them is constant for all people who are deployed,” he said. “There is no let up; there is no down time.”

Many returning veterans find the worlds they left behind less comforting because of changes the vets have experienced or adjustments families have made while soldiers were overseas.

“So they withdraw, they turn to alcohol and substance abuse,” Testa said. “And their families feel the hopelessness and frustration of trying to deal with experiences they have never had.”

To address these issues, the Lake-McHenry Veterans and Family Strategic Initiative looks to build its core from people who speak the language of war and its survivors.

Testa said a 21-member governing council will be established for the program and at least 51 percent of the participants will be veterans, active-duty reservists and Guard members or family members of either group.

The council will identify the specific needs of veterans and their families and work with Testa, McHenry County health officials and the VA to address them.

“For once, it will not be the mental health professionals coming in and saying we know everything,” Testa said. “We want to go to the consumer and say, ‘Tell us what is needed, and we will find it for you.'”

Counseling sessions will conceivably be designed in three divisions, depending on the needs of the individual.

“We could wind up with programs for veterans, programs for their families and programs for veterans and their families,” Testa said. “It will all depend on the assessment of needs in each individual situation.”

Jim Frazier of Woodstock is the director of Survivor Outreach Services, an organization that works with the families of deceased service members, and has been involved in the planning for the veteran's and family initiative.

“We have the canvas, the grant has given us the paint and the brushes. and now it is up to us to paint the portrait,” Frazier said. “This program could be such a great benefit to veterans and their families that we really have to do it right.”

Involving veterans and family members at the top of the structure is the right move, Frazier said, because many veterans are reluctant to deal with people without the shared experience.

“Having people who have been through the same thing leading the way will help reduce the stigma a warrior often feels in seeking help for these kinds of issues,” Frazier said. “In a perfect picture, I see six veterans sitting in a room healing themselves through shared experiences while a facilitator sits quietly and nods his head.”

In addition to having veterans and families providing direction for the program, Testa said, the initiative will have a community outreach component.