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Old 10-28-2009, 10:32 AM
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I read this in DOD news, and found it to be what I thought to be a great project.

Soldier Project Helps Vets Fight Trauma
October 28, 2009
Los Angeles Daily News

In his three tours of duty in Iraq, Army Spc. Jason Shaw saw more than his share of blood and guts.

He'd seen men blown out of Bradleys. He'd seen six friends die. And he'd carried a head full of anger and a soul racked by despair.

But instead of seeking psychological help from the Veterans Administration, he went to The Soldiers Project -- a Studio City, Calif.-based network of licensed psychotherapists who give free mental health support to military members and their families.

"They helped me do a lot," said Shaw, 24, of Las Vegas, who left the Army last May. "If I ever have a problem you can't talk to anybody about, they helped me through it.

"It's helped me become sane."

Since it first reached out to veterans in Los Angeles five years ago, the nonprofit Soldiers Project has grown to Sacramento, Seattle, Chicago, New York City and Long Island, N.Y., and has plans to expand to Boston.

And if its 170 mental health pros can't visit a vet in cities in between, they find someone who can.

Credit Dr. Judith Broder, a Studio City psychiatrist, who on Monday received a national award for social innovation.

"It is families we treat, because they suffer as much as the soldiers who return," Broder said. "Our goal is to help our troops come all the way home."

It was the New Jersey native who, after a lifetime practicing psychiatry, was shocked by a play written and performed by Iraq War vets.

"The Sandstorm: Stories from the Front" featured 10 monologues performed by vets to illustrate the horrors of war.

Broder was transformed. And just as suddenly, her successful practice became a casualty of war.

"It was very direct and startling to me, someone who had never been in combat," said Broder, 69, who has devoted all her time to the project. "They all seemed terribly wounded ... Although they were home, they had not recovered.

"As a psychiatrist, I wanted to help them be able to find their way back to themselves and their families."

The problem, she and others say, is that many active-duty men and women shy away from seeking mental help for fear it could stain their record.

And after they leave the armed forces, many find Veterans Affairs mental health services either lacking or severely limited.

So Broder approached the Ernest S. Lawrence Trauma Center, which gave free psychological care for needy residents. She partnered with the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies.

Then she paid for a phone line. Launched a Web site. Then recruited an army of psychiatrists, psychologists and others to care for vets of Iraq or Afghanistan.

And to offer free, confidential therapy to their loved ones.

The Soldiers Project was born.

"She's done an amazing job pulling The Soldiers Project together," said Dr. Tom Helscher, president of the L.A. institute. "She was sort of a one-woman job for awhile, but it's really snowballed in the past year."

For her contribution after the age of 60, Broder was awarded a $100,000 Purpose Prize by Civic Ventures, a national think tank on baby boomers and social innovation.

"She's terrific," said Alexandra Kent, prize director for the San Francisco-based Civic Ventures. "It's not a common practice for psychologists or psychiatrists to do pro bono work. She really was innovative in determining what veterans need."

For Broder, it means free and confidential services to those who are most in need, any time they need them.

Many are depressed or angry. Many suffer from post-traumatic stress. Many have struggled with substance abuse or acute family problems stemming from repeated deployments overseas.

For Shaw, whose first marriage ended in divorce because of issues connected to his service, The Soldiers Project has been a godsend. He has seen its therapists in person and conversed with them by phone.

"It's great," said Shaw, who works as a personal bodyguard. "I feel great. I'm pretty good, I'm happy. I have a baby on the way. I'm in the best relationship I ever had."
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Old 10-28-2009, 11:45 AM
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Gimpy Gimpy is offline
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for "sharing" Topp!

Great article.

Gimp
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