CHARLOTTE -- Many veterans, past and present, suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) -- commonly called the “invisible wounds” of war.
Mecklenburg County Provided Service Organization’s “Operation Recovery” will be hosting a training event on Seeking Safety, an evidence-based model for treating trauma and substance abuse June 21-22, 2011, at the Police and Fire Academy, 1120 Shopton Rd., Charlotte. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and training will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and run until 4:30 p.m. on June 21, and 9 a.m. – noon on June 22.
The presenter will be Kevin Reeder, Ph.D, program manager of the Returning Veterans Residential Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Program for the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. Dr. Reeder is involved in the planning and provision of treatment for returning veterans in a residential program where he provides individual and group therapy. Utilizing the Seeking Safety model, he specializes in treatment for veterans dually diagnosed with PTSD and substance use disorders.
Operation Recovery hopes to raise community awareness by building bridges between agencies and organizations to collaborate and link veterans with services they deserve. Few realize that Charlotte truly is a “military” town -- more than 60,000 veterans reside in Mecklenburg County. Service members returning to our region from the global War On Terror face problems of reintegration and employment, making it imperative that our community be prepared to assist them with their transition. For many returning veterans, PTSD and related disorders go untreated, placing them at risk for involvement in the justice system.
The program and training are funded through the Jail Diversion Trauma Recovery - Priority to Veterans program, through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
“These men and women have sacrificed years of their lives in service to our country, and their service has left many of them wounded emotionally, if not physically,” said Bob Kurtz, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Justice Systems Innovations Program manager. “Their legal problems often are a result of their reactions to the trauma they’ve experienced, or their attempts, through alcohol or drugs, to cope with the effects of their trauma. They’ve sacrificed for all of us, and now they need our help. We should help them.”
To register for the training, go to www.ncoperationrecovery.org and click on the link. If you want more information, please call Tracy Klucina, program manager of Operation Recovery at 704-591-2026 or tracy.klucina@mecklenburgcountync.gov.