Veterans [PTSD] [TBI] and their Spouses - Peer to Peer Support Groups

We have received first hand confirmation that this has helped many Veterans along with their families!

Contact: see "locations"

Website: https://www.birdwellfoundation.org/

Email: see "locations"

Service Area: AZ, AR, CA, FL, GA, IL, NC, SC

Serving: Veterans

Description: AZVHV is committed to reintegrating veterans back into society once their service is ended, and to help mitigate veteran suicide. Their ultimate goal is to establish a Veterans Wellness Center, which will operate on the front lines of effective reintegration and veteran suicide prevention. Our programs will be centralized at the Wellness Centers. We believe that effective reintegration and suicide prevention can only happen with veterans and civilians working in solidarity. In order to help provide such solidarity, AZVHV will also establish community coffee shops. These coffee shops will act as satellites for AZVHV to launch community service initiatives and outreach programs—helping veterans to strengthen their lives and their communities. The coffee shops will also help to ensure that the Veterans Wellness Centers are sufficiently funded and maintained, and remain free of charge for veterans.

VETERANS

We love, and we need you! Your families and friends do too! Why? Because you have given so much to our country, and we have been where you are. We want you to see how God sees you. He made us fearfully and wonderfully, and in His image. He wants us to live our lives free from bondage, knowing that we are free from our past. Yes, we know, it may be hard right now for you to find or see God, due to things you may have done, witnessed, and experienced.

Maybe you are not into this God thing right now? It’s ok. We understand, God understands, and we have been there as well. Perhaps, all you need right now is someone to just listen to you, someone that truly gets what you are going through. We do, and we will! We as Veterans and First Responders know what it is like when you want to isolate yourself from the world. We know what it is like when you get angry and don’t know why. We know what it is like to self-medicate, drink alcohol just so the thoughts in our heads will go away. We know what it is like, when our spouse or family doesn’t understand our actions. We know what it is like to keep repeating the same bad dreams and wakeup in a cold sweat. And yes, we know what it is like when we feel that the world, our family, and friends will be better off without us in this world because we can’t seem to get it together. We know. Sadly, the enemy does too. Which is why he keeps reminding you of your past. However, we are here to remind you of a brighter future. We are here to heal together with you. To walk through what you are going through, with you. Shoulder to shoulder

SPOUSES

Your warrior needs you, and you need him/her! Why? Because in spite of what you may have experienced, they simply love you, and they do not enjoy the actions or words that are sometimes displayed by them. It is so important for you to learn about what your warrior, whether he/she is a spouse or family member who may be experiencing PTSD/TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). The Birdwell Foundation volunteers and counselors can help those suffering from PTSD symptoms brought on by TBI.

Some of our staff know what it is like to feel hopeless because of PTSD/TBI. They know their warrior is not the person they used to be. And, quite possibly, they themselves. Think about this: Having to explain why there is a hole in the wall, why you can’t attend a family function or gathering, how it feels when your warrior talks to you, when you just want to pack up the kids and walk away from the marriage or relationship. It feels like a large lump in the pit of your stomach. You feel as though you will be judged by family and friends if you tell them all that you are going through with your warrior, so you keep it all inside, and cry when no one else is around. Why would you keep all of that bottled up inside of you, when you have us? Not just anyone, but those men and women who have practical experience. Men and women who have experienced if not identical, but similar situations that you are currently going through.

Once you understand and learn about the affects of PTSD/TBI, you will learn to love your warrior even more. You will learn patience, humility, how to care for yourself, and your warrior and effective communication that will be beneficial and healthy for both you and the warrior. There is so much to understand and learn about our warriors who fought for our country, and those that serve our communities, who are diagnosed with PTSD/TBI. It is so important for you to attend support groups, counseling, and educational seminars that we offer. If we are not yet in your area, do not allow this to stop you from seeking assistance. And if we are not yet in your area, send us an email, or subscribe to our email list to receive updates and information about groups opening in your area, our network of resources, and educational seminars.

God wants families and marriages to be joyful, healthy and flourishing! He wants our testimonies to be of help to others. It is so important for us to overcome the adversities, trials, and tribulations that we are faced with. But, it won’t happen when we feel as though we are too ashamed to reach out for help. Be the change that your warrior needs, and they will in turn be the change that you need. There is nothing more powerful than a family who has faced many things that should have destroyed them, but by God’s design, they are now the light and hope for many others.

Just as Christ would have us to do, we are to bare one another’s burdens, as it fulfills the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). We are compassionate about the unity of marriages and families, and we are here to help!