A Year-End Message from Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D.
Founder and President of Give an Hour
For many of us, the holidays are a time of tradition – a time of thanks as we take a moment to appreciate the blessings of family, friends, home, and work. When my two daughters were little girls, I took them to visit our local fire station each holiday season. One would carry the bag of toys we brought with us to donate to our local Toys for Tots campaign while the other carried a plate of cookies for the firemen. My daughters loved this tradition - because it allowed them to give to those in need and it allowed us to share our blessings with those who serve our community.
For those who serve, however, the holidays can be a challenging time. Some servicemen and servicewomen are returning and reconnecting to family and friends after a long absence. Others are dealing with the understandable consequences of their experience in combat. And still others are currently deployed and experiencing the holidays far away from loved ones.
Military service affects all those who serve and their families. Fortunately, the majority of those who serve gain new skills and strengths – and they transition to the civilian world with a renewed sense of purpose.
But some of the thousands who separate from service each year will struggle with the invisible wounds of war such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and depression. And sadly, 20 veterans a day choose suicide – many of these are men and women who served decades ago but are clearly still suffering the consequences of injuries that were unseen and untreated.
During this season of giving, it is our honor to show our appreciation – and provide support - to those who serve, their families and our veterans. It is up to us to take steps to ensure they receive the support they need to lead healthy, productive lives.
To Give an Hour this means providing free mental health services, during the holiday season and for as long as needed. It means working with partner organizations around the country to connect those in need to a full range of additional support services. It also means changing the culture of mental health for all Americans through our collective impact effort, the Campaign to Change Direction so that all in need are comfortable seeking care.
For over 11 years, Give an Hour has provided confidential, free, and unlimited mental health services through our volunteer network of nearly 7,000 licensed professionals. Our generous providers have contributed over $21M in free mental health care.
As we close out 2016, we want to thank our Global Giving Donors for supporting our nation's military and veteran communities by making donations to Give an Hour this past year. It costs Give an Hour only $16 to provide one hour of care – compared to the national average of $100 per hour. A gift of $64 covers the cost of a Give an Hour provider offering four weekly visits for one month. And a gift of $384 will provide six months of weekly visits for a member of the military or a loved one to see a Give an Hour provider. For only $832 you can give the gift of one year of mental health care to someone in need.
I ask you that you to continue to give generously throughout the year and please consider making an end-of-year gift to help support those who serve and their families. If you are able, you might also consider a year-round monthly gift to help increase Give an Hour's ability to provide the services our military and veteran communities need.
As you gather with family and friends to celebrate this holiday season, I hope that your traditions bring you comfort and joy. And may 2017 be a Happy, Healthy, and Peaceful year for you and those you love.
Thank you and Happy Holidays,
Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D.
Founder and President
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In 2016, Give an Hour celebrates eleven years of providing free mental health care to those who serve and their families. Our generous volunteer mental health professionals are the heart and soul of Give an Hour. Although the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are no longer front-page news, our providers, continue to answer the call to serve those in need.
Thanks to the collective effort of the members of our national network Give an Hour has now provided over 200,000 hours – valued at over $20 million – of free care to our nation’s service members, veterans and their families since we began our work over a decade ago. At Give an Hour we are very proud to serve those who serve.
Give an Hour began as a simple idea back in 2005: ask mental health professionals to give an hour of their time each week to provide free care to the men, women, and families who serve our nation.
In 2015 we launched a complementary effort to address the cultural barriers that prevent those in need – service members, veterans and civilians – from receiving help.
Give an Hour launched the Campaign to Change Direction, a collective impact effort to change the culture of mental health in America. This movement encourages all Americans to take care of their emotional well-being as they do their physical well-being, and it encourages all of us to learn the Five Signs of emotional suffering so that those in need receive the care and support they deserve.
We are proud that 240 organizations have joined our coalition. And we are honored that many of the organizations leading the way are our partners from the veteran and military service community.
In addition, many celebrities and leaders have stepped up to join this critical effort including: First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, Richard Gere, Brian Wilson, Chris Stapleton and Prince Harry.
We are grateful to the generous donors who support our efforts through Global Giving platform. We encourage you to learn the Five Signs at: www.changedirection.org.
Thank you.
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A response to a national tragedy
Give an Hour™ (www.giveanhour.org), a national nonprofit organization providing mental health services at no cost to members of our nation's military and veteran communities,joins with citizens, organizations, and communities across the country in mourning the loss of so many victims of violence over the past month.
In keeping with our tradition of offering our services to other groups in need, Give an Hour made available its network of mental health professionalsto victims, families, and first responders dealing with the aftermath of the Orlando and Dallas tragedies. Our network includes thousands of licensed mental health practitioners trained in assisting individuals coping with trauma and recovering from crises and violence.
"We know that the impact of this trauma will have a profound and long-lasting affect on many of those touched by this horrific act of violence," says Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour, adding, "Give an Hour is committed to ensuring that those who are suffering receive the help and support they deserve."
Heidi, who practices in Orlando, has been one of our 7,000 providers since 2011. She knew that Give an Hour had a history of opening doors to the civilian community. She reached out directly to Dr. Van Dahlen and was “blown away and grateful for the response.”
Personally touched and horrified by the events in her hometown, Heidi began to email her friends in the mental health community. She created a video and reached out to over 1000 therapists in Central Florida and asked them to sign up for Give an Hour. She used social media to reach the extended population and to let families and friends of those impacted know “that help was out there. The greatest challenge continues to be to identify those who have been affected. The circle of influence is so much broader than families of those who have been shot or killed.”
Heidi credits her parents with having trained her well. She says, “Volunteering is in my blood.” Not having served in the military herself, she views Give an Hour as a way of saying thank you to members of the military, veterans, and their families.
With a Master’s in both social work and public health from Boston University, Heidi was working at the VA during September 11th. It was there that the veteran community stole her heart. When she moved back to her hometown of Orlando, Heidi became a Give an Hour licensed mental health therapist, providing individual counseling and going on Wounded Warrior retreats. She fell in love with the work, encouraging clients to use our services and urging colleagues in the mental health community to join our network. She networks frequently, speaks, teaches and promotes Give an Hour. She often encounters people who break down in tears when they find out that they can receive free and confidential services through Give an Hour.
“I have been in this field a long time (27+ years now!), and I love seeing my clients get better. They are able to heal their marriages or relationships. Their anxiety goes way down; they handle stress much more easily. They get the results they want. They are able to reduce or completely stop using, if that is their goal. They are feeling happy, and they have more internal peace in their lives.
I believe a person seeking help already has the inherent ability to “be ok” deep down and I can help you tap into your inner peace. I can teach you skills to help you improve your mood, choose healthier ways to cope with stress, and deepen your sense of satisfaction with life. My goal is to help you be your best authentic self.”
Read Heidi’s blog -
https://feelpeacenow.com/you-are-here/#
Give an Hour is grateful to our providers who generously contribute to the well-being of those who have served and other communities. Heidi and fellow mental health providers form the backbone of our network and are helping to build healthier communities around the U.S.
Mental health professionals interested in joining Give an Hour can complete an easy online form by clicking on "Give Help" at www.giveanhour.org.
Those seeking help from Give an Hour can visit www.giveanhour.org and click on “Get Help" to locate a provider in their area.
Give an Hour is grateful to our Global Giving donors who support oour mission. Thank you.
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