Free Counseling for Military Families across U.S.

In remembrance of Veterans Day, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our friends and donors at Global Giving for the support you have provided to those who have served our country and to Give an Hour.  For the past 13 years, our volunteer mental health professionals have donated over 265,000 hours of no-cost services to members of the armed forces, veterans and their loved ones.  

“Give an Hour providers donate their time in many different ways including direct service, outreach, mental health education, and by representing Give an Hour at community events… Each effort is critical as we provide support to those who serve when and how they need it.  Just as vital is the generous support we receive from the Global Giving community.” 

-      Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D., President and Founder, Give an Hour

We would not be able to continue providing these critical services without the support of those who give through the Global Giving community.

Mental health challenges aren't unique to the military or veteran community – they affect people from all backgrounds and across all sectors. And mental health challenges don’t just affect Americans – they affect people around the world.  

In order to better serve our veterans – and all of those who are suffering – we began an effort to change the culture around mental health three years ago.  By changing the way we think about, talk about and respond to mental health concerns and mental illness, we will be better able to address the mental health crisis that is affecting so many around the world.  We launched the Campaign to Change Direction in order to remove barriers that prevent those in need from seeking and receiving care. We are proud to report that we are starting to see change occurring! There are numerous efforts underway in communities around the world to change minds, attitudes and behaviors. We are making progress but we still have much important work to do! 

In October, we hosted our 2^ndGlobal Summit on Mental Health Culture Change in London, England. We gathered key thought leaders, government officials, stakeholders, policy makers and change agents to focus exclusively on removing cultural barriers that prevent people from getting much needed help 

We presented two full days of engaging international discussions, including the Faith Based Leadership and Culture Change, The Role of Technology in Changing Culture, as well as a panel focused on Mental Health Efforts within the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence.  We also learned about mental health efforts in the UK, Canada, Turkey and Ukraine.

One of our most popular panel discussions focused on Challenges and Progress in addressing Mental Health Concerns for Those Who Serve. Considerable progress has been made to ensure that our service members and our veterans have the mental health care and support they deserve. This panel explored approaches and innovations – and shared concerns that remain about our service members and veterans in the US and for those who serve from countries around the world 

We invite you to view the Live Stream of this important panel discussion:  

https://www.changedirection.org/global-summit-2018/ 

“We have to recognize that the trauma of combat can affect anyone, notes @sjffourfrom @CombatStress. That means even generals or others not perceived to be on the “front lines”. #ChangeDirectionLondon”  

As we honor our veterans this month, we want to recognize the Global Giving Community for all you do for our service members, veterans and their families. In addition to honoring those who serve, we must always ensure that those in need receive the care and support they deserve.  Together we must Change Direction.   Thank you.

Links:

• Check out our latest initiatives and programs.
• Pledge to share our public health initiative.
• View the live stream of the Global Mental Health Summit.