Free Counseling for Military Families across U.S.

It is a very special year for Give an Hour as we mark our 10^th anniversary of providing free and easily accessible mental health services to the military, their families, and their communities.

Ten years ago, Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen a psychologist in the Washington, D.C. area, recognized that as a country and as individuals we needed to do more to help those who so bravely served our country and now were facing mental health struggles and reintegration challenges.   Her idea was to have mental health professionals donate a little of their time to provide mental health care to our nation’s returning troops and their families. This simple idea and the need for these critical services has led to a national volunteer network of nearly 7,000 providers who have given over 170,000 hours of mental health care valued at over $17 million. 

Give an Hour volunteers and providers are the backbone of our organization. The 2015 Military Spouse of the Year and Give an Hour volunteer, Corie, shares her own experience to help military couples work through reintegration and other stress. In an interview with blogger Terri, Corie relayed how she practices a principle she learned as a licensed professional counselor, “say out loud the things that are hard to say out loud." It is the help of these unique and generous providers that enable Give an Hour to provide help over the last 10 years and will enable us to continue to fulfill our mission to provide free and accessible mental health care to our military community. 

Over the past 10 years, Give an Hour has been a rewarding journey for Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, President and Founder of Give an Hour. She says, “We have learned that no one organization or entity can provide all that our service members and their families need. We have learned that one size does not fit all when it comes to healing the invisible injuries of war. And we have learned that in order to provide for the mental health needs of those who serve, we must also address the societal issues that prevent them for seeking and receiving care.” In order to address mental health stigmas, this past spring, Give an Hour, expanded its work to include the Campaign to Change Direction, a collective impact effort to change the culture of mental health in America. Give an Hour and its partners address common barriers to understanding mental health and raise awareness about Five Signs that may indicate someone is suffering emotionally and in need of help, so that all citizens can act on their desire to be caring to those showing signs of suffering.

Links:

• For more information
• Celebrating 10 Years of Providing Hope and Health to Families