Give an Hour for Military Personnel & their Family Members. HLCC also includes first responders!
” We’ve got your 6! “

HLCC clinicians and acupuncturist, Kathi Wotal, L.Ac., MSOM, OM Diplomate are Give an Hour providers. We are donating one hour a week of free mental health and substance use disorder services to active and returning military, National Guard, veterans, and their families of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. We are helping to provide military members with more options and availability for mental health care. For more information about Give an Hour, please visit their website at: http://www.giveanhour.org/Home.aspx. HLCC also provides these services to first responders (see below), too!

HLCC clinicians have training to work with military members and understand the nuances that are unique and specific to military culture. Some of the services we have experience in treating that are commonly seen with military life are:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (1 in 5 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is diagnosed with PTSD)
Deployment challenges and post-deployment adjustment difficulties
Depression
Anxiety
Substance use disorders (alcohol and/or drug problems)
Intimate partner and domestic violence
Military sexual trauma (Department of Defense reports there were an alarming 26,000 violent sex crimes in the military in 2012)
Mood disorders

First Responders:

First Responders (firefighters, police, EMTs) have increased risk for PTSD, depression, suicide attempts and substance misuse versus the general population. At HLCC we have qualified behavioral health experts that are familiar with first responder/EMS culture.

HLCC is a resource partner for Brian Warner’s Chicago Police Sruvivors group. Brian is an 18-year veteran Chicago Police Officer and founder of Chicago Police Survivors. He has appeared on “60 Minutes” for discussion of mental health assistance for police officers.

Below are links to articles and resources for first responders.

Increasing suicide rates among first responders spark concern (article summarizing some data regarding mental health concerns)

Trauma and First Responders: When the Helpers Need Help

The Code Green Campaign (this website is a first responder oriented mental health advocacy, resource and education site. Time to call a code green for mental health assistance for first responders.

Majority of First Responders Face Mental Health Challenges in the Workplace – University of Phoenix

Some Resources for Military Personnel, Veterans and their Family Members

American Psychological Association’s “Road to Resilience” guide focuses on ways to develop personal strategies for enhancing resilience.
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx

“Parenting for Service Members and Veterans,” a free web-based course that features six modules address parenting challenges that can arise during deployment, reintegration aand long after coming home.
http://militaryparenting.t2.health.mil/

Website providing information and support for Military Sexual Trauma (MST).
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/military-sexual-trauma-general.asp

Created by an MST survivor, this website discusses where to get support and information about reporting options for Military Sexual Trauma (MST).
http://militaryrapecrisiscenter.org/

Understanding PTSD for military personnel, veterans, and their loved one.
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/index.asp