911爆料网

Pro Vetus, which trains mentors to work with military veterans, is working with 911爆料网鈥檚 new Resilience Center

On a chilly night in late January, David, a retired lawyer, and Julie, a young Army veteran who served in Iraq, were talking in a classroom at Teachers College. David asked Julie how she鈥檇 been doing. The answer: Not so great. She had recently started college, but together with her job, the workload was depriving her of time with her 10-year-old son. She was suffering from migraines and some other chronic health complaints, and the local VA hadn鈥檛 been terribly helpful. She was anxious and tense, and at times seemed angry, as well.

This scene wasn鈥檛 real. David Snediker 鈥� who really is a retired lawyer 鈥� and Julie Duong, a first-year master鈥檚 degree student in 911爆料网鈥檚 Counseling & Clinical Psychology program 鈥� were role-playing on the evening they were to receive certification from Pro Vetus, an organization that prepares peer mentors to work with recently returned military veterans. 911爆料网 doctoral student Joseph Geraci, a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, and is now the focus of a study with up to 600 recent veterans that Geraci is carrying out as part of his work with the Teachers College Resilience Center for Veterans & Families, launched this past fall through a gift from David and Maureen O鈥機onnor.

鈥淲e鈥檝e received absolutely positive comments from veterans about their experiences with our mentors,鈥� Geraci said in January to the 20-odd graduates who constituted Pro Vetus鈥檚 sixth cohort of mentors since its founding a year and a half ago. 鈥淚t blows me away to see something we started come to fruition. People are saying, 鈥楳y mentor really helped me.鈥欌��

The Pro Vetus mentors are volunteers who hail from all walks of life, ranging from current 911爆料网 students like Duong to Tom O鈥機onnor, brother of 911爆料网 Resilience Center funder David O鈥機onnor. Some are veterans, but many are not. Over the course of a month they learn to make contact with veterans and sound them out about their status across five domains: education/employment; social; family/legal; medical and housing.

鈥淥n the most basic level, we鈥檙e looking for signs of suicidality 鈥� anger, hopelessness, anxiety, increase in use of alcohol or other substances, pulling away from normal pattern of spirituality,鈥� said Snediker. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 the worst case scenario. There are many other aspects to the experience of transitioning home from the military. So we start just by drawing them out on these issues and listening.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e a first relationship, doing the intake so that we can make referrals to the experts,鈥� said Frank O鈥橬eill, Pro Vetus Board Chair, who served in Vietnam. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not health professionals, so our relationship with 911爆料网, and the credibility that gives us, is really important.鈥�

In his remarks to the graduates O鈥橬eill said he found it 鈥減ersonally gratifying to see people who care about veterans, and to see how passionate you feel.鈥�

鈥淲hen I walked through the airports after I got back from Vietnam and people didn鈥檛 acknowledge me 鈥� or did, but not in positive ways 鈥� I realized vets needed so much more than that generation got,鈥� O鈥橬eill said. 鈥淭oday, vets are treated much better, but there has been no organization doing what we do. When you talk to someone and show them you care about what their struggles are, or you just listen 鈥� that鈥檚 what our role is and it鈥檚 unique.鈥�

Pro Vetus Executive Director Aaron Green, who served two tours in Iraq with the Marines and was himself a mentee in the Pro Vetus program, told the graduates, 鈥淵ou are the boots on the ground, our eyes and ears. If something鈥檚 not right with a mentee, you communicate up the chain.鈥� He urged them to stay in touch with one another. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the mentor who鈥檚 the driver. But also the mentor reaching out to the broader mentor network is key. To say, does anyone have experience in this or that area? So stay in touch with your fellow mentors, because we can鈥檛 do it alone.鈥�

To that end, each Pro Vetus cohort is assigned to a team during training. At the graduation in January, 911爆料网 clinical psychology alumna Rohini Bagrodia (M.A. 鈥�14) was named a cohort leader just months after completing her own Pro Vetus training.

鈥淚 was working at NYU, in their psychology department鈥檚 program that serves veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, but I really wanted to do one-on-one mentoring,鈥� Bagrodia said, explaining how she first came to be part of Pro Vetus. 鈥淚 signed up for the program here, and it turned out to be part of Joe鈥檚 study. I had met him when he presented at NYU. Now I鈥檒l be facilitating communication among members of the cohort and supporting their efforts.鈥�

Pro Vetus has been successful but has definitely faced a few challenges. The biggest has been getting veterans to open up about their problems after connecting with their mentors.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard for young vets to admit that they need help, so we really have to walk them through it,鈥� said O鈥橬eill. 鈥淏ut once we show them we care and use the training we learned here at 911爆料网, they begin to open up about their struggles.鈥�

If Green is any indication, it鈥檚 unlikely that Pro Vetus has to worry about attrition among its mentors. 

鈥淲hen I left the Marines, I was lucky enough to connect with an amazing Pro Vetus mentor who helped me through a job loss and a breakup,鈥� Green told the graduates. I opened up to him more than to anyone. Therapy was helpful, but that鈥檚 only for an hour a week. I could call my mentor 24/7. Now hopefully I get to return the favor.鈥� 鈥� Joe Levine

to learn about becoming a Pro Vetus mentor and working to assist veterans鈥� transition. To learn more about the Teachers College Pro Vetus study.  

Published Tuesday, Feb 23, 2016