Veteran Resilience Project Inc

WE INSPIRE LIFELONG CHANGE FOR MINNESOTA VETERANS, SERVICE MEMBERS AND SPOUSES EXPERIENCING TRAUMA AND PTS(D), BY CREATING ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE THERAPY AS A PATHWAY TO HEAL.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH VETERAN RESILIENCE PROJECT'S (VRP) GOAL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF OUR OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM ACROSS MINNESOTA IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS STRUGGLING WITH TRAUMA, INCLUDING PTSD AND MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA, WILL HAVE ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED THERAPY THAT WILL PROVIDE THEM WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAL FROM THEIR TRAUMA. BY BUILDING COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS SPECIFICALLY SERVING VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS, AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING HEALTH SYSTEMS, FAITH COMMUNITIES AND SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES, VETERAN RESILIENCE PROJECT IS INCREASING THEIR VISIBILITY AND BUILDING A BROADER UNDERSTANDING OF THE EFFICACY OF EMDR. IN 2022, VRP REACHED 2,000 VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS WITH EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES AND PROVIDED EMDR THERAPY TO 25 VETERANS. DUE TO OUR EXTENSIVE OUTREACH, WE NOW HAVE OVER 200 VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS WHO HAVE INITIATED INTEREST IN EMDR THERAPY. WE ARE ESTABLISHING A TRUSTED PRESENCE FOR VETERANS THROUGH ATTENDANCE OF COMMUNITY EVENTS AND CONFERENCES, WHILE PROMOTING EMDR IN LOCAL PUBLICATIONS AND THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AS THE NATIONAL PERCEPTION AND CONVERSATION AROUND MENTAL HEALTH CONTINUES TO BE MORE PERVASIVE THROUGHOUT SOCIETY, VRP INTENDS TO BE A TRUSTED SOURCE FOR CONNECTING VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAL.

THERAPY PROGRAM A CORNERSTONE OF VETERAN RESILIENCE PROJECT'S WORK IS TO BUILD A STATEWIDE NETWORK OF EMDR CERTIFIED THERAPISTS WHO ARE ACCESSIBLE AND CAN RESPOND QUICKLY TO THE NEEDS OF VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS. DESPITE EFFORTS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE MENTAL HEALTH CARE, MILITARY VETERANS CONTINUE TO FACE BARRIERS TO PTSD TREATMENT WITH THE LARGEST SINGLE BARRIER BEING THE LACK OF PROVIDER APPOINTMENT AVAILABILITY. AN ACUTE SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS IN THE VA, PARTICULARLY IN PRIMARY CARE, COMBINED WITH THE RISING POPULATION OF VETERANS SEEKING TREATMENT, HAS LED TO MONTHS-LONG WAITING TIMES. THE NUMBER OF VETERANS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IS GROWING, AS WELL AS THE NUMBER OF VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS WHO DIE BY SUICIDE EACH YEAR. THIS IS A CRISIS IN MINNESOTA, AND VRP IS IN A POSITION TO RESPOND QUICKLY. IN 2022, VRP BUILT A NETWORK OF 40 EMDR THERAPISTS ACROSS MINNESOTA TRAINED IN UNDERSTANDING MILITARY CULTURE AND THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS. THIS IS THE LARGEST NETWORK IN THE STATE. MANY OF THE EMDR THERAPISTS IN THE VRP NETWORK OFFER THERAPY THROUGH TELEHEALTH WHICH HAS OPENED OPPORTUNITIES TO REACH VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES AND REMOTE AREAS. OUR EXPECTATION IS TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF EMDR THERAPISTS WHO JOIN THE VRP NETWORK IN 2023. EMDR THERAPISTS CONTRACT WITH VRP AND THROUGH OUR FUNDING THEY ARE ABLE TO OFFER 12 SESSIONS OF EMDR THERAPY FREE OF CHARGE FOR ALL VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS RESIDING IN THE STATE. THE NUMBER OF VETERANS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IS GROWING, AS WELL AS THE NUMBER OF VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS WHO DIE BY SUICIDE EACH DAY. THE NEED FOR ACCESSIBLE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IS NOW A CRISIS, AND VRP IS POSITIONED TO RESPOND QUICKLY.

ADVANCED EMDR MILITARY TRAINING IN 2022, VETERAN RESILIENCE PROJECT OFFERED TWO ADVANCED EMDR MILITARY TRAININGS OVER THE YEAR FOR EMDR THERAPISTS FOR AN EMDR THERAPIST TO JOIN THE VRP EMDR NETWORK, THEY MUST ATTEND THIS TRAINING. IN 2022, OVER 40 THERAPISTS ATTENDED THE TRAININGS. THE TRAINERS LEADING THE TWO-DAY SESSION ARE HIGHLY SKILLED, AND POSSESS THE HIGHEST CERTIFICATION POSSIBLE THROUGH A WELL-RESPECTED INSTITUTION, EMDRIA, EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION. VRP OFFERS OVER 10 CEUS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE TRAININGS WE HOST. THE CURRICULUM COVERS MILITARY TRAUMA AND THE IMPACT ON VETERANS, SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.