Many of our returning Veterans face separation and the end of Active Duty with anticipation, getting back to their families, civilian jobs and lives is something many people look forward to. But occasionally Veterans and their families can use a helping hand in the process of transitioning back. If you are a Veteran and have returned to Civilian life, there are a number of benefits available to you to help you in the process of returning. One of these is the use of readjustment counseling. Readjustment counseling is a benefit that is available to any Veteran who has served and is now returning to civilian life. It is designed to help ease the transition back to life as a civilian successful.
There are a number of services that are available to a Servicemember returning off of active duty. Some of these can include group counseling, marital and family counseling, individual counseling, medical counseling and referral, and even bereavement counseling opportunities. While Counseling is one of the main benefits available to the returning Veteran, there are other transition services that can be referred from counseling. These include employment and job counseling opportunities, possible alcohol and drug counseling, filing for VA benefits, and outreach and community resource information.
After the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, the Department of Defense sat up and began to take seriously the need for Servicemembers and returning veterans to have availability to counseling and counseling opportunities. This effort has continued to expand with the War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, and has been implemented throughout all five Armed Services. The effort on the part of the DoD has been to form an ever-expanding network of services for the Veteran and active duty Servicemember, and their dependants. The frequency of deployment and the reduced time between each deployment has added to a lot of the stress in military families, and the returning Veteran has a great number of issues to deal with. Because of this counseling opportunities for the Returning Veteran have been created.
Get your Free career assessment here
Some of the symptoms of stress that might be eased with counseling include anxiety, trouble sleeping, headaches, depression, stomach problems, worry about the future, trouble making decisions, trouble concentrating, or other emotional and mental issues. But there is help. The Department of Defense has worked closely to set up programs with the National Mental Health Association. The first step to help is to ask your family doctor for a referral. Then, keep the appointment. Getting a chance to talk about it sometimes can make all the difference.
