Honoring Veterans and Military Families

This November, the Cohen Clinic at Easterseals is proud to celebrate our Third Anniversary in the same month we honor Veterans Day (November 11) and Military Family Appreciation Month.

This time of the year is always very special to us because not only do we get to acknowledge the incredible service and sacrifice members of our military community have made to protect our freedom, but we also get to reflect on the number of veterans and military families the Cohen Clinic at Easterseals has been able to help with critical behavioral health services.

The truth about veterans, active-duty service members, and their families, who make up only eight percent of the U.S. population, is that they are one of the most vulnerable groups in our society facing major mental health issues, unemployment and high rates of suicide. Additionally, veterans tend to face a myriad of challenges in trying to adjust back to civilian life, and are often susceptible to drugs, alcohol, homelessness, and incarceration. In fact, veterans are 1.5 times more likely to die of suicide than Americans who never served in the military. For female veterans, the risk factor is 2.2 times more likely.

Family members of active-duty service members and veterans face unique challenges. The stress of frequent moves, transitioning out of the military, financial worries, and mental illness, all have a disproportionate impact on these groups. Studies also show that children in military families experience high rates of mental health, trauma and related problems with 37 percent of children with a deployed parent reporting they seriously worry about what could happen to their deployed caregiver.

We understand the challenges members of our military community experience are unique. That is why all of our staff have significant experience in working with veteran and military populations and some are veterans themselves. As a result, many of our clients have shared that speaking with one of our therapists, who is also a veteran or who understands veterans, has often made it easier to share their issues and continue getting the support they need.

Our clinic has now been serving the military community in the metro D.C. area for more than three years, and in that time, we are proud to have supported over 1,200 veterans and military family clients with over 11,000 scheduled sessions helping them through such issues as combat and military sexual trauma, anxiety and depression, couples/marriage counseling, family therapy, and transition to retirement.

Candid Conversations: Serving our Military Families

As part of our ongoing effort to educate the public on veteran and military family-related mental health issues, our clinic and the Cohen Veterans Network participated in Easterseals’ latest virtual discussion – Candid Conversations – focused on how to support our military families in managing caregiving, mental health and employment stress.

We invite you to watch the discussion, which provides incredible information on how you can do your part to support veterans and the military community you may know.

Finally, we are aware of the recent updates provided by the D.C., Maryland and Virginia Health Departments about Covid-19 creating a second wave of illnesses and hospitalizations in the upcoming winter months. We know that revived restrictions for more mask wearing, more social distancing and more staying at home are likely to result in an increase for our behavioral health services.

We want to remind you that the Cohen Clinic at Easterseals continues to operate fulltime with telehealth services. If you need our help, please call our office to schedule an appointment at 240-847-7500.

We are here. We continue to serve the military community. We will get through this.

New Partnership Announcement

The Cohen Clinic at Easterseals is excited to announce our latest partnership with Marlow Guitar International, an organization that believes music and the arts play a vital role in building community and promoting personal health and well-being.

Find out more about the collaboration with our clinic, The Marlow Guitars for Veterans Program and how to sign up in the video below.

As part of the partnership, Marlow Guitar International is offering up to 15 FREE virtual guitar lessons to 5 veteran clients of the Cohen Clinic at Easterseals, who could use the magic of music to help manage anxiety, stress and other challenges to their well-being. Veterans who participate will be provided with a guitar for their use, which they may keep after completing the lessons.