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Vermont Vet-to-Vet offers peer-to-peer support to veterans of all eras, including those who are now returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is essential for Veterans to be able to safely, and confidentially, talk about issues such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, family issues, bi-polar disorder, and many other disorders and reoccurring illnesses. The importance of Vermont Vet-to-Vet peer support is that these Veterans will trust and talk to a fellow Veteran in most cases before they will a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or VA doctor. Peers offer each other an understanding that comes from having experienced a similar situation or problem. Vet-to-Vet was formed in West Haven, Connecticut by Mo Armstrong, a Veteran with a mental health illness of his own. His vision has been the springing point for chapters in 29 states in just a few years. In Vermont, Vet-to-Vet has been in existence since late June 2006. Vermont Vet-to-Vet is newly established yet has already reached many veterans. We started with only five facilitators who trained in West Haven, CT. These facilitators are all ex-soldiers, sailors, and marines who have been helped by the VA Mental Health system. Vermont Vet-to-Vet is completely independent of the VA system, yet is strongly supported by the Mental Health department of the VA Hospital. |
Please call a Veteran at
(802) 839-9292 (Ron) or
(802) 485-9246 (Dave) for the latest information and updated meeting information.
Workshops/Events
"All Veterans are welcome...those that need a little help...those that can give a little help...!"
Vermont Vet-to-Vet
Brochure
(PDF
format)
Vermont Vet-to-Vet is made up of all volunteers, with its sole purpose of helping Veterans recover from their mental illnesses and substance abuse problems. We are proud of the recognition and support by the VA Mental Health system, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Mental Health, Vermont Association for Mental Health (VAMH), Vermont Social Services, Vermont National Guard, Vermont Dept. of Corrections, National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), the Vermont Recovery Center Network (Turning Point Centers) and also with the offices of Senators Patrick Leahy, Bernard Sanders, James Jeffords, and many more.
We offer four (4) meetings in the White River Jct. VA Facility, weekly meetings in the Burlington, Barre, Middlebury, and Rutland Turning Point Centers, and in St. Johnsbury at the Kingdom Recovery Center. In the near future, we expect to expand to the Springfield, Bennington, and Brattleboro Turning Point Centers. Our overall goal is to establish meetings in all communities where there are Veterans in need of support. The Vermont Vet-to-Vet core group will remain at the White River Jct VA facility.
In addition, we are working with the Springfield Corrections Facility to start meetings with incarcerated Veterans soon to be released hoping they might get the help that they need for re-entry into society. We are reaching out to all Veterans with substance abuse issues, anger management, homeless issues, etc. throughout Vermont. Vermont Vet-to-Vet readily gives presentations on how our organization can help and/or assist other organizations. We have held many presentations and will continue whenever and wherever we can.
We feel the services provided by Vermont Vet-to-Vet are very valuable, saving taxpayers thousands, if not millions of dollars in a short time. These savings can be seen in the Mental Health system, Dept. of Corrections, Law Enforcement, Social Services and the VA system to name a few. These savings will also be realized in Vermont's work force and our schools! These groups will help provide the Veteran with the help needed before their mental health illnesses cause divorces, incarceration, substance abuse issues, unemployment, welfare, homelessness, and many other social problems. Using peer-to-peer support, Veterans can avoid being a statistic or lost in the system.
Our program is dedicated to the health and welfare of veterans. Through the use of group discussions, we attempt to support and encourage our fellow Veterans. Many of us have substance abuse, anger management, depression, anxiety, and PTSD problems and issues. It is through the support and encouragement of other Veterans, men and women, that we learn to cope with the world we now live in.
Those that need a little help… those that can give a
little help. Which are
you?
If you have specific questions, you can send us an e-mail. Get involved... your input and participation is important to the ongoing success of our Veterans!
Vermont Vet-to-Vet, P.O. Box 4532, White River Jct., VT 05001