FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUMMARY: PEI MFRC is happy to announce the Veterans Transition Program is coming to the Island this November in the form of a ten-day retreat. The event is intended to help veterans transition to civilian life.
(CHARLOTTETOWN PE) October 4, 2016 —The Veterans Transition Program consists of a series of group sessions in which veterans help veterans transition to civilian life with guidance from trained clinicians. The PEI MFRC is happy to announce that the Veterans Transition Network is bringing the program to the Island this fall.
Being held at a private location just 25 minutes from Charlottetown, the program is free of charge to any veteran who could benefit from it.
The ten-day program is broken into three chunks to allow participants to more easily fit it into their schedules: November 18-21, December 2–5, and December 17–18.
Retreat leaders Dr. Torie Carlson and Doug Allen (CD, MSW) will guide participants in group work that involves communications skill development, career exploration, and counseling, as well as exercises to help participants process and move beyond any trauma injuries in a supportive, structured, and safe environment.
The Veterans Transition Program has been shown to reduce trauma symptoms, decrease depression, increase self-esteem, recover personal resiliency, identify life and career goals, and enhance relationship with signifiant others (families, partners, spouses, children), as participants transition their military skills into a successful civilian life.
“The purpose of the Veterans Transition Program is to help soldiers ‘drop the baggage’ of operational stress,” says Donna Earl, the Executive Director for the PEI MFRC, “and I welcome Doug and Torie to PEI later this fall. This program will benefit those PEI military families who have members transitioning to civilian life, as it provides tools and tips on how to successfully make that transition.”
Participants must be able to attend all ten days of the program. There is no cost to attend this program; however, space is limited. Those interested are encouraged to contact VTN as soon as possible, to allow for the intake interview and process. To register, please contact Doug Allen, Atlantic Operations Coordinator for the Veterans Transition Network (902-691-1091; doug@vtncanada.org)
Torie Carlson has a Ph.D. in Counselling Psychology, is registered in Alberta to practice as a psychologist, and is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
Doug Allen, a veteran with twenty years of service, has been working with the Veterans Transitions Network since 2013 and is a graduate of the Veterans Transition Program. Since returning from Afghanistan in 2008, he has worked with ill and injured CF members in the areas of resiliency development, advocacy, case management, and clinical treatment.
CONTACT
Donna Earl
Executive Director, PEI MFRC
donna.earl@forces.gc.ca
902.892.8999
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