What is Combat Stress?
When it comes to veterans’ mental health, Combat Stress has been around the block. Founded in 1919, we’ve served more than 830,000 veterans and continue to expand our services to meet the growing needs of U.S. military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and other areas of combat around the world. We provide a range of community, outpatient and residential mental health services to veterans with complex mental health problems through our site at HonorHealth in Scottsdale, Arizona and numerous other locations nationwide. Learn more about Combat Stress by reading this introductory guide to our agency and our services.
Our mission
The Combat Stress Mental Health Charity was founded in 1919 to care for servicemen suffering from ‘shell shock’, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since then, our mission has evolved and we now provide a range of community, outpatient and residential mental health services to veterans with complex mental health problems. We support veterans in three core areas: help with PTSD; helping veterans with alcohol dependency; and supporting a growing number of former service personnel who are homeless. The vast majority of our clients have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003. The need for our specialist help grew quickly as these wars intensified.
Our Values
We value every one of our clients and will strive to treat each person with dignity, respect and as an individual. We believe that veterans should be treated in a therapeutic environment that meets their needs and that they should be able to access treatment without having to travel away from their home community. Therefore we are committed to developing community-based services which are easily accessible, responsive and appropriate for individual needs. If a client’s health care requirements become too complex for local services we will ensure that they are transferred seamlessly into specialist care provided at The Princess Royal Hospital, Telford or other appropriate sites.
Our Approach
As a community-based organization, we provide a range of outpatient and residential mental health services to veterans with complex mental health problems. In partnership with Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, we assess, treat and assist clients in transitioning back into their communities, finding meaningful employment and leading self-directed lives. Through our extensive outreach efforts in New York City’s five boroughs, including our Veterans Crisis Line – staffed 24/7 by mental health specialists – we reach veterans who are in crisis or at risk for homelessness or hospitalization. We offer ongoing training to VA staff to promote consistent practices across VA facilities throughout New York City.
Community Mental Health
Across its 10 sites, we help veterans to live independently in their own homes and support them to achieve more. Support workers and occupational therapists join up with our specialist teams to deliver services that are highly tailored to individual needs. It’s just like having your own support worker right there on-hand at home, which helps relieve day-to-day stresses for many veterans struggling with mental health problems. Community mental health teams cover a broad range of conditions such as anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance misuse and psychosis.
Outpatient Mental Health
Community treatment allows veterans to return to their homes and live in a community setting. Community Mental Health teams are made up of mental health specialists, including psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses and vocational counselors. These teams work with individuals to stabilize symptoms and get back into living their daily lives. When people continue to experience problems or feel they need additional support they can access inpatient care services at one of our residential centers or call our 24-hour hotline for crisis intervention services that bring them directly into one of our facilities for short-term stay or observation care depending on individual needs.
Residential Mental Health (Netherfield)
For veterans who have suffered extreme trauma and require intensive mental health treatment, Netherfield Hospital is home to a fully accredited mental health rehabilitation facility. Netherfield’s top-class therapy helps veterans recover from PTSD and other mental health conditions while offering support for physical ailments. The treatments we offer at Netherfield are tailored to your individual needs in order to help you get better faster and return to a full life as soon as possible. We want you to receive excellent treatment with compassionate care, so our medical professionals carefully monitor your progress throughout your stay. Our goal is that by providing state-of-the-art therapies, we will make sure your recovery will be successful and lead back into an independent life outside of treatment.
Veterans We Support
Many veterans suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and find it difficult to cope with their symptoms. At Combat Stress, we provide specialist support for veterans who are struggling to live a normal life due to mental health problems. This can include providing housing and other vital services. In addition, many of our services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that you never have to worry about missing out on support when you need it most. We also offer a range of outpatient and community mental health services in Winchester and across Hampshire so that all local veterans can benefit from our support.
You can also read – 9 Ways to Relieve Stress – What Are the Symptoms of Stress?