Friday, March 16, 2012

Gods and Goddesses of Advocacy

I've been meaning to post about this for awhile now. Ever since I rejoined the civilian world, I've been meeting with groups of wonderful advocates, who do everything in their power to help other veterans. VetWOW in particular pretty much saved my life. When I first began to realize that I had a serious problem that wasn't going away on it's own, I was so confused and lost, and had no idea how to get the help I needed. My advocate with VetWow showed up through all the major crisis', held my hand, and gave my boyfriend the knowledge and ability to navigate the disability claims process, VA red-tape, and the general madness that was my world at the time.

If anybody out there is going through struggles with military sexual trauma and/or PTSD, there are people out there who can help. It's a tight community. It's drama and judgement free help. It's also just free of expense although most of the non-profits will accept donations. These women have extensive experience with these issues, and as terrifying as these things can be, it is much easier when you have an advocate on your side. They'll help deal with discharges, VA disability claims, and many other difficult things.

You don't have to be alone, unless you want to be, and you certainly don't have to go through this alone. www.vetwow.com If they don't have anyone in your area that can help, they will be able to find someone, it's a very tight community, and Susan (the director) knows a lot of people. I've mentioned the G.I. Bridge Project before, and you can find them on facebook. There are so many amazing resources out there, and they can help you, or help you help yourself.

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