‘A stranger in a strange land’: Local college helping veterans adjust back to civilian life

NEWTON, Mass. — Many veterans who serve our country have a difficult time adjusting back to civilian life.

William James College in Newton launched “Train Vets to Treat Vets” as a way to break down barriers for veterans who might need mental health services but won’t seek help.

“Our job is to bring veterans and military into the community, training them in fields of counseling and psychology,” explained Jenny Olympia, PSYD, who is the director of the program.

Jose De Roman served in the US Navy for six years and is still an active reserve. Today, he is training to become a Doctor of Psychology in this program at William James.

He knows the challenge of transitioning to civilian life firsthand.

“You get used to a certain rhythm and tempo of expectation that everybody’s expected to step up and do their job and then you come out of that, and you do kind of feel like a stranger in a strange life.”

Because he’s ‘walked the walk’ of military life, he hopes he’ll have an easier time establishing a rapport with his future patients.

“We can talk about some of the nuances. We can talk about some of the specific issues that might be unique to the veteran patient.”

D’Olympia was deployed to Afghanistan three times when she served in the US Air Force.

She says some of the most common issues veterans face today are PTSD, depression, and anxiety.

She says these issues get magnified by an overwhelming sense of isolation.

“Now, veterans are separated from the community more than they have ever before and we have only 1% of the people who volunteer for service. . .I think we can do a better job of recognizing that anyone in our community could be a veteran. . . We’re not just old men any more. There are quite a few of us that are blending into the community that people don’t realize are there.”

Jessica Price is also a veteran and is a graduate of the program.

She says even though getting therapy can be scary and intimidating, she encourages veterans to give it a try.

Over the years, however, some veterans have been reluctant to ask for help.

The participants in this program want to break down that wall.

When the happens, they say it’s nothing short of magic.

“I think for me when I have somebody comeback and say they tried the thing that I told them and just seeing them reach their goals, whether that’s going to school, having children, or situations improving with work,” said Price.

D’Olympia added that when it comes to helping other veterans, ‘I think that’s a really meaningful thing, and for me, that’s probably the most important thing that I get to do on a daily basis.”

A major mental health concern with veterans is a high rate of suicide.

It’s the second leading cause of death for veterans under the age of 45.

That’s one of the reasons why the people with ‘Train Vets to Treat Vets’ say their work is so important.

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