Combat Veterans’ Groups at the VetCenter. Do they really help?

I didn't know anything about them.

Richard T. Prinzing of Rockford, IL
U.S.A.F. Medic 1960 - 1965

It varies. Sometimes 75 percent of the group shows up and sometimes less than 25 percent shows. Never have I seen 100 percent at one time. Most work and is able to attend sometimes and some of those attendance may not be for the length of the meeting. I would say you are not alone. The bottom line is the group is there if they need help and the group stay informed through our group text.

Maybe it’s just me and my frustration with the VA, or maybe I just didn’t give it a chance, but I only stayed for a couple sessions and left. I don’t think they really gave everyone enough time to say what was on your mind and what they were really feeling. When you’re dealing with that many men, maybe it’s not possible to give them the time they need. I hope someday they find a better way

As a clinical psychologist and professor, group therapy can be quite potent as an intervention when conducted over time by a skilled clinician. It recapitulates the primary psychosocial unit: the squad. In our local VAC it is underutilized in favor of lots of psychotropic meds.
Rich

Went to the Prescott Vet Center '05-'07', worked at the Prescott Vet Center '09-'12, now I'm a Social Worker preparing to go back to work for the Northern Arizona VA in Transition Care Management. Really interesting comments on here, but some common threads that I definitely find to be true as both a combat veteran and counselor are:
1) Younger generations, regardless of their conflict, aren't quite ready to talk about their experiences. My OEF/OIF generation wasn't/isn't any more or less ready than my Dad's Vietnam generation was ready because of where we are in life when we separate from service: young, busy, distracted, raising a family, etc. That changes as we age and gain a little perspective, plus the time/flexibility to start taking care of ourselves. At some point, the opportunity to seek support becomes a bit more clear.
2) When we try to access mental health and counseling services, we can be soured early on by a bad experience, whether it is with a peer in a group setting, or with a provider who we don't mesh with. I had a bad experience with an Army provider (civilian psychologist) after deployment and that prevented me from seeking help for many months before I was convinced by family members (one a Vietnam veteran) to get help.
3) We trust our military/veteran buddies, so when one of them says, "the VA sucks", or maybe "shrinks are a waste of time", we tend to take that at face value rather than find out for ourselves. If we already had reservations or suspected that counseling/treatment wouldn't help, this now serves as confirmation bias and we go, "See, I knew it!".
4) We view everything through our experience. If we served in a certain MOS, combat zone, etc. then we tend to not necessarily lend as much credibility to those who didn't serve as many tours as we did, get blown up, lose as many buddies, etc. However, we almost always hold great reverence for the combat generations that came before us. My Dad served in Vietnam, and I have no bigger hero in life, not just because of what he endured in country, but because of how hard he fights in life and what his entire generation did for us in creating Vet Centers, pushing critical legislation to improve the VA, etc. I still have no problem saying that I often don't feel worthy when compared to him and so many others who served that I hold dear. I hope I am always humble enough to reflect on that.

So yes, it can help tremendously to participate in a group, as it can help to get individual therapy. And it is rarely "one and done" for counseling. We may need to get counseling for many months, even years, and we may need to reengage later in life if we are triggered, retraumatized, etc. We may seek the help through formal channels such as active duty providers or the VA/Vet Centers, or we might simply find a pursuit that provides clarity of mind and the opportunity to process our past experiences. Life evolves, and if we are willing to put in the same grinding effort to taking care of ourselves as we were to take care of our troops and our buddies while in uniform, we can only benefit from that grind.

I went to the vet center in sioux falls South Dakota. Probably around 1985. The guy running the group shot up his home and then killed himself. We all scattered as we found out about the incident as we gathered for a weekly group. I said to myself, that place is a magnet for guys in worse shape them me. I've never gone back.

The Vet Center I went to didn't even have a combat veterans group, we were just lumped in together. Tbh, many who went there were not trying to get better, just more of attention seekers, constantly one-upping each other. I am sure each place has a different environment and atmosphere. I just happen to have moved to a state with no military base other than National Guard units.

I’ve been going twice a week for 15 years & I look forward to them. When you listen to other vets you find out you’re not alone & might not be crazy after all .