GOOD NEWS: Helping Veterans, Through Changemaking Perseverance

 

In December 2019, Minnesota Women’s Press published the story “Perseverance for Veterans,” about Elaine Wynne’s long effort to make EMDR trauma therapy available at no cost to anyone in Minnesota who served, or is serving, in the military.  She was named in the annual Changemakers issue.

Elaine is my wife. Long before we were married, I served as an army medic during the Vietnam War.  She pointed me toward EMDR long before she got a small grant in 2013 to demonstrate the efficacy of EMDR  for post-9/11 veterans. In 2015, a Star Tribune reporter wrote about the remarkable results: 74 percent showed no more post-traumatic stress symptoms, and 100 percent had lessened trauma.

Veterans from all eras began to call so the nonprofit, Veteran Resilience Project (VRP), was created. The Star Tribune article found its way to the National Veterans Administration, where David Shulkin in 2016 mandated at least one EMDR therapist at every VA Center in the country.

We thought substantial funding was imminent, but it took six more years.

 

 

Elaine began to volunteer, often close to full-time, to direct the effort. She was aided by dedicated volunteers, mostly veterans who had found and paid for EMDR on their own. We didn’t want younger veterans to have to wait, so we raised the money wherever we could to pay for the statewide network of EMDR therapists in the pilot program. Katherine Johnson, mother of two veterans, was hired part-time to handle the administrative details.

Ultimately the Women’s Press article helped to kick in broad support.  In 2021, state House majority leader Ryan Winkler agreed to help. He worked on a funding bill. The Women’s Press article was a significant piece in making the project real to the many legislators needed to pass the bill.

Substantial funding from the state in 2022, and finally from other large donors, allowed creation of a dynamic team to greatly expand the program to reduce PTSD, military trauma, veteran suicides, address the impact of military sexual assault, and more. 

 

Expanding the Service

The MDVA administers the state grant, and has recently made it possible for us to provide care for veteran spouses.  Jonna Phillips, EMDR therapist, was hired in January 2022, first as therapy program manager, and now as executive director.  She is married to an Army veteran, is an officer in the Air National Guard, and is the Director of Equal Opportunity for the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth. 

Ashley Olson, Licensed Social Worker and Veteran spouse, is our Care Coordinator.  She takes referrals from Veterans and matches them to a nearby therapist, one of over 50 now statewide.

When the pilot began in 2013, the Veteran Advisory team built a system in which veterans asked for help because someone they trusted talked with them about the program.  Building on that success, we now have three outreach staff members talking with veterans throughout the state.  Zach Binsfeld, Army veteran, covers the Twin Cities metro and central Minnesota.  Jenna Graen, Air Force veteran, works in the north.  Nichole Keltgen, daughter of a Vietnam veteran, recently started outreach in southern Minnesota.

These efforts are dramatically increasing the number of veterans able to say things like, “EMDR made me feel like I’m not alone. VRP gave me back my life.”

Our original intent was to make EMDR available at no cost to all Minnesotans who served, but from the start we’ve impacted national awareness and availability.  The VA mandate began to place EMDR therapists in some VA Centers.  We had a table at the international EMDR conference. All day people said thank you: “Because of your work, I just got hired as an EMDR therapist at the VA in my state.” Others from many locations reported things like, “Thanks to you, our VA refers veterans to me for EMDR,” or “I can now get paid by Tri-care to see veterans in my private practice.” 

The ripple effect of this continues to emerge.  “Sheepdog” is a feature-length film, soon to be released in theaters.  It tells the story of an Iraq veteran in Boston who was given a choice of jail or treatment.  He was assigned to a woman who was recently trained and starting work at the VA as an EMDR therapist.  The producer said, “We spent years interviewing veterans and caregivers to build the story for this film.  EMDR kept surfacing as a best form of therapy for many veterans, so we made it a star in the movie.” 

Perseverance.

 

Resources

sheepdogthemovie.com

veteranresilienceproject.org