An Increasing Need for Mental Health Assistance:

The Up Center Provides Counseling for Local Military Personnel

In Hampton Roads, it’s common to see “I Love Jet Noise” stickers or to hear talk about how the noise may affect housing developments. But for Fred Weston, aircraft noise means something else. The Director of Outpatient Services at The Up Center worries that the sounds of flying jets or helicopters will trigger flashbacks.            

“We’re seeing a lot of the same problems now that we saw after the Vietnam War,” Mr. Weston said. “In those days, when some veterans heard aircraft noise, they’d be reaching for their gun. This kind of reaction serves military personnel well in war zones like Iraq, but the same reaction can be a problem here at home.”           

The latest statistics show that these types of issues are swelling the ranks of troops who need assistance. Military experts say the number of troops with new cases of post traumatic stress disorder increased by about 50-percent in 2007. That has led top officials to encourage military personnel to get help, wherever they are comfortable receiving assistance. As a civilian agency, The Up Center provides free counseling services for recent veterans of the global war on terrorism. These services are sometimes used in conjunction with what the military offers.            

“We work in collaboration with both the Hampton VA Hospital and the Vet Center in Norfolk,” Mr. Weston said. “The Vet Center, for example, has just asked us if we could start a group therapy program for recent veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and so we’re looking into doing that.”           

Such efforts come as experts on all sides try to reduce any stigma that may be attached to getting help. Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker in a recent meeting with defense writers noted that troops do not have to report to the military about counseling they may receive from civilian organizations.           

"We're trying very hard to encourage soldiers and families to seek care and to not have them feel in any way, shape or form that we're looking over their shoulder or that we're invading their privacy," Schoomaker said.           

Despite such reassurances, Mr. Weston said a bigger challenge is sometimes just having military personnel recognize that there may be a problem in the first place. Most of the cases The Up Center sees begin as family concerns about the well-being of a child or a marriage. It’s during those conversations that the counselor often sees that the emotional impact of war is at the center of many concerns.           

“We have to work to build bridges back between the wife and the husband and the returning parent and the kids,” Mr. Weston said.             

And, Mr. Weston says the sooner that happens after a soldier returns the better.           

“The problems related to the Vietnam War peaked 10 years after the conflict. Without help, unresolved emotional issues led to drug addictions, divorce and family violence.” Mr. Weston said. “We need to act now to stop these types of problems from happening in the future.” 

The Up Center is formerly known as Child & Family Services of Eastern Virginia, and it has been responding to the needs of the community’s most vulnerable individuals for 125 years. Today the agency’s programs reach more than 10,000 people annually. Aside from counseling for veterans and their families, The Up Center also provides legal custodian services for disabled veterans, foster care services, a mentoring program, violence prevention, school-based family strengthening programs, support for seniors, help for individuals with disabilities and much more. Please feel free to email or call Mary Rogelstad at mrogelstad@theupcenter.org or 757.965.8659 for more information.