Veterans Reach Out To Help Peers Deal With PTSD

Veterans Reach Out To Help Peers Deal With PTSD
Posted By: Maureen O'Brien, News Director 3 mins ago

AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER) -- Major General Bill Libby says studies show that 25 to 30 percent of Maine National Guard soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from some form of PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That's one reason Libby is supporting a new program called Veterans Helping Veterans.

The project has teamed up a group of about fifteen counselors and therapists from the Midcoast area who are all veterans themselves. They're reaching out to those new, returning vets, to offer help for those who need it.

Rob Pfeiffer, a founder of the group, says the counseling is offered free or very low cost. Pfeiffer, who is a Marine Corps combat veteran who served in Vietnam, is also a family counselor. He says there are still far too many vets from past wars who have not sought help for their own PTSD issues. He's hoping that the old and young vets will feel comfortable talking with others who have been there, and know some of what they've gone through.

General Libby - also a Vietnam combat veteran - thinks the new program is a good idea. He says a lot of Guard soldiers and other vets haven't been willing to ask for help, because they think it shows some kind of weakness. But Libby says that even he sometimes needs to talk to someone about his own war experiences. He's hoping more vets will be able to step forward and ask for the help they need.

To contact Veterans Helping Veterans you can call Rob Pfeiffer at (207) 236- 3777.

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http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=105487&catid=2

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