Almost half of veterans turn to clergy before mental health providers

VA offers PTSD educational seminar for clergy
Workshop will teach religious leaders how to identify, deal with issue
By Lydia Seabol Avant
Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, March 31, 2013

TUSCALOOSA
When a veteran comes back from fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan and starts to deal with the effects of post traumatic stress disorder or depression, a clergy member is often one of the first people they go to for help.

It’s for that reason that the Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center is offering a free educational seminar this week for pastors, ministers, priests and other church leaders in the community to educate them on some of the difficulties that veterans may face when they come home from war and what church leaders can do to help.

“Research has shown that almost half of veterans will turn to a clergy person first before they go to a mental health provider,” said John Bailey, a chaplain at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center. “We want to help [the clergy] on how to refer the veterans to the VA, how to get them the help they need and inform them of the benefits that are available to those veterans.”
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