UCF Restores Program helping people under stress from Coronavirus Pandemic

UCF Restores Program Offering Coronavirus Mental Health Help

My News 13
BY JUSTIN SOTO ORANGE COUNTY
APR. 12, 2020

"We thought this was a good opportunity to reach out to the community in general, talk about stress, talk about how to manage stress and give us an opportunity to see if we can help people during this time when a lot of us may be feeling kind of shut in and alone," Beidel said.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Starting Monday, the University of Central Florida will be bringing a new mental health resource geared towards helping people manage stress during these uniquely challenging times.

UCF Restores will post video sessions on Facebook page twice a week
Sessions aimed at providing tools to help deal with stress
Learn more at UCFrestores.org

The University of Central Florida Restores program is working to help you and your family deal with the stress the coronavirus pandemic can bring.

UCF Restores is a clinical research program that regularly helps veterans, active duty personnel, and survivors of mass shootings or sexual assault through post-traumatic stress disorder.
read it here A couple of years ago, I interviewed Dr. Beidel about this progam.

Dr. Deborah Beidel delivered a message that veterans and responders need to hear. You can fight to #TakeBackYourLife. It takes a lot of work, but there are a lot of people out there who are ready, willing and able, to fight right by your side.

WHY IS FACEBOOK BLOCKING ADS TO HELP VETERANS?

Facebook needs to explain themselves to veterans!

Combat PTSD Wounded Times and PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
November 13, 2018

Facebook notified me that I should boost a post, and then turned it down. Why? Read what they sent.

This is my reply!

What was so offensive? UCF Restores and the program they have helping veterans heal PTSD!

Stunning when you consider they must be making a boat load of money off of the folks raising money to "raise awareness" they are talking about suicides. 

Read the post and then you decide if it had anything to do with politics! UCF Restores Hope

The good thing is that they did allow all of them after I protested. The question is, what are they going to do TO STOP DOING THIS?

PTSD destroys hope, UCF Restoring It

UCF Restores Hope

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
November 8, 2018

With the news today about a shooting involving a veteran, people started to talk about it, and veterans, started to withdraw.

While it is rare for a veteran to be involved in something like this, the fact it was a veteran this time, has managed to be in almost every headline.

I felt there was a sense of urgency to put this up today instead of waiting for Sunday.

Yesterday I went out to UCF and interviewed Deborah C. Beidel of UCF Restores. They are doing fantastic work on helping veterans and first responders heal. Heal? Yes! 

PTSD is not something to be afraid of and it is not worth gaining power over your life.

If you understand what it is, why you have it, then you take away power from it. When you fight back, you take away more power from it and gain it for yourself.

Listen do what Dr. Beidel has to say and then, start to #CombatPTSD so you can #TakeBackYourLife.

"And one day, she discovered that she was fierce, ad strong, and full of fire. And that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears."

read more here

UCF Veterans Resource Fair

The Mustard Seed of Central Florida is helping people get back on their feet, including veterans! They helped a veteran and his family find a place of their own after becoming homeless. That homelessness happened after Marine was discharged for medical reasons after serving 4 years!

I have spent most of my life knowing what the DAV does. After all, my Dad was 100% disabled Korean War veteran and they helped him with his claim. Then they helped my husband. 

If you have questions or need some answers...or someone to fight for you for a change, contact them! DAV Chapter 16 in Orlando~

Orlando Vet Center has everything you need to let the healing begin!

Address: 5575 S Semoran Blvd # 30, Orlando, FL 32822

Phone: (407) 447-0078

The Vet Centers have been able to get veterans understand that they are not taking another veteran's place, but help them understand that they matter just as much. Heck, they helped me back in the 90's in Massachusetts when I was trying to get my husband understand that he paid for his care the day he signed the blank check to Uncle Sam.

VITAS Healthcare

"You fought a war for us. 

Is your health still a battle?"

No one washes their hands of veterans who choose hospice services from VITAS. It does not matter if you need to be in a facility or, choose to stay home, they will help you when you need it, but also help your caregivers when they need it. They know what you are dealing with and everything that came from your service. It does not matter which war, illness or even if it is from being on a contaminated military base, like Camp Lejeune. If you want to find out more about all the fabulous services they offer, call 407-921-2695

The UCF Veterans History Project is also near and dear to my heart! Since I grew up surrounded by two generations of combat veterans, I am ashamed to admit, I stopped listening to their stories...then I stopped remembering them. This is about documenting the services of veterans so that we never forget those who paid the price for the freedoms we have.

Orlando Veterans Court has a mission to help veterans heal instead of seeing them locked up! It is not a get out of jail free pass, but they set veterans up with the resources they need to begin to heal their lives!

UCF Cares About You
Phone 407-823-5607
Email ucfcares@ucf.edu
Location Ferrell Commons, Room 142

UCF Cares is an umbrella of care-related programs and resources dedicated to fostering a caring community of Knights. However, it takes all of us from students to staff, from faculty to friends, to show that we care about one another. The goal of the UCF CARES initiative is to build a culture of care one KNIGHT at a time. We are all UCF and need to do our part in connecting any fellow knights in distress to appropriate resources.

 UCF Restores
Among other awesome things UCF Restores is doing, they are conducting research on smelling~ Yep! You know how when you smell something, it can bring back memories of growing up. I sure do, because it is chocolate chip cookies out of the oven and right away I remember my Aunt's cookies. I get all warm and filled with great memories. 

Those smells can also be a trigger for something bad that happened to you. When you survived "it" every part of "you" was involved. That is why sounds and smells can bring things back you do not want to relive. They are trying to understand the association and how it can be treated.

Awesome right? For older veterans it is the smell of diesel. You know what that does.

Anyway, they are looking for males from 18 and up who are OEF OIF veterans. They want you to call 407-823-3910. 


If you are still wondering how to #TakeBackYourLife, then contact all those great groups and START DOING IT!

Rosengren Trauma Clinic at UCF RESTORES has opened

UCF RESTORES opens PTSD clinic in Brevard County
Orlando Sentinel
Naseem S. Miller
September 5, 2018

Since its launch, RESTORES trauma clinic has treated more than 450 veterans and active-duty personnel, victims of military and civilian sexual trauma, first responders from 20 states and survivors of mass shootings, including Pulse nightclub, according to a news release.

UCF RESTORES PTSD Clinic unveils new name and plaque on Sept. 7, 2018. Center director Deborah Beidel (left) and Jim and Julia Rosengren.

UCF Foundation / Courtesy photo

The Rosengren Trauma Clinic at UCF RESTORES has opened a new clinic at UCF’s regional campus in Cocoa.

This marks RESTORES’ second trauma clinic since it was established on UCF’s main campus in 2011 to treat veterans with PTSD.

“Brevard County has the fourth-largest veteran population in the state of Florida. We’ve had patients from Brevard travel to us in Orlando for treatment, but we know that’s not possible for everyone,” said Deborah Beidel, founder and director of UCF RESTORES and a Pegasus Professor of psychology, in a news release.

Beidel estimated that the new center could treat up to 100 patients in its first year. All treatments are free.
read more here