San Antonio Warrior Thrives at Women's Mental Health Workshop

SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Women veterans recently attended an all-female Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) mental health workshop in Park City, Utah. The week kicked off with team building exercises. Throughout the five-day experiential learning event, warriors committed to personal goals they'll focus on for six months after the workshop. While these gatherings are often the first time warriors leave their homes to connect with one another and their communities, warriors return home with a network of supportive bonds to help them on their roads to recovery.

"Combat stress has made my life a roller coaster," said Stephanie Ingram, Army veteran and San Antonio resident. "I've been homeless and unemployed, but the thing that hurts most is the rejection and assumptions that come from the stigma of post-traumatic stress. When I watched a Wounded Warrior Project commercial, I was inspired to participate in the mental health workshop to challenge myself and connect with warriors who have similar obstacles – to embrace and learn from them."

Through the generous support of donors, WWP offers veterans specialized mental health programs and services – tailored to each warrior's specific needs and free of charge. One such program is its multi-day mental health workshops that are offered as all-male, all-female, or all-couples. These workshops provide safe, private environments for warriors to express themselves and share their experiences. By the end, warriors share lessons learned from the activities that impacted their personal struggles most and set achievable goals for their recoveries.

WWP staff use experiential, physical activities in a recovery model that allows warriors to be vulnerable to the unknown and identify and work through anxieties together. As warriors challenged themselves through team building activities that included an intense rock wall course and skiing, they actively honored oaths they agreed to at the beginning of the workshop, including "trusting the process" and "being present in their recovery."

"The workshop can be a beacon of light to warriors who may otherwise have given up on themselves," Stephanie said. "I'm empowered from each activity and woman from that week."

To learn and see more about how WWP's mental health workshops connect, serve, and empower wounded warriors, visit http://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/, and click on multimedia.

About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) connects, serves, and empowers wounded warriors. Read more at http://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/about-us.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project