Wounded Warrior Project Challenges Couples at Mental Health Workshop

WHITESBURG, Ga., Aug. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Warrior couples from across the nation recently attended a Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) mental health workshop at Historic Banning Mills in Whitesburg, Georgia. These gatherings are often the first time warriors leave their homes to connect with others in their communities.

"Being around other veterans is the best medicine," said Luke Herbst, U.S. Army wounded warrior from the Nashville, Tennessee, area. "When others are dealing with similar issues, you feel less alone. The same can be said about the spouses of veterans – they marry into and inherit a lot of the same issues as veterans. I'm grateful my wife attended, connected, and stays in contact with other spouses from the workshop."

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. WWP and its supporters believe warriors already paid their dues on the battlefield.

One 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 combat experiences.

WWP staff incorporate local activities in a recovery model that allows warriors to be vulnerable to the unknown and identify and work through anxieties together. As warriors brave close to 10 miles of what Guinness World Records deems the longest and largest zip line canopy tour in the world, they are actively honoring the oaths they agreed to at the beginning of the workshop, including "to let go and move on."

By the end, warriors share lessons learned from the activities that impacted their personal struggles most and set achievable goals for their recoveries.

"For many years I drank a lot and wasn't very active," Luke said. "Wounded Warrior Project contributed to my recovery, and this workshop allowed me and my wife to have some hard talks. It was important to have a safe place for her to voice concerns. I am just thankful for the opportunity to spend some quality time with her." 

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