ACVOW provides a wide and varied package of services resource to our veterans and active warriors, through a number of different programs.
Safe Warrior Outreach Program
All veterans and active duty military personnel are invited to attend these group sessions. The program is led by combat veterans and is held each Tuesday in Oceanside. Attendees talk about whatever is on their mind and often work through post traumatic stress related issues with other veterans. To inquire about the Safe Warrior Outreach Program call 858-552-7501 or just come to a meeting.
We meet every Tuesday evening at 1900 hrs at 3508 Seagate Way, #160, Oceanside, CA 92056. We are across the parking lot from the VA Health Clinic.
The Safe Lioness Program
Female warriors are often overlooked as combat veterans and many of them suffer from the effects of combat stress just as the men do. It is a priority of ACVOW to implement a program for female warriors as soon as possible, but we cannot do it without funding.
Individual Support
All ACVOW staff members are available to speak, one-on-one, with military personnel and family members to help individuals cope with battlefield related stress. If you or anyone you know exhibits any of the following characteristics, please call ACVOW at 858-552-7501:
- Depression
- Isolation
- Rage
- Alienation: Avoidance of Feelings
- Survival Guilt
- Anxiety Reactions
- Intrusive Thoughts
- Recurrent, re-experiencing of the trauma
- Avoidance to the point of having a phobia of places, people, and experiences.
- Chronic physical signs of hyper-arousal, including sleep problems, trouble concentrating, irritability, anger, poor concentration, blackouts or difficulty remembering things, increased tendency and reaction to being startled, and hyper-vigilance to threat.
Warrior Transition Program
When troops return from deployment, ACVOW is made available to address them and their families on recognizing the signs of PTSD. Troops are not only encouraged to be aware of the signs for themselves, but among each other as well.
Resources for help with combat stress are distributed to every individual. Contact information and meeting schedules for the Safe Warrior Outreach Program (mentioned above) are available to the troops should they believe it to be necessary to contact ACVOW.
Counseling
ACVOW will encourage counseling from professional counselors and help fight the stigma of seeking treatment for post traumatic stress. ACVOW is an excellent conduit between military personnel and professional counseling such as that provided by the VA and Marine Corps Family Services.
Veterans Administration Assistance
As the best medical health care system in the world, the VA has many valuable resources for veterans, but it can also be quite literally a massive and daunting bureaucracy. Many veterans feel overwhelmed and discouraged when seeking assistance from the VA and often never obtain the assistance they deserve. With an office on the first floor of the VA hospital, ACVOW can help get them to the right place and avoid unnecessary delays in treatment.
Resources
There are many assistance programs for veterans that often go unused because veterans are unaware of their existence or unsure of where to find them. ACVOW can help direct veterans to the right organizations and agencies for their needs.
Advocacy
ACVOW staff members speak on behalf of military personnel and veterans through regular speaking engagements and media appearances. To book an ACVOW speaker for your organization, please email Bill Rider at wrider@acvow.org.
