Community Circles Strength at Home: Central Valley, CA
A new version of the Community Circles demonstration project, Community Circles Strength At Home, is available for Central Valley, CA veterans of any service era and their friends and family. The National Center on Family Homelessness, in conjunction with Dr. Casey Taft, National Center for PTSD, the Boston VA Medical Center and Associate Professor at Boston University School of Medicine, adapted his Strength At Home CBT for Community Circles.
The goal of Community Circles Strength At Home is to build stronger relationships on the Homefront for returning Veterans and their family or demobilizing Guard/Reserve. The Community Circles Strength At Home program offers tools to strengthen relationships and help Veterans or returning service members and their families (and friends) adjust after the unique stresses associated with deployment or separation from service. Community Circles Strength At Home pairs Veterans with a romantic partner, parent, sibling or a friend to support a stable transition into civilian life. The program seeks to enhance communication, closeness, and happiness in relationships. Results from the program are helping to improve services to veterans and military families. Community Circles Strength At Home is supported by a grant from the Blue Shield of California Foundation.
Preventing Interpersonal Violence Initiative
Testimonials
"My husband doesn't understand me anymore. Even I don't get it (PTSD)." _ Army Reservist
"I like that my mom can go with me. She wants to help but doesn't have any way to help me. It's frustrating." - Marine, separated 2009
"For the first time in my life I realized why I used drugs and alcohol and why I have argued with my wife." - Program participant
"(This group) is life-altering." - Program participant
Strength At Home: Free Classes
The Strength At Home program offers FREE two-hour classes weekly for 10 to 12 weeks at San Joaquin Valley Veterans and other Central Valley, CA locations.
Classes include options for weekend time slots as well as weekday evening and even weekday lunch
Refreshments, light meals and on-site child care are offered at no charge for participants
Stipends are available to offset the cost of attending classes
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Am I eligible for this program?
A. Community Circles Strength At Home is offered to Central Valley, CA, Veterans and Guard/Reserve with their choice of attending with a spouse, relative, or friend.
Q. What is required to participate?
A. Go to an orientation and attend 10 weekly classes (2 hours per class) and take part in brief assignments outside of the classroom. To help us evaluate the program, we ask you to fill out questionnaires before, during, and after the program and to attend an assessment session.
Q. Are these classes confidential?
A. Yes. Your information is confidential and protected at all times.
Contact
For Central Valley, CA Veterans and their family or friends interested in Community Circles Strength At Home, please contact:
Brittney Beer
San Joaquin Valley Veterans - A Project of WESTCARE
4928 E. Clinton Ave. Suite 101
Fresno, CA 93727
559-255-8838
Brittney.Beer@westcare.com
