Vet to Vet is based on the concept of mutual help. Each One Reach One Teach One. We are group of people with mental illness or psychiatric conditions who happen to be veterans. We provide training on how to establish ongoing peer support at your site. Our materials cost you nothing. We are dedicated to helping other veterans and all people who have psychiatric conditions establish meaningful lives in the community.
Vet to Vet is dedicated to the concept that people who share psychiatric experiences and/or conditions can be of help to ourselves and our system.
We believe in the Each One, Reach One, Teach One model. We teach and learn at the same time. We share our knowledge, hope and strength with each other. We all can learn and grow together.
We read materials which are recognized in the mental health profession.
We teach others through reading. We then have discussions about what we read. We talk to each other about how our lives fit or do not fit into the information that we have just read.
Gladly Teach and Gladly Learn We can learn from each other. We can work with each other. We can work with the mental health system.
Sometimes we cannot work.
Sometimes things don’t work out. We start again. We are glad to part of the mental health system. The mental health system is an opportunity and not a sentence.
1. Vet to Vet support meeting consists of a semi-structured curriculum with regular meetings.
2. The principal focus of Vet to Vet is on the unique experience of the people in our mental health programs , and how we can learn to live with problems posed by mental illness and/or an addiction.
3. Vet to Vet support meetings are peer-to-peer in orientation and are therefore led and guided by people in recovery themselves.
4. Vet to Vet is based on a partnership with the mental health system in which the mental health system provides facilities and support for Peer Educators.
5. An important feature of the partnership between Vet to Vet and the mental health system is collaborative-clinical supervision through which the mental health professionals and Vet to Vet group leaders hold regular consultative meetings.
6. Vet to Vet meetings are held in facilities made available by the mental health system to provide optimal access to services.
7. The program operates on a voluntary basis, however the value of the Vet to Vet group leaders’ contribution to the program may be acknowledged financially when possible and appropriate.
8. The role of the Vet to Vet group leaders is independent of their role as receivers of treatment.
For more information about Vet to Vet, please call Moe Armstrong at (203) 623-0731.
http://vet2vetusa.org/Services/tabid/57/Default.aspx
For Facilitators
VET TO VET: THE TRAINING MANUAL
Please click on the title above to read or download this 295-page manual, which includes the following core materials:
- How to Start a Vet to Vet Meeting
- Meeting Checklist for Facilitators
- Vet to Vet Facilitator Competencies
- Facilitators’ Manual
- Mental Illness Anonymous (MIA)
- Recovery Workbook (in English and Spanish)
- Supported Employment Working Life
OTHER MATERIALS FOR FACILITATORS:
Wellness Self-Management Personal Workbook
Peer Facilitators Manual (English)
Peer Facilitators Manual (Spanish)
Vet to Vet Fidelity Interview
Vet to Vet Fidelity Scale: Moe’s Version
Peer Educators Satisfaction Survey
Peer Facilitator Rating Scale
Training for Staff Working with Vet to Vet Facilitators
Hip Pocket Version of A Working Life for People with Severe Mental Illness
Working with Mandated Participants
Sheet to Make Vet to Vet Pins
‘Vet to Vet’ Film and Post-Film Discussion, November 2005
“Vet to Vet: The Writings from the Writer’s Group, Transcribed by Ron St. John”
Action Planning for Prevention and Recovery (SAMHSA)
Building Self-Esteem: A Self-Help Guide (SAMHSA)
Dealing with the Effects of Trauma: A Self-Help Guide (SAMHSA)
Making and Keeping Friends: A Self-Help Guide (SAMHSA)
Recovering Your Mental Health: A Self-Help Guide (SAMHSA)
Recovery and Wellness Lifestyle: A Self-Help Guide (SAMHSA)
Speaking Out for Yourself: A Self-Help Guide (SAMHSA)
Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity, and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health (SAMHSA)
http://vet2vetusa.org/Materials/ForFacilitators/tabid/67/Default.aspx