Coming this Monday is Veterans Day. For this upcoming holiday, Mesa College devoted a week full of services exclusive to veterans known as “Veterans Appreciation Week”. One of the services provided for this week-long event was a Mobile Vet Center, which was situated at parking lot #1 (by the Student Services building) on Tuesday, November 5, 2013 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
The Mobile Vet Center provided information on vet centers, the different types of counseling services and resources available, which included counseling for: readjustment, MST (military sexual trauma), PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), and more. Also available at the vet centers are individual/group counseling, marriage & family counseling, workshops to manage stress, anxiety, and anger, bereavement counseling for family members who are coping with the loss of a loved one, and areas for veterans to receive referrals and guidance for future employment. Life skills classes are also accessible in the vet centers. They offer classes such as Tai Chi and mantra meditation. “Counseling is free, all confidential”, assures Linda Maggio, who is currently a hired therapist for the veterans event. Additionally, there is a strict policy held above the counselors (who are all licensed professionals) for confidentiality and privacy to create a safe and open atmosphere that allows “walls to come down” for veterans.
Traumas such as MST and PTSD are conditions afflicting many veterans. MST is short for ‘military sexual trauma’. It refers to sexual harassment done to veterans without their consent during their time in the military. Also falling into this category are: “unwanted sexual touching or grabbing; threatening, offensive remarks about a person’s body or sexual activites.” For veterans with MST “the vet center provides free, confidential counseling and treatment […] for mental and physical health conditions related to experiences of MST.” PTSD stands for post traumatic stress disorder and is caused by alarming, horrid experiences—especially during combat and deployment. Help is always available. “We see people who want to be seen” says Maggio.
When making an appointment, one can either call or go in on a walk-in basis from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays. (It has been said that, counselors receive and can accept appointments an hour early before their shifts). Not only are the counseling sessions free, but there are also no time limitations.
The nearest vet centers are:
- San Diego Vet Center
- 2790 Truxton Road Suite 130, San Diego, CA 92106
- (858) – 642 – 15000
- San Marcos Vet Center
- 1 Civic Center Dr. Suite 150 (City Hall Building) San Marco, CA 92069-2918
- (858) – 898 – 6050
- Chula Vista Vet Center
- 180 Otay Lakes Rd., Ste. 108 Bonita, CA 91902
- (877) – 618 – 6534
These vet centers are available to provide assistance for veterans and/or their family members. “We want to let them know that support is available for them”.
