Army Warrior Reaches New Heights in Recovery with Wounded Warrior Project

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Local warriors recently attended a Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) mental health workshop at a mountain lodge and ski park in Pennsylvania. These gatherings are often the first time warriors leave their homes to connect with others in their communities.

"I heard about Wounded Warrior Project's mental health workshop from other veterans and decided to try it," said John Bates, retired U.S. Army veteran from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. "Combat takes a lot from veterans, but I've learned coping skills for everyday situations to help me be whole again. Wounded Warrior Project has given me more than I could have imagined in a short timeframe."

WWP's Combat Stress Recovery Program (CSRP) addresses the mental health needs of warriors returning from war. Thanks to generous donors, WWP offers veterans specialized mental health programs and services – tailored to each warrior's needs, free of charge.

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

WWP staff use a recovery model that allows warriors to be vulnerable to the unknown and identify and work through anxieties together. As warriors brave slopes standing as tall as 2,994 feet in elevation at the park, they actively honor the oaths they agreed to at the beginning of the workshop, including "to let go and move on," "to care for self and others," and "to be present in their recovery."

And they tackled the mountain like the warriors they are.

"If you're a warrior sitting at home in isolation, I'm telling you – you have to take the first step," John said. "This mental health workshop and other Wounded Warrior Project programs and services help a great deal. You're not going to get any better staying in the same routine and not making a change."

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