Be a Battle Buddy

In this course, Wounded Warrior Project’s Mike Richardson dispels some common myths about our country’s wounded warriors and provides facts to help you better connect with the wounded warriors in your life.

In this course, Dr. Ted Bonar, discusses factors that influence the development and experience of the use of substances in military culture along with evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder. 

This course defines trauma and how it presents itself, and is specifically designed to help volunteers interact with veterans dealing with trauma that affects their health and/or ability to function. Safety, trust and transparency, empowerment, collaboration, and cultural issues (STECC) are the five main tips to help you have a positive interaction with veterans. It’s important to remember that not all veterans are affected by trauma, but to keep in mind that they could be.

This course is designed to educate family members and caregivers about depression. It describes the symptoms of depression, facts and myths about depression, and how depression presents itself in the home. 

This course was created to educate healthcare providers who care for our military veterans. PsychArmor asked hundreds of veterans what they wanted civilians, employers, educators, health care providers, and therapists to know about them.

Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants to identify, understand and respond to mental health and substance use challenges. This basic course on mental health and substance abuse conditions will give you the skills to notice and engage individuals experiencing these symptoms which cause suffering. Through engagement, you can offer understanding and invite them to expand their care team with resources that can help. 

Our hope for this course is that you will become empowered to play a vital role in suicide prevention. This course was developed in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs and is presented by Dr. Megan McCarthy, deputy director, suicide prevention. You will develop a general understanding of the problem of suicide in the United States; understand how to identify a veteran who may be at risk for suicide; and, finally, know what to do if you identify a veteran at risk. Each of us has the opportunity to be that one person who makes a difference--the person who asks the question that can save a veteran's life, or the life of anyone struggling with the thoughts of suicide. Using the simple steps of S.A.V.E., we can all make a difference.

To create an open, honest discussion about mental health, and to actively prevent more of your brothers and sisters who have served from dying by suicide, military members and veterans should use the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Learn more about the Columbia Scale, including step-by-step instructions on how to use it, with Dr. Kelly Posner, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and founder of the Columbia Lighthouse Project. 

Reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms and medication, can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies. This course is about how to reduce access to the methods people use to kill themselves. It covers who needs lethal means counseling and how to work with people at risk for suicide—and their families—to reduce access.

Postvention is a term unfamiliar to many people, yet it is a critical component of suicide prevention. This course, narrated by Dr. Shauna Springer, explains postvention, what it is and why it is important.

Dr. Craig Bryan of the University of Utah National Center for Veterans Studies provides an overview of military suicide statistics and explains unique factors that may be related to increased rates in military suicide.

After taking this course, you will develop an understanding of the increased risk for suicide we see in military and veteran caregivers, identify the signs of an at-risk veteran caregiver, and know steps you can take to help a Veteran caregiver.

“Finding Stability After Suicide Loss” explains that suicide loss survivors often find it hard to reach out for help, and the people in their lives are often unsure how to help.

Those who have served, as well as their families, are at a greater risk of suicide than people without military experience. Join Dr. Craig Bryan for an overview of the Crisis Response Plan and how it has helped Veterans and others who are at risk.

In this course, Dr. Craig Bryan discusses the details of the Crisis Response Plan. He then goes through the five sections of the Crisis Response Plan and details the questions to ask in order to help our loved ones.