Our MissionThe mission of the Veterans Division of VIRTIS is to give assistance to veterans in dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and assisting them in dealing with the transition from military to civilian life. We are focused in accomplishing this in numerous ways:
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy The US Department of Defense (DoD) is expanding its use of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) in treating posttraumatic stress disorder. Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., the Naval Medical Center San Diego,Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, and several Veterans Affairs hospitals are using VRET as more active duty military transition into veterans. |
OIF/OEF Veterans Particularly Challenged by PTSD California leads the nation in the number of veterans who return to our state. Current figures estimate that approximately 2.2 million veterans call California home; that number is expected to increase dramatically as more military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan end their service. In talking with veterans about their experiences on college campuses, several themes emerge. Students feel out-of-place. Returning veterans are traditionally older than the regular college-going population, they are, by-and-large married with families, and have been living and being treated as "adults" for quite some time. Most importantly, they have recently been through a set of life-changing experiences that few others can either understand or relate to. Sometimes these experiences have resulted in physical disabilities or mental health issues, other times, social anxiety and/or an inability to relate to fellow students or faculty members. Getting the help they need to address these issues is difficult since many younger veterans are reluctant to identify themselves as being disabled and are wary of working with the Veteran's Administration (VA), which is well known for its delays in providing services. |
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Division Overview In talking with veterans about their experiences on college campuses, several themes emerge. Students feel out-of-place. They have recently been through a set of life-changing experiences that few others can either understand or relate to. Sometimes these experiences have resulted in physical disabilities or mental health issues, other times, social anxiety and/or an inability to relate to fellow students or faculty members. Getting the help they need to address these issues is difficult since many younger veterans are reluctant to identify themselves as being traumatized and/or disabled, and are wary of working with the Veteran s Administration (VA), an agency overwhelmed with demand, backlogged, and known for its delays in providing services. |