My Success Story
My name is Jonathan. In 2005, I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic
Stress disorder. I am a former United States Marine of 8 years. I've
served in Iraq during (Operation Iraqi Freedom) twice, 2003-2004. Since
exiting the military in 2005, I found it hard to cope with day to day
life in an unstructured society. I worked hard at the Veteran Affairs
Medical Center with the help of my psychologist and took medication to
stay functional. However, I also wanted to find an alternative to the
medications, so I was recommended to MHAV by the Virginia Wounded Warrior ProgramVirginia Department of Veterans Affairs-Virginia Wounded Warrior Program and heard about the recovery process. For the first time, I believed recovery was possible. I was sponsored by the
to attend a Consumer Empowerment and Leadership Training (CELT) class
with MHAV in May 2009 and learned more about the recovery process and
self care. The atmosphere was calm and understanding. The staff was
wonderful! Hopefully in the future, I can become a CELT instructor. My
life has really changed and I really enjoy working with people who
understand.