Finding the Calm in the Storm: Healing Resources for Returning Veterans and Their Families
A project of the Institute, in collaboration with local congregations, to develop ministries of outreach and support for returning soldiers and their loved ones. Teams from participating Massachusetts communities of faith have been educated about the challenges faced by members of the armed forces and their families as they return from deployment. The program also includes training in trauma healing and resiliency and assistance partnering with organizations such as the national Yellow Ribbon Program and Massachusetts’ Operation Total Warrior to build responsive networks of resources in order to make a difference in the lives of the men, women and children of the military, and especially those whose health and well-being are at risk. (Click here to read the entire press release)
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“The Spiritual Journey Home from War”
Full and half-day workshops for clergy, social workers, caregivers, community and family members, in collaboration with The Veterans Education Project. In this interactive program, participants have the opportunity to hear directly from those who have struggled with healing from trauma, family members and professionals serving them, giving an overview of the dynamics of trauma, its impact on individuals and communities, the path to healing, barriers to re-integration, resources available, and proven strategies for support of those who have experienced trauma. (click here for Workshop listings)
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Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resiliency (STAR 1)
An in-depth four-day training session including instruction in the types of trauma, signs of its effect on body, mind and spirit, common responses to unhealed trauma, new skills, and strategies to address its impact and build resilience. Developed by Eastern Mennonite University, this training will gives participants greater understanding and a variety of resources to support returning veterans and their families as they transition back into civilian life and work through their experience of trauma. (Click here to link to our brochure).
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Brookfield Institute Receives Grant to Help Returning Veterans
and Their Families
The Brookfield Institute, in collaboration with five Massachusetts United Church of Christ congregations, has received a grant from the Barnes Fund for Mission and Justice Ministries of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ (MACUCC). The grant funding will support “Finding the Calm in the Storm,” the Institute’s program for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and military families as they face the many hurdles of re-integrating into civilian life.
Recent Veteran’s Affairs Department statistics show that the mental health challenges of vets returning from service in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to increase as they re-adjust to life here at home. "When military families have a greater understanding of the links between trauma and behavior, they are more able to access the countless resources in both veterans organizations and in various non-profits in local communities that have sprung up in recent years,” notes Dr. Beverly Prestwood-Taylor, Executive Director of The Brookfield Institute, and co-facilitator of the Institute’s veterans program.
Plymouth Church and Edwards Church, UCC, both in Framingham; the Congregational Church of Christ, UCC, in Leominster; and Belchertown United Congregational Church of Christ are among the congregations who will join the Institute in this pilot project to develop outreach and support for returning soldiers and their loved ones. Goals of the project include educating about the challenges faced by members of the armed forces and their families as they return from deployment. It will equip congregations with skills for trauma healing and resiliency and facilitate their partnering with organizations to build responsive networks of resources to make a difference in the lives of the men, women and children of the military, and especially those whose health and well-being are at risk. “We are honored to take a faith community role in collaborating with the Brookfield Institute, other congregations, and the wider community to offer healing resources to the men and women who have given so much, lost so much, and who may be in need,” wrote Jane Fadden, UCC pastor and member of Plymouth Church.
The Brookfield Institute, a non-profit organization based in Brookfield, MA, focuses on trauma healing for individuals, families and communities. Working collaboratively with other veteran’s organizations such as the Veteran’s Education Project in Amherst, MA, the Institute is committed to providing a variety of resources for individuals and families including the facilitation of support groups, workshops designed for service providers of military personnel, and in-depth trauma awareness and resiliency training. The Institute’s “Spiritual Journey Home from War” workshop has received the support and endorsement of such organizations as the Mass. Corps of Fire Chaplains and the MACUCC’s Mission and Justice Commission.
The United Church of Christ is the oldest and largest Protestant denomination in the Commonwealth, with nearly 400 churches and 75,000 members. Massachusetts Conference congregations have always worked for social justice, from founding the first public schools to ordaining the first African-American pastor. The MACUCC’s Barnes Fund for Mission and Justice Ministries is funded by a gift from the estate of Arthur and Sidney Barnes.
