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Advice and Resources for Employees and Employers Coping with PTSD
Employers should not label or identify veterans or other employees (who may or may not have PTSD) as different from anyone else; instead, they should treat them as they would any employee and deal with any individual issues at an individual level. Employers should avoid stereotyping.
Creating a Positive Workplace
Inclusion is one of the best ways to accommodate the needs of someone with PTSD. If an employer can develop a partner/mentor program in which a veteran with PTSD is paired with another veteran (and optimally with a veteran employee resource group), then it will greatly assist in their assimilation into the workplace.
Formalized onboarding and training programs that meet specific needs for veterans, including those with PTSD, can help enable their success.
Available Resources
PsychArmor provides several free online courses taught by subject matter experts. Our Helping You Help Veterans call center (844-PsychArmor) is staffed by Masters and Doctorate level mental health providers who are trained to answer any questions employers have to assist veterans and individuals with PTSD.
A variety of governmental resources (i.e., the Veterans Administration, Department of Labor, Department of Defense, etc.) have extensive educational, mental health, employment, and other programs.
Nongovernmental agencies and Veteran Service Organizations, such as the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and many others are focused on helping veterans obtain the proper benefits that they have earned through their service.
Nonprofits focus on everything from service animals to higher education to industry focused employment.
Many employers have veteran resource groups for their employees in the same manner as other diversity related groups. Every veteran should ask about veteran groups in their company.
CASY & MSCCN in the Community
Rear Admiral Dan Kloeppel, USN (Ret.) Founder and CEO, CASY & MSCCN, and Sandy Artman, Recruiter Connect Specialist, visited the Veterans Curation Program in downtown Saint Louis, Missouri on August 6, 2015.
Melanie Nicks, Recruiter Connect Specialist, attended the 8th Marine Corps Recruiting Command District Spouses Orientation Course in Fort Worth, Texas on August 5, 2015 and introduced spouses to MSCCN's resources.
Fort Hood Soldiers graduate from a SAP pilot class on September 1, 2015. CASY partnered with SMLA to provide this class. Stacy Bayton, CASY & MSCCN Senior Executive Vice President, attended the event.
Veterans attended CASY's IBM® i2® Analyst’s Notebook® training in Hampton Roads, Virginia from August 17th through the 21st. The event was sponsored by CASY, IBM, and Thomas Nelson Community College.