SOFAR State Chapters

Massachusetts

SOFAR Massachusetts 617-266-2611 |help@sofarusa.org

Michigan

SOFARMichigan: 1-877-54 SOFAR

New York

SOFARNY 212-561-6702 | SOFARNY@gmail.com

WFUV's Strike a Chord Focuses on Veterans and Their Families

Noncommercial Radio Station Continues Public Service Initiative This Summer New York, NY

This summer, WFUV's public service campaign, Strike A Chord, has spotlighted the issues facing war veterans and their families. The focus continues throughout the week of September 7th, when WFUV's news series will highlight the issue of unemployment among veterans, tell the story of a Pearl Harbor veteran and look at efforts to assist female vets.

On Saturday, September 12th at 7:30 AM, Cityscape, WFUV's weekly public affairs show, will feature a profile of a program that collects DVDs for veterans in hospitals, clinics and homes. Cityscape will also include a story about an organization that has prisoners train puppies to work as service dogs for soldiers physically wounded or suffering psychological problems after their service. In addition, the half-hour program will delve into a variety of other issues affecting military veterans and their families, from unemployment to parenting. Host George Bodarky will be joined by panelists Robert Schwartz of Helmets to Hardhats, Dr. Marisa Koten of Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists (SOFAR), Caroline Peacock of the Home Again: Veterans and Families Initiative at the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, and Afghanistan veteran and Home Again Peer Advocate Edward Diaz.

Strike a Chord is a public service campaign designed to bring attention to vital community-related issues in New York City and across the region every season. Each quarter, the station will explore subjects as varied as healthcare, homelessness, the environment and veterans affairs with on-air public service announcements, news stories and features. Cityscape, the station's award-winning news and public affairs program, will devote one program per quarter to the issues in the Strike a Chord spotlight.

Coverage will also come through WFUV's e-newsletter and quarterly mailer, events and public forums, giving the general public a chance to contribute to the dialogue. Strike a Chord was developed in conjunction with WFUV's Community Advisory Board. Listeners and organizations interested in being involved can find more information at www.wfuv.org/strikeachord.

WFUV is a non-commercial, listener-supported public radio station, licensed to Fordham University for over 60 years. Serving nearly 300,000 listeners each week in the New York area and thousands more worldwide on the web, and a leader in contemporary music radio, WFUV offers an eclectic mix of rock, singer-songwriters, blues, world and other music, plus headlines from National Public Radio and local news.

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NYU Today
February 23, 2009

NYU Program to Provide Outreach to Families of Military Reservists

NYU’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis has launched a local initiative supporting Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists (SOFAR). The national, pro bono mental health project provides free psychological support and prevention services to extended family of military reservists and national guardsmen and guardswomen deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait. Reservists and National Guard soldiers and their families make up a population that is distinct from regular military troops, with significant problems and needs that are unmet, the organization notes. The families do not live on military bases, but are spread across the country, without centralized support, and are more vulnerable to the strains of war than their regular counterparts. It is estimated that 49 percent of reserve and guard soldiers will experience mental health problems, compared to 31 percent of Marines and 38 percent of those in the Army. To support SOFAR’s efforts, NYU’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis offers training workshops to professionals while its students, graduates, and faculty volunteer to provide assistance to soldiers and their families. “I am very proud that our program is contributing to this critical mental health need that affects not only military personnel, but also their families and communities in New York and across the country,” said Lewis Aron, director of the postdoctoral program. “As psychologists and psychoanalysts, we bring unique skills and experience to address the impact of trauma, which is transmitted across generations.” For more, go to http://postdoc psychoanalytic.as.nyu.edu.
—James Devi

The Veterans Project of South Florida, a SOFAR Affiliate

877-783-2748 | veteransprojectfl@gmail.com

To inquire about our free mental health services, please contact the Intake Coordinator in your county, or call our toll free number above.

County	Intake Coordinator	Phone
Broward	Emily Krestow, Ph.D.	(954) 929-4199
Dade	Jill Hartog, LCSW	(305) 274-0018
Palm Beach	Richard Steinberg, Ph.D.	(561) 393-1439

For general information or to reach our Administrative offices, our toll-free number is (877) 783-2748. You may also contact us via email at veteransprojectfl@gmail.com.

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Press Coverage:

From the Miami Herald:

Free help is available to troops, veterans and military families through the Veterans Project of South Florida. The group consists of 35 mental health practitioners who offer unlimited, confidential services and who also help train volunteers involved with Florida BrAIve Fund.

``Along with the need for mental health services for troops, we offer help for the wives and parents who are left behind and need help coping while their loved ones are gone and when they return,'' project coordinator Cristina Virsida said. ``We are especially concerned with helping the children who need someone to talk to.'' Read more>>