University Park, IL–(ENEWSPF)– “Recognizing the Need for Peer Support for Returning Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans” is the topic of an important, free seminar to be held at Governors State University on October 27, from 1 to 6 p.m. in the Cafeteria Annex.
Participants in this seminar will focus on making a difference in the lives of returning Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. The seminar will focus on understanding the need and benefit of peer support for vets, developing ways that the university and the GSU Counseling Department can help veterans and their families, and establishing a peer support network on campus.
“In Afghanistan and Iraq, life and death are a daily routine. Our service men and women must push their emotions aside so they can function. What was real is no longer real. Then they come home to where life went on without them, where they have to swallow their emotions, and change the way they love, live, and relate,” explains Dr. Cyrus M. Ellis. CPT, USAR, RET, Associate Professor of Counseling. Dr. Ellis also has 20 years of service in the U.S. Army, and has been on a number of military deployments.
“Veterans need to share the intangibles with someone who understands, someone who won’t question their values, and who will keep them from being alone in the darkness. This seminar will help us prepare to respond to this growing need,” adds Dr. Ellis.
In conjunction with GSU, the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and VETNET will be on hand to assist veterans in registering for benefits, receiving information about VA services and other services for veterans and their families.
The seminar is sponsored by Chi Sigma Iota – the Professional Counseling Honors Society, and the Illinois Association of Counseling Students at GSU. Governors State University is located at 1 University Parkway, University Park, Illinois. For more information or to register for this free seminar, call (708) 534-4907.
