Offering Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Military Veterans
Speaker: Vanessa Meade, MSW, LCSW; Lee Klinger Lesser, MS
Format: Audio & Slides

This workshop will demonstrate ways for mindfulness-based clinicians and educators to connect with the veteran community and teach mindfulness tools to military veterans. Veterans are a growing population with the military downsizing after over ten years of war. Veterans are facing many difficulties including an epidemic of suicide that includes over 22 veterans a day. This workshop will be interactive in nature and will provide demonstrations of strategies and practices to work with veterans in learning mindfulness-based tools, and how to create communities of connection for veterans utilizing mindfulness-based groups. It will also address military culture in relation to mindfulness practices and how to identify and utilize the strengths of military veterans regarding their training and service to incorporate mindfulness into their lives. Participants will also interact in small groups to dialogue and explore strategies and practices to work with veterans in their own communities.