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By Teagan Rasche

Operation Together We Stand

By veterans, for veterans: social workers offering group therapy for those who’ve served

Oct 22, 2021 | 1:50 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB –It was a war that spanned almost two decades. In August, the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan.

The decision to withdraw U.S troops from the country led to a chaotic evacuation with desperate residents clinging to military planes hoping to escape.

Since then, two local social workers have noticed an increase in the number of military and veterans struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma related injuries and a sense of hopelessness. To help, they’re starting a therapeutic group aimed strictly at serving veterans and members of the RCMP.

It’s called OP (Operation) Together We Stand and it’s a mental health group that focuses on the unique lived experiences of veterans.

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The two social workers who started it have first-hand experience with the military.

Jeremy Alcorn has worked in mental health since 2004 and spent two years working directly with the Department of National Defence. Scott Mastel is a veteran himself, serving nine years from 2001 to 2010. He now works in addiction and mental health care.

Both are passionate about helping those who have served but understand there is a hesitation when seeking help, especially when it comes to mental health.

“No matter how small of an inkling you think it is, you still deserve to have that happiness and peace in your life,” Mastel said. “Everything is on a spectrum and you certainly deserve to have some peace. You’d be surprised what a little bit of talk and a little bit of group work can really do to improve the quality of your life.”

Alcorn and Mastel say every single veteran has Blue Cross coverage so cost shouldn’t be a factor.

But if you don’t have coverage, they will connect you with help to get it.

As for the therapy itself, it’s 10 weeks long with two-hour sessions once a week. It’s a closed group and the same people will be with each other for the whole time.

“What we want to do is to have people recognize that we aren’t talking about mental illness, we are talking about mental health,” Alcorn said. “Everybody struggles at some point and the only way we get through life is together.”

The aim is to have OP Together We Stand start in the new year but it will start sooner if it fills up quickly.

For more information, contact Jeremy at 403-977-1514 or email jclarkcounselling@gmail.com.