COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Every month, hundreds of veterans are transitioning from serving our country to finding where they will serve next as members of Colorado communities. Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center in Colorado Springs helps make that transition successful for veterans and their families.
“We just want to give opportunities for them to not give up,” said Kirsten Belaire, Behavioral Health Program Manager at Mt. Carmel. “Sometimes the families are struggling to understand what is going on with their loved one or maybe how that person has changed, the person they were and the person that now comes back.”
That’s where Mt. Carmel comes in to make the next steps possible.
“It’s a matter of finding the future and not just the present and being able to do something right now,” said Daniel Martinez, Director of Employment and Transition at Mt. Carmel.
Mt. Carmel offers services to returning service members and families.
“Trauma informed yoga, tai chi, equine therapy, art therapy as well as the retreat program,” said Belaire. "We also have people who do the talk therapy in conjunction with the alternative therapies."
Beyond therapy programs, the veterans service center helps bridge the gap for veterans leaving the service and finding new careers. Staff members go through mock interviews with clients helping them prepare for entering into the workforce or higher education.
Mt. Carmel also works alongside a variety of community partners. The Pikes Peak Workforce Center is one that provides networking, career coaching and job opportunities.
Mt. Carmel hosts job fairs for service members and spouses to integrate themselves back into the community, with many staff members on the other side of the transition helping to make the journey a success.
“To me it’s amazing where I came from to where I am now and I see this in a lot of our clientele as well,” said Martinez.
To learn more or schedule a visit with Mt. Carmel, you can call (719) 772-7000 or visit the Mt. Carmel website.