Family Crisis Coach Scott H. Silverman has served the population of San Diego for decades and has witnessed firsthand the struggles that Veterans face. He is the principal Founder of The Veterans Navigation Center, a 501(c)(3) organization.
The Veterans Navigation Center connects Veterans to expert case managers familiar with the complex landscape of Veteran benefits and resources. Often, the case managers are Veterans themselves.
Many Veterans will tell you they don't have the necessary resources to transition from active duty to civilian life successfully. Sometimes, Veterans don’t realize what help is available and talking to a fellow Veteran can be eye-opening.
Veterans experience higher-than-average rates of mental health challenges, like PTSD and substance use disorders. Many Veterans are homeless, and some are even dealing with food insecurity. Veterans are 50% more likely than non-veterans to attempt suicide.
“Eighty percent of the veterans who have taken their own life, have not accessed any kind of mental health support,” says Silverman, “It’s time for that to change. I’m tired of going to funerals.”
The Veterans Navigation Center’s case managers focus on the helping Veterans obtain the following services, most are offered by their network of “partner organizations:”
• Acquiring Benefits
• Employment/Work/Life Skills Training
• Treatment for Substance Use
• Mental Health Counseling for Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, or Trauma
• Family and Marriage Counseling
• Veteran Legal Services
• Housing
Scott H. Silverman, in addition to being a Family Crisis Coach and the author of The Opioid Epidemic, is also the founder and CEO of Confidential Recovery, an outpatient addiction treatment program in San Diego that focuses on helping Veterans and first responders get and stay sober.
It’s no surprise that Scott’s years of service has led to him connecting with a network of partners who can help Veterans. San Diego is home to the largest concentration of military personnel in the U.S. About 15,000 active military personnel transition out of the service each year in San Diego, so almost 1 in 10 adults civilians in San Diego have served in the U.S. military.
For More Information:
The Veterans Navigation Center can help Veterans who reside in California, and their website is here: https://veteransnavigationcenter.org/. Their team can be reached by submitting a form on their site, or calling (858) 567-9191. Confidential Recovery’s website is here: https://www.confidentialrecovery.com/, and they can be reached through their website or by calling (619) 452-1200.
Scott H. Silverman can be reached at (619) 993-2738.