When soldiers are discharged from the military, do they receive any kind of counseling?

They can get counselling but it isn’t always very effective. There are just so many of them from so many wars. There was an interesting article in the New Yorker a few years ago. It is a problem. Two million Americans have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and they reckon there could be half a million with psychological problems as a result.

Counciling is obtainable, but they have to seek it out. Even then, it’s like a court appointed attorney. You may get a person who helps, or not.

Mental health issues are one of the biggest places we let down our vets, and civilians alike. My father’s VA provided therapist, developed an inappropriate relationship with him. I eventually had a conversation with her. She is no longer his therapist. She should probably have been fired. She was/is human. She was just going by what they spoke about. But she lost her professional objectivity, and caused my family a lot of harm.

Many would point to this, as a potential problem with universal health care. Or socialized medicine. I just see it as an anomaly.

In my opinion, all vets should have someone not just to help them, but to evaluate what their service has done to them…

They do but there is something worse about the care they get. Their are classes they can take where they are informed of all their rights but if they need more than what is allowed they have to fight for it, instead of being assigned an advocate who can maneuver the system for them. So they have to advocate for themselves and some are not very well educated or in an emotional position to advocate for themselves.

I think every unit has to have an advocate that can get to know these soldiers and understand what their needs are or will be so they can get proper care. It’s like me saying to person who can’t use his legs, hey, the help you need is on top of that mountain. You are entitled, so go get it. Some guys will struggle and reach the top of the mountain. Some guys realized there are rivers they have to swim through and they give it a try, sink or swim and some are scared they will drown.
Some branches of services have advocates and some are just someone who is assigned who know little to nothing about really getting this person the help they need.

When I got out of the military, my benefits were explained to me and psychological counseling was among them. Now I was in during peace time and not war, so it wasn’t as big an issue. But yes, counseling is available. The problem with counseling is that for it to be effective, the person getting it has to (a) recognize there is a problem (b) admit they need help and© be willing to invest fully in the counseling. Oh, and (d) the counselor has to be worth a spit. Those 4 things oftentimes combine to block effective counseling.

When I was leaving the USArmy I was given a complete physical/dental exams and transition counseling including extensive classes on how to write a resume and how to prepare for a job interview (very helpful as I got a job making 3 times my military base pay in three months after leaving the Army).

I didn’t need mental health counseling as I never went over seas or dealt with combat with a hostile enemy.

The VA also went over my medical and dental records with me and granted me a 10% medical disability.

I asked this on FB too, and tagged someone who had spent several years in the military. This was his response:
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There are a lot of options for Soldiers to find help dealing with issues relating to PTSD. The problem isn’t the lack of help, it’s the stigma, both personally and professionally, attached with seeking that help out.

There is this stupid “tough guy” image that all Soldiers are expected to maintain by their peers, superiors and subordinates. Admitting that you need some mental help is seen as weakness….stupid.

Professionally, seeking help “can” affect a Soldier’s security clearance. In certain jobs, if you can’t get or keep a clearance, your career is toast.

The help is there but the individual has to find the courage to seek it out.
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