Thomas Burke Jr., a Marine who returned from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq to attend Yale Divinity School, has also done three tours in the Veterans Health Administration for mental health care and says he's experienced mixed results.
Burke, 28, served in the infantry. He said his first counselor, in 2011, didn't have much experience with combat veterans and wasn't much help. In 2012, he clicked with his second counselor, who "really cared and took time to get to know me and gave me enough of a baseline to productively go through my academics."
Before becoming a minister and providing mental care of his own, he tried to get back into counseling. But it was a "very negative experience," he said. "I went in, being vulnerable and laying out my problems, and they were dismissive and condescended to me and treated me like I am some victim and were not getting to the bottom of the problem and essentially said 'thanks for telling us,' " Burke said. "Imagine what damage that can do to veterans who seek help.
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https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/01/health/veterans-mental-health-care-federal-investigation/index.html
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Burke, 28, served in the infantry. He said his first counselor, in 2011, didn't have much experience with combat veterans and wasn't much help. In 2012, he clicked with his second counselor, who "really cared and took time to get to know me and gave me enough of a baseline to productively go through my academics."
Before becoming a minister and providing mental care of his own, he tried to get back into counseling. But it was a "very negative experience," he said. "I went in, being vulnerable and laying out my problems, and they were dismissive and condescended to me and treated me like I am some victim and were not getting to the bottom of the problem and essentially said 'thanks for telling us,' " Burke said. "Imagine what damage that can do to veterans who seek help.
Continuation of article on ...
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/01/health/veterans-mental-health-care-federal-investigation/index.html