By RUSTY DENNEN

A group of area veterans met last week in Fredericksburg to talk about their military experiences, share information and forge new friendships.

The peer-support group is one component of a new program to help those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

"It's not a therapy group. It's for networking, information sharing, friendship, a place to come and chat with each other," said Camilla Schwoebel, a licensed professional counselor and program manager with the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board.

She was hired earlier this year to head up the Wounded Warrior Program for Health Planning Region I, which includes eight community services boards in the northwestern part of the state. Four full-time peer specialists are based in Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Winchester. They provide outreach and referral.

Claude J. Boushey, a retired Army veteran of the Iraq war, is the peer specialist in Fredericksburg.

"A big part of it is getting the word out--that people know we're here and about the services we can provide," Schwoebel said.

Those include the peer support groups, marriage counseling, family and child counseling, substance abuse counseling, identification and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, and referral information.

Veterans and members of the National Guard and Reserve who are not eligible for benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs are eligible. They must be Virginia residents. But, Schwoebel said, "If you don't qualify and you're not a combat veteran, we'll still do whatever we can." That goes for family members as well, she said. Family-support groups are in the works.

Funded by a $300,000 grant, the program is intended to complement services available at VA clinics such as McGuire Veterans Hospital in Richmond. Post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries are major hurdles for troops returning from multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Created by the General Assembly in 2008, the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program has:

Established three regional offices covering Northern, central and Southwest Virginia.

Funded five regional consortiums of community mental health, brain injury and rehabilitative services specialists, as well as the Veterans Administration and military, to connect with veterans and their families.

Initiated a statewide needs assessment to find gaps in services, and an outreach program to encourage veterans to seek assistance.

For more information on the local program, call 373-3223, ext. 3085.

dvs.virginia.gov/woundedwarrior

Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com