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Bad Paper, Good Treatment

December 05, 2018

By Jennifer Stivers Bad Paper can be unfair. It can have serious negative consequences for vets. It affects hundreds of thousands. But it doesn’t count at VFR, where Bad Paper will never get in the way of top notch mental health care. “Bad Paper” is a term used to indicate a discharge from the military that was officially classed as… Read More

You Don’t Have to Go It Alone

November 27, 2018

Last Thursday I sat in my car for hours, as a flash snowstorm somehow unravelled all of Northern New Jersey’s transportation network. As I struggled to keep my car from sliding out of control, as many people reading this did, I had a chilling thought about the moment I was in: “No one can help me.” There have been very… Read More

Thankful that lives are changing for the better

November 22, 2018

Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what we have and the people we have in our lives. What we have and treasure at Strive are lives that are changing for the better. We are thankful for our amazing staff. They change lives every day and are helping bridge the gaps in our communities. We are thankful for our awesome clients,… Read More

Thera-me: The Service Equation

November 22, 2018

I’ve a lot to be grateful for….. but am I doing enough in return? For our clients, for my family, for the people around me. Surely some have done much more than I. At a Veterans Cemetery recently with John, who is himself a Vet, we noticed this, over an entrance gate: “All gave Some, Some gave All.” Everyone’s act… Read More

Thera-me: Going beyond… self care

November 15, 2018

A particular buzz word has been filling my feed lately… Self Care. The term itself seems to have many definitions, but in general, it means giving to or caring for one’s self. At the Strive Centers we stress both sides of the term: how a self-caring and empowered person makes for a more empathic one. We talk about “applying your… Read More

Thera-me: Of Gratitude and Service

November 08, 2018

Thera-me is a series of blog posts by Strive clinicians, reflecting their thoughts and experiences as they work to create the most effective substance use care possible.  The author today, Deborah McKinley, is Strive/VFR Vice President of Program Development.

It’s Tuesday evening in North Jersey and I’m driving to our facility in Paramus, full of curiosity and more than a little anxious. It’s our first VFR Women’s Veterans Support Group and its so damned important. Yes, we’ve all—our staff at Paramus—been totally into this first part of what will soon become a much bigger program to support women vets… Read More