Community Connections
Support the Foundation!
Join the Society!
Veterans Project of South Florida
– SOFAR
(877) 783-2748 • email: veteransprojectfl@gmail.com
Co-sponsors:
The Florida Psychoanalytic Society and The Southeast Florida Association
for Psychoanalytic Psychology
Support for this project is provided by The Dade Community Foundation’s
BRAIVE Fund and The American Psychoanalytic Foundation
The Veterans Project of South Florida – SOFAR is a group of about
35 psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers and other mental
health professionals who have volunteered to provide free, confidential
counseling, psychotherapy and other mental health services to Iraq and Afghan
war troops, veterans and/or their families. The Project is jointly sponsored
by the Florida Psychoanalytic Society and the SouthEast Florida Association
for Psychoanalytic Psychology (SEFAPP), which is a local chapter of Division
39 of the American Psychological Association.
The Project was started because there have not been sufficient mental health
resources available to meet the needs of the troops deployed in the current
wars and their families. Florida is third-highest among all states in number
of military personnel deployed. Its needs are high and its resources are
limited.
20 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan show symptoms
of PTSD, substance abuse, depression, and family problems. Many do not seek
treatment because of stigmatization. Reservists and National Guard personnel
often have difficulty in obtaining treatment because – unlike the
regular military – they go directly back to civilian life after discharge
and don’t have access to the psychiatric services provided on military
bases. Their spouses and family members, who suffer from the “collateral
damage” of military life, are usually not eligible for VA services.
The Project aims to fill some of these gaps in services, not to compete
with or replace existing agencies that are serving important needs. Psychoanalytic
clinicians have unique expertise in psychotherapy and family dynamics. We
understand the long-term nature of mental health problems and the impact
of trauma on families and through later generations. Much of society overlooks
our troops and their sacrifices, but this program gives us an opportunity
to provide needed services to the communities in which we live, at no charge.
The Project has received grant support from the American Psychoanalytic
Foundation and the Florida BrAIve (A for Afghanistan, I for Iraq) Fund of
the Dade Community Foundation, to pay for administrative expenses and training
activities for our volunteers and for other agencies which are gearing up
to serve veterans and their families. We are part of a network of organizations
put together by the Florida BrAIve Fund to provide a wide variety of services
to returning troops in South Florida. The Project provides consultations
and training to many of these agencies, and collaborates with them for cross-referrals
and coordination of services.
The Project is governed by a Steering Committee which meets monthly. Committee
members divided between the two sponsoring groups. It is the Florida chapter
of SOFAR, a Boston-based group that provides the same services.
Should you be interested in becoming a volunteer therapist for "The
Veteran's Project" or joining the Steering Committee contact us. If
you are interested in our services, feel free to contact us via phone or
email. You will be contacted by a mental health professional in a private
and confidential manner as quickly as possible. Via Phone: toll-free at
(877) 783-2748 Via email: veteransprojectfl@gmail.com
Members of the Steering Committee are Frederic J. Levine, Ph.D., Florida Psychoanaltyic Society, Co-Chair, Richard Steinberg, Ph.D., SEFAPP, Co-Chair, Ana Eriksen, M.D., Florida Psychoanalytic Society, Antonio Virsida, Ph.D., SEFAPP, Cathy Stamm-Kaufman, LCSW, SEFAPP, Emily Krestow, Ph.D., SEFAPP, Karen Dainer-Best, Ph.D., Florida Psychoanalytic Society, Jill Hartog, LCSW, Florida Psychoanalytic Society, and – ex-officio – Cristina Virsida, Administrator.