In recognition of Month of the Military Child this April, The Cohen Veterans Network (CVN), a national not-for-profit philanthropic organization that provides mental health care to post-9/11 veterans and family members, will recognize the resiliency of military children while also providing support and resources to help them deal with the challenges of transition, frequent moves, and parental deployments.
Since its inception in April 2016, CVN has provided high-quality, military and veteran-focused mental health care services for more than 10,000 individuals, including children. Through its Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinics across the country, CVN is keeping its promise to save lives, save families, and save futures by providing therapy and much-needed resources to children nationwide.
CVN currently has 11 clinics located in San Antonio, Dallas, El Paso and Killeen in Texas; Philadelphia, New York, Washington D.C., Fayetteville NC, Clarksville TN, Denver and Tacoma, WA. Nearly half of the clients at the Cohen Clinics are family members. In fact, 14 percent of clients are children.
“Military life can be a challenge for the entire family. Anxiety, depression, adjustment challenges and other behavioral issues that come with separations and frequent moves are just some of the struggles children face,” said Dr. Anthony Hassan, President & CEO of CVN. “Our Cohen Clinics are designed with children in mind, as seen with our interactive play rooms and comfortable waiting areas for the entire family. We provide mental health care to children of veterans and active-duty parents.”
Today, CVN officially launched its campaign for Month of the Military Child with a “Purple Up!” day where all staff members – both at its central offices and at its individual Cohen Clinics – wore purple as a visible way of support and honor military youth for their strength and sacrifices.
Throughout the month, CVN will share helpful resources and facts that include insight on how the network cares for military children. A blog post, titled Month of the Military Child: Third Culture Children, gives an inside look into the life of a daughter with an active-duty father, written by a Cohen Clinic clinician in Killeen, Texas who has dedicated her career to helping military children and families.
CVN and its Cohen Clinics, will also participate in a series of activities focused on the military child, including community egg hunts, coloring activities, educational book and game drives, and even a special movie night inside one of its clinics’ community rooms. Special purple stickers with the CVN seal will also be given to children who receive therapy at the Cohen Clinics.
However, the awareness isn’t just focused on the month of April. CVN and Cohen Clinic staff members will also share pledges on social media describing how they will support military children throughout 2019 and beyond. These pledges will include such things as dedicating a 5K run to military children, volunteering time to serve them at a community event, or even taking a pledge to mentor a military child.
“Month of the Military Child is a time to applaud military families and their children for the sacrifices they make and the challenges they overcome each day,” Dr. Hassan added. “At CVN, we strive to make this is a daily effort that extends beyond the month of April, but throughout the year. We thank our military for their service as we remember – kids serve, too.”
Follow CVN’s Month of the Military Child campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
