What is The Veteran Connection Programme?
VCP is a unique intervention based on decades of research on the effect of social group-membership for our own well-being.
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The Problem:
Being a military veteran can be a source of great pride, but many veterans struggle with the transition of leaving the military. Practical challenges such as struggles to access health services or find a civilian job are made worse by loneliness, social isolation, and lack of support that many veterans feel after leaving the service.
Research has shown that losing such valued group memberships, can substantially harm our health and well-being for everyone, but especially for veterans who due to their experiences in the military may suffer double.
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Currently, there are programmes to help veterans, but these tend to only be about how to get a job once you leave the military or are focused on people's mental health. The few existing programmes addressing social factors are often very localised or only for male or older veterans. But none of these programmes teach veterans about how to cope with the social challenges they experience and how to overcome them.
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The solution:
We wanted to address these issues, so we developed the Veteran Connection Programme (VCP). VCP is unique because it targets the specific challenges faced by veterans in peer facilitated environment. Co-developed and delivered by veterans and academics together in a friendly supportive environment, it is designed to address the unique challenges that service leavers face and provide a safe space to discuss them with people who have been there. It therefore not only aims to help veterans to understand the importance of group memberships to our health & wellbeing, but also what we can do to reconnect with old groups (e.g., family), join new ones (e.g., hiking club) and thrive in our new environment.
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The evidence:
VCP is adapted from an existing wellbeing programme called GROUPS 4 HEALTH, which has been shown to improve the wellbeing of people suffering from depression, anxiety, or loneliness and increase life satisfaction and self-esteem. It was tested in hundreds of participants who struggled with mental ill-health and has been adapted to civilian retirees and elite athletes leaving their sport. For more information and evidence, please see this summary document.
While our own research has shown the detrimental effects of leaving the military, it also highlighted that veterans tend to be healthier and happier when they are able to reconnect with old groups and join new groups. Many also suggested that a programme such as VCP - had it existed for them - would have substantially benefitted their health & wellbeing and supported their transition into civilian life.
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We have already tested the programme in a small pilot with a group of veterans in Australia and they found the programme made them feel more connected to other veterans and increased their self esteem. One veteran said: “[as veterans] we would be more susceptible to this kind of separation process”, so programmes like this “need to be done more often”.
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The current study and how you can get involved
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As we would like to get the programme approved as the standard for all transitioning veterans, we need to adhere to some academic standards to show that it works. Results so far are promising, but we want to advance our understanding of VCP in important ways and so we have developed this particular study to test
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Whether VCP improves veterans’ health/wellbeing,
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if, so, how it does this,
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Whether we still need to make any changes to VCP before we use it with veterans, and
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What is the best way for us to use VCP with veterans.
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The study involves completion of 4 modules: an induction session (30 mins) and three modules (3.5hrs, 3hrs, and 60mins respectively) of the VCP, which will be facilitated – depending on your preference – either in person or via a video-conferencing platform (e.g. Zoom). You will also be asked to complete three surveys throughout the programme which take approximately 20 minutes each and you can choose to participate in an interview to discuss your feedback on the programme and the changes you experienced when separating from the military.
If you want to get involved you can complete this form and we will then get in touch with you to schedule an orientation session.
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About us
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We are a group of veterans and researchers from across the UK and Australia. Our veteran facilitators (including different genders and cap badges) have been involved in the development of the programme and are keen to work with you. Our academic team have long experience researching, working with and alongside the military.
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at info@vetconnectprogram.com
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We're looking forward to hear from you.
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