3. Is the Veterans Empowerment
Center (VEC) for me?
VEC will help you to identify and
develop your strengths and goals. VEC
is specifically designed for Veterans
who want more meaningful lives and
experience significant difficulties living
with diagnoses including:
• Schizophrenia
• Schizoaffective Disorder
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder
• Severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
How do I apply?
If you are interested in finding out
more information about joining the
VEC you may:
• Refer yourself by contacting the VEC
Coordinator, Lori Breen, at
215-823-4260
• Ask your healthcare provider for a
referral
• Come to our VEC Information Session
on Fridays at 9:30-10:00 am in 7B102A
to see if this program is for you. No
need to sign up, just stop by!
Check out our bulletin board in the
Mental Health Clinic Waiting Area!
to help you realize your dreams
elp
how you define it
pportunities
for the life you want
artnership
with you and your community
O
H
P
Education
4. What can VEC offer me?
VEC offers a Recovery-focused
approach to wellness and healing.
You will have the unique experience
of working with VEC staff as an equal
partner. Depending on your needs
and preferences, we may provide the
following:
Individual Supports to help you:
• Identify your strengths and interests
• Develop your own personal goals and
action plan
• Connect to your community
• Track ongoing progress
• Manage obstacles
Groups:
Groups are strategically and
thoughtfully discussed on an
individual basis as one possible tool for
helping you gain specific knowledge,
skills, and supports to be successful.
Group offerings may include:
• Psychoeducation Groups
• Wellness and Recovery Action
Planning Groups (WRAP)
• Social Skills Training Groups (SST)
• Illness Management and Recovery
Groups (IMR)
• Peer Support Groups
• Health and Wellness Groups
(Wellness Team)
• Family Psychoeducation (FPE)
Linkages including:
• Supported Employment
• Community Support Groups
• VA and Community Resources and
Supports
Group and Individual
Supports are:
• Based on your unique strengths and
interests
• Created with you
• Flexible
• Available even if you use other VA
services
What is Recovery?
Recovery is defined by you. Each
person has unique dreams and
goals, challenges, and ways to reach
their potential.
Recovery is “a process of change
through which individuals improve
their health and wellness, live a self-
directed life, and strive to reach their
full potential.”
SAMHSA’s National Consensus State-
ment on Mental Health Recovery
(Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration--US Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services)
Why VEC?
The President’s New
Freedom Commission made
recommendations regarding the
Transformation of Mental Health
Care in America. The development
of programs like the VEC, which
focus on Recovery and Community
Integration and Inclusion, was just
one response of the VA system to
these recommendations. We are a
dynamic program and will continue
to develop new initiatives, activities,
and community linkages.
Your ideas and input are welcome!
If you have an idea for the program,
or would like to participate in
program planning, please contact
Lori Breen at 215-823-4260.
5. • A Veteran from another state was
homeless and the shelter system
did not meet his needs. With the
help of a VEC Staff Partner, he
found a temporary place to live.
After meeting his basic needs
such as food, shelter and clothing,
this Veteran expressed a desire
to work, go to school and live
in a nice place. He and his Staff
Partner worked together to identify
action steps to help him meet his
goals. He is currently employed,
living comfortably in a place of his
choosing, and has been accepted
to college. He is excited about
having money to buy his own
things.
• Another Veteran wanted to return
to school and get her Master’s
Degree, but had lost confidence
in herself due to the impact of
her mental illness. Identifying her
strengths and obtaining support
from her peers helped her to take
the steps necessary to apply to
graduate schools. She has since
graduated from a Master’s program
and has started her own business.
• A Veteran identified a goal of
offering a CPR course for Veterans
and their friends and families.
Through the VEC Health and
Wellness Team, this Veteran
was provided with support and
networking opportunities. The
course will be offered annually.
Since our services are tailored to you,
we can be flexible in where and how
often we meet with you. Our goal
is to partner with you to help you
reach your goals and write and live
your own story.
Individual Supports
VEC supports are tailored to you—to
your specific needs and goals. We
work with you using a Recovery ap-
proach, empowering YOU to direct
your own Recovery journey. During
our first meetings with you, a VEC
Staff Partner will help you explore
and identify your hopes and dreams.
Because each person is unique, the
amount of time this takes for every-
one is different. Once you identify
what you would like to achieve, your
Staff Partner will help you develop
your own personalized plan. Some
examples of goals of Veterans who
have participated in the VEC are:
• To live on my own
• To get a job
• To improve my relationships with
my family members
• To be more social
• To join a gym
• To find a partner
• To go to school
When you face obstacles to meeting
your goals, we will help you develop
strategies to get around these
obstacles. We may take the steps
with you, help you develop the skills
to take those steps on your own, or
help you connect with people and
resources in your community. Here
are some examples of how we have
worked with Veterans:
6. What does the VEC offer?
VEC in a Nutshell
Our focus is to help you get more out of
life. You tell us what that means to you,
and we will work with you to help you
get it. Maybe you would like to:
• Go to school
• Get a job
• Join a gym
• Go fishing on the weekends
• Live closer to people and things that
interest you
• Fill in what you’d like here
You may have tried to get these things before, but obstacles
got in your way. Or maybe you’ve thought you can’t get what
you want. Nobody knows what is and isn’t possible for you to
achieve. We are ready to work with you to discover what is.
7. VEC offers Individual and Group
supports based on these values:
• Recovery is Possible
• Hope is Fundamental
• Living in the Community with the same Rights and
Opportunities as Everyone Else is Possible
• All People Should be Treated with Dignity and Respect
• Choice is a Right and a Responsibility
• Partnership with Individuals, Families, Providers and the
Community Fosters Recovery
• Supported Risk-Taking is Necessary
• Failure is Redefined as an Opportunity to Learn
• The Individual is Primary
• All Individuals Have the Capacity to Learn and Grow.
Empowerment Respect
Self-Direction Hope
Growth, Set-backs, Learning
Trusting Holistic
Individualized Recovery
Responsibility Strength-Based
Peer Support
8. Veterans
THE
EMPOWERMENT CENTER
PHILADELPHIA VA MEDICAL CENTER
Important Phone Numbers
Philadelphia VA Medical Center
(215) 823-5800 or (800) 949-1001
3900 Woodland Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
www.philadelphia.va.gov
Veterans Empowerment Center Staff Extensions
Lori Breen, LCSW, Coordinator...............................4260
Felicia Zimmer, MSN, ClinicalNurseSpecialist.......7839
James Mock, M.A., Mental Health Specialist......6611
Rhonda Dennis, Certified Peer Specialist.............6773
Megan Farley, LCSW, Social Worker......................7888
Vision Statement
Veterans who have experienced both the symptoms
and stigma of serious mental illness will have the same
opportunities as everyone else to accomplish their goals,
realize their hopes and dreams, and reconnect to themselves,
their communities, and meaning and purpose in life.
PHILA VAMC MMPS | 03.2013 | JB | #9875
