David Sleet is the non-clinical director of Wanstead Mental Health Clinic and is proud to have launched The Veterans’ RVP, a new level of support for veterans and their person of significance
RVP is the military acronym for Rendezvous Point. Our programme, The Veterans’ RVP, will be the meeting point that has been missing for so many veterans and their family members, offering a monthly drop-in and chat service. I am extremely proud to be able to offer veterans and their person of significance (spouse, partner, sibling, parent or even friend) a truly unique layer of support that makes a real difference. The Veterans’ RVP is veteran- and service family-led.
Unlike The Veterans’ RVP, current support provision is often dependent on the length of service and is predominantly vocationally focused. Any such transitional support is for personnel only, with family support often isolated. Because of these inadequacies, a disproportionately higher percentage of ex-military end up in custody, find themselves homeless, dependent on drugs and alcohol or take their own lives.
The only way to improve these outcomes is with psychological awareness and effective support. The Veterans’ RVP aims to elevate wellbeing awareness, resilience and empowerment and provide effective cohesion and veteran-led therapies. We need to increase positive communication to create positive transitions from service life to civilian life.
By providing a dedicated drop-in and chat service for veterans, a separate service for the person of significance and a shared lunch that brings people together, we are able to give a higher level of support. And with qualified counselling professionals who are also trained and certified for their specialist knowledge of the veteran environment, those who served can be confident their experiences of military service are in safe hands.
“Wanstead Mental Health Clinic has an aim to serve as many in the community as we can and each team member connected to our support for veterans has either served in the military themselves or is the family of those who have served. The veins of military life run through us all,” said clinical director Siobhain Crosbie, the daughter of a Staff Sergent in the Royal Artillery. My own father also served in the Royal Artillery for 22 years and our service director, Donna Murray, is a veteran of the Queen Alexandra’s Army Nursing Corps, who saw active service in conflict zones and knows the challenges of transitioning to civilian life.
We are aware of the lack of support for veterans in particular. Veterans have served us and provided us with protection, and we believe in supporting them when it’s time for them to adjust to civilian life again. We are proud and honoured to serve those whose lives have been devoted to serving all others.
Wanstead Mental Health Clinic is located at 11–13 Cambridge Park, Wanstead. For more information, call 020 3488 5899 or visit wnstd.com/mhc
