Yes, The Warrior Connection (TWC) can be replicated in other communities  - in fact anywhere on the planet a sincere desire can be found to heal and connect with the hearts of veterans.

TWC knows that each community has a responsibility to welcome home its soldiers and, with them, enter into a shared experience of the warrior’s military journey. TWC has created a beautiful and effective program to accomplish that mission.

​

Exactly how does a community go about implementing such a visionary program?

Here are the seven steps:

 

• Step One: Manifesting this dream begins with a visionary, a person or organization within a community who sees the need, feels the call, and is passionately committed to making a significant difference in the lives of the veterans in his or her home area. The visionary is willing to take on the fiscal, business and organizational support to guide the project. The visionary can be:             

​

                                                • A veteran
​
                                                • A civilian
​
                                                • A clinician
​
                                                • A philanthropist
​
                                                • A corporation
​
                                                • A non-profit organization
​

 

 

Step Two: Assembling the team. Four other members join the visionary, making a community team of five. These additional team members are two veterans and two clinicians.

 

 

 

Step Three: Community Team Training/Building. The entire community team goes through a one-day training to become well versed in roles, marketing, capitalization strategies, and taking next steps to bring TWC to their area.

 

 

 

Step Four: Two veterans attend a Warrior Retreat. We have found Vietnam veterans to be invaluable to blaze the trail as the first warriors from their home community to go through The Warrior Retreat. These veterans have life experience and a perspective to share with the modern veteran. Once warriors have had a heart opening experience with The Warrior’s Journey, they become advocates for TWC, sharing with today’s veterans this message:

 

 “Do your inner work NOW! Don’t wait 30 or 40 years, like I did! Save yourself and your loved ones from unnecessary heartache!”

 

Step Five: The two veterans attend the Mentor Warrior Training.

 

Step Six: The two veterans and two clinicians attend the Facilitator Training.

This training begins the process of These two clinicians are of critical importance, because they represent the community. By their open hearts and ability to hold the stories, the pain, the trauma, and the ordeals the warriors have faced in a safe group setting, they let the veterans know they no longer need to hold these images, memories and feelings alone.

 

Step Seven: Implement a Warrior Retreat in Home Community. A facilitation team of one veteran and one clinician offer the first Warrior Retreat in their community. On-going technical assistance is provided by TWC whenever requested.





For More Information, Questions, and To Start a Conversation,

Please Contact Dr. Black at The Warrior Connection