Healing solution for women veterans

By DENNIS YUSKO,

Times-Union.com-LAKE GEORGE — An Adirondack Mountain-based nonprofit group that holds healing retreats for chronically ill women is hosting its first two-day program for women veterans on the shores of Lake George this summer.

http://www.creativehealingconnections.org/

     Creative Healing Connections, which uses the arts, discussion and nature to promote healing and growth, will host its first retreat for female veterans Aug. 10-12 at the Wiawaka Holiday House. It will focus on providing servicewomen a safe place to share their experiences to help them readjust to civilian society, learn from others and enhance their quality of life, director Fran Yardley said.

Of the almost two million Americans who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001, almost 20 percent are women.

The eight-year conflict in Afghanistan and six-year war in Iraq has resulted in a wave of veterans who have served multiple tours and have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and the suicide rate among veterans has soared. Women in the military face many of the same injuries and problems as men, with the added potential for sexual abuse and harassment, Yardley said.

"When women veterans come home they need care, a safe place to tell their stories and share their experiences with other women who have experienced the same stresses," said Yardley, who will lead the retreat’s storytelling workshop. "Our goal is to provide them that space, to help them build a network with others who have faced similar challenges, and to provide them with an array of techniques to enhance the quality of their lives."

The retreat is open to all women veterans. The cost is $220, but full scholarships are available for Saratoga and Warren county vets and partial scholarships are available for others through the Charles R. Wood Foundation and Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation.

The retreat includes lodging, meals, seminars, full use of the Wiawaka facilities and yoga. Two female veterans, including a psychologist, will speak.

Creative Healing Connections incorporated last year. It hopes to attract 20 veterans to the August retreat, and wants to hold retreats for men and caregivers next year.

Dennis Yusko can be reached at 454-5353 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Healing process