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MAP certification provides mental health training to VIP instructors

MAP certification provides mental health training to VIP instructors

Transitioning active-duty service members and veterans carry a heavy load. Sometimes it is simply too much. 

Every day, 20 veterans tragically commit suicide, according to the U.S Department of Veteran Affairs. Suicide is 1.5 times as common among veterans as it is for the civilian population.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that nearly half of all Afghanistan and Iraq veterans suffer from a diagnosable mental illness.

But the United Association Veterans in Piping (UA VIP) Program can help. Many of our instructors are veterans and all have been working with military members for years. They understand the stress and trauma many of these transitioning active-duty service members experience.

That is why the Veterans in Piping Program has launched the Member Assistance Program (MAP) training for our instructors. The mental health training course helps instructors assist struggling service members. The program teaches VIP instructors how to recognize signs of mental illness, how to talk to students who may be struggling and how to get our students the help they need.

“The MAP program taught me how to identify when someone is having mental health issues and what to do to help them,” said Jason Culkin, a UA VIP  Lead Welding Instructor at Camp Pendleton. “After this training, I know where to find help for them if they need help. I also know how to be a good listener if they just need someone to talk to.”

The training was led by Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, an International Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Impact Entrepeneur, and Eduardo Vega, Founder of the suicide prevention organization Humannovations. The Instructor MAP certification was part of the UA VIP Instructor Bootcamp that took place in January. 

MAP training can save lives. UA VIP instructors are well positioned to help struggling transitioning active-duty service members. The students are often close to the instructors, interacting with them on a daily basis. 

 

Construction workers also struggle with mental health

Through the UA VIP Program, the construction industry offers transitioning active-duty service members a viable path to a civilian career, but it can be a stressful one where mental health issues also are common. 

In fact, the construction industry has the highest suicide rate of any professsion. More construction workers die from suicide than than every other workplace-related fatality combined.

The instructors in the UA VIP Program are uniquely positioned to understand and be exposed to both scenarios. They understand the trauma transitioning active-duty service members may have experienced in crisis situations. And they know about the stress that naturally occurs on a construction site. 

UA VIP instructors are best positioned to help transitioning active duty service members navigate both worlds. The program covers more than just learning a foundation of skills for a good paying career in the pipe trades. It’s also about outreach and providing those in crisis with a pathway to get the help they need. 

“This will help the students get through the course and transition out of the service,” Culkin said. “If we can help them now during the course, they will have a greater chance of being successful in their careers, and life in general.”

If you or someone you know is suffering a mental health crisis, here are some resources that can help. For immediate assistance, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

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