Head Space and Timing Podcast

Ellsworth "Tony" Williams is a Combat Army Veteran, having faithfully and honorably served on active duty in the Army for over 24 years (8 enlisted and 16 Commissioned), including service during Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He received numerous military awards including a Bronze Star and 3 Meritorious Service Medals (MSM). After he retired in 2007, he still wanted to continue to serve his fellow veterans, so he rebranded himself by getting a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Troy University. Upon graduation he founded and is the current President/CEO for Veterans Counseling Veterans Inc. Tony is married to Thelma Williams who is a retired Police Detective from Plainfield, NJ.   Tony has received numerous mental health counseling awards including a 2014 National Award “ Social Service” from American Mental Health Counseling Association and won Florida Mental Health Counselor Association(FMHCA) 2015 Poster Award.   Tony serves on many Boards and Councils including Hillsborough Veterans Council, Florida Mental Health Counselor Association and Suncoast Mental Health Counselor Association’s Military Interest Committees, Crisis Center of Tampa Bay’s Regional Veterans Advisory Council and American Legion Post 5 Veteran Affairs and Rehabilitation Committee Chair. IN THIS PARTICULAR EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:  Tony's military service, including transitions from a military family member, to enlisted, to college student, to officer Leaving the military and working as a contractor for local law enforcement, a substitute teacher, and shifting to veteran mental health Helping veterans and their families, due to his own experience as a military family member and service member Being open to potential careers after the military, harnessing the adaptability that we had while in the military Figuring out how to be "you" after the military Not getting locked into what you're doing when you first get out, because you may not keep doing that Veteran Mental Health in Florida, including interning for the Department of Veterans Affairs The need for Veterans to become mental health professionals, in order to leverage the connection that is automatically relatable The ability for community providers, who are military culturally competent, to be able to have honest discussions about veteran mental health How the military rewards cognitive thinking rather than emotion, and supports collective thinking rather than individual thinking Developing a real understanding about service members for mental health professionals The lack of effort in preparing a service member for transition compared to preparing a civilian to enter in the military The people who are making decisions about transition think cognitively rather than understanding the impact of veteran mental health on transition Tony's organization focused around TEAMS: Training, Education, Advocacy, Mentorship, and Service The lack of treatment support for the family of veterans The ungrounded culture of military families, and how military kids are "plug and play," which takes a toll on someone The lack of connection and relationship to the African American community as a military brat and service member Helping veterans understand that seeking mental health support can be more of a team mentality rather than an individual mentality; starting with the group to get to the individual LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Veterans Counseling Veterans Website Vets Counseling Vets Facebook Group Hey, It's Eddie and Bennett! Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section or you can leave me a message about this episode by going to http://ChangeYourPOV.com/AskEddie   If you enjoy the show I sure hope you'll subscribe and download a bunch of episodes on iTunes. All these shows are free to download and listen to and we don't ask for donations or anything to create this show. But if you'd like to totally make our day... we would be forever grateful if you would be so kind as to leave an honest review on iTunes.   If you are new to reviews and need a little help, you can go to LEAVE A REVIEW and we will walk you through that step-by-step. Thank you in advance for doing that!  – plus, we read each and every one of them! Please share this episode with your friends and family!

Show Notes

Are you looking for more ways to learn about military and veteran mental health and wellness? Check out Duane's books by going to www.veteranmentalhealth.com/books

 SUMMARY: 
Ellsworth "Tony" Williams is a Combat Army Veteran, having faithfully and honorably served on active duty in the Army for over 24 years (8 enlisted and 16 Commissioned), including service during Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He received numerous military awards including a Bronze Star and 3 Meritorious Service Medals (MSM). After he retired in 2007, he still wanted to continue to serve his fellow veterans, so he rebranded himself by getting a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Troy University. Upon graduation he founded and is the current President/CEO for Veterans Counseling Veterans Inc. Tony is married to Thelma Williams who is a retired Police Detective from Plainfield, NJ.

 

Tony has received numerous mental health counseling awards including a 2014 National Award “ Social Service” from American Mental Health Counseling Association and won Florida Mental Health Counselor Association(FMHCA) 2015 Poster Award.

 

Tony serves on many Boards and Councils including Hillsborough Veterans Council, Florida Mental Health Counselor Association and Suncoast Mental Health Counselor Association’s Military Interest Committees, Crisis Center of Tampa Bay’s Regional Veterans Advisory Council and American Legion Post 5 Veteran Affairs and Rehabilitation Committee Chair. IN THIS PARTICULAR EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: 

  •  Tony's military service, including transitions from a military family member, to enlisted, to college student, to officer
  • Leaving the military and working as a contractor for local law enforcement, a substitute teacher, and shifting to veteran mental health
  • Helping veterans and their families, due to his own experience as a military family member and service member
  • Being open to potential careers after the military, harnessing the adaptability that we had while in the military
  • Figuring out how to be "you" after the military
  • Not getting locked into what you're doing when you first get out, because you may not keep doing that
  • Veteran Mental Health in Florida, including interning for the Department of Veterans Affairs
  • The need for Veterans to become mental health professionals, in order to leverage the connection that is automatically relatable
  • The ability for community providers, who are military culturally competent, to be able to have honest discussions about veteran mental health
  • How the military rewards cognitive thinking rather than emotion, and supports collective thinking rather than individual thinking
  • Developing a real understanding about service members for mental health professionals
  • The lack of effort in preparing a service member for transition compared to preparing a civilian to enter in the military
  • The people who are making decisions about transition think cognitively rather than understanding the impact of veteran mental health on transition
  • Tony's organization focused around TEAMS: Training, Education, Advocacy, Mentorship, and Service
  • The lack of treatment support for the family of veterans
  • The ungrounded culture of military families, and how military kids are "plug and play," which takes a toll on someone
  • The lack of connection and relationship to the African American community as a military brat and service member
  • Helping veterans understand that seeking mental health support can be more of a team mentality rather than an individual mentality; starting with the group to get to the individualLINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 
Veterans Counseling Veterans Website

Vets Counseling Vets Facebook Group Hey, It's Eddie and Bennett! Thanks for listening! 

Thanks so much for listening! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section or you can leave me a message about this episode by going to http://ChangeYourPOV.com/AskEddie

 

If you enjoy the show I sure hope you'll subscribe and download a bunch of episodes on  iTunes.

All these shows are free to download and listen to and we don't ask for donations or anything to create this show. But if you'd like to totally make our day... we would be forever grateful if you would be so kind as to leave an honest review on  iTunes.

 

If you are new to reviews and need a little help, you can go to LEAVE A REVIEW and we will walk you through that step-by-step. Thank you in advance for doing that!  – plus, we read each and every one of them! Please share this episode with your friends and family!


Are you looking for more ways to learn about military and veteran mental health and wellness? Check out Duane's books by going to www.veteranmentalhealth.com/books
★ Support this podcast ★

What is Head Space and Timing Podcast?

The psychological impact of military service is well known but less understood. Every Tuesday and Thursday, join combat veteran and clinical mental health counselor Duane France as he interviews mental health professionals, veterans, and those who support them about mental health and wellness. If you want to understand more about service member and veteran mental health, then this podcast is for you.