WCC's MBTR Archives - Warrior Canine Connection

Keisha Peterson-Anderson: A Healing Journey Through Warrior Canine Connection

May 1, 2024

We are privileged to introduce you to U.S. Navy IT3 Keisha Peterson-Anderson, whom we met through Warrior Canine Connection’s (WCC) Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program in partnership with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). We are honored to share her Warrior story.

U.S. Navy IT3 Keisha Peterson-Anderson was working at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001—the day American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and crashed into the building, killing all 64 people on the plane and 125 people in the Pentagon.

Two weeks would pass before Keisha received official confirmation that Kevin, a dear friend and colleague who worked in another side of the building, had died in the horrific tragedy.

“I did what most people do, you grieve and try to move on,” said Keisha. “But I wasn’t really grieving, I was in shock. I got up and went to work every day … I look back now and wonder how I was functional. I literally went to work the day after 9/11.”

Keisha served 8 years and 10 months of active duty before separating from the Navy in late 2001. She remained in the D.C. area and became a government contractor working in various organizations in the IT and intel field. But emotionally, Keisha says she was just ‘going through the motions.’

After some persuasion from a friend, Keisha attended a Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) event. She felt great camaraderie with fellow brothers and sisters in arms, and attended multiple functions, including an Odyssey (retreat), Soldier Rides, and other local activities and outings. Slowly but surely, the events became the impetus for Keisha to start therapy.

It was at one of those local events that Keisha heard Sarah Olson from WCC speak about the organization’s MBTR training program.

“Every day on Earth is an ongoing sense of therapy,” says Keisha. “When things happen to you as a person, you can’t just go to eight therapy sessions and be healed. I was really living a half-normal life because of the trauma I experienced.”

Not only did Keisha complete the 8-week MBTR program, but so did her son, Taryn, 15.

“Being at WCC was so therapeutic to me,” said Keisha. “We were never really into dogs before, but it made me feel like I had a need, and this animal was here to help and had a need itself. The training was freaking amazing for me and my son. That training, although completed, is still soothing to me, and helping me to get over something that happened 22 years ago. It brought a lot of wonderful feelings and resolve to our every day.”

In fact, the experience, coupled with her ongoing therapy, impacted Keisha so much that she is now on the WCC waitlist for a service dog.

To learn more about WWP’s programs, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org. For more information about WCC’s MBTR program, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.

###

Healing Through Dogs: WCC’s MBTR Program

March 28, 2024

Warrior Canine Connection’s (WCC) MBTR training program, short for Mission Based Trauma Recovery, is the cornerstone of its mission. This unique volunteer-based, animal-assisted therapy involves Service Members and Veterans in training future service dogs. Besides knowing the dog will one day go on to help a fellow Veteran, many Warriors involved in MBTR cite their own benefits, including enhanced communication, confidence, accountability, emotional regulation, and patience.

Mar Leifeld, WCC’s Veteran training program manager, who spearheads the MBTR program, says while MBTR volunteers have been instrumental in helping to train hundreds of WCC dogs, it has also been transformative in helping Veterans transitioning out of the military to restore a sense of purpose.

“This program is 100% voluntary, and the volunteer piece is really at the heart of what’s driving our Veterans to be involved in it,” said WCC Veteran Training Program Manager Mar Leifeld. “Everyone who is coming to engage in the program, whether they have a personal reason to be engaged, they’re all coming to an increased sense of purpose and community and to give back.”

In 2023, a total of 1,310 Veterans participated in MBTR across all locations, collectively contributing 10,077 hours of voluntary training. On average, each Veteran dedicated approximately 7.7 hours to the program.

The numbers don’t lie—MBTR is impactful. In fact, testimonials from previous participants inspired lawmakers to tap Rick Yount, founder and executive director, WCC, and Veterans Affairs to help draft the original language for what would become the current PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act, which President Biden signed into law in 2021.

Now in year three of a five-year pilot program, the impact of MBTR is being seen at five program sites that provide service dog training to benefit Veterans diagnosed with PTSD; WCC hosts two of the five sites.

While continuous research quantifies the impact of MBTR, participating Veterans have shared profound testimonials; from alleviating PTSD symptoms to enhancing concentration and fostering a sense of purpose, the MBTR program stands as a beacon of hope and healing for those who have served. But don’t just take our word for it, check out the Veteran participant testimonials below, all which have been shared anonymously.

“Training the dogs gave me time away from my PTSD symptoms. I was more focused on connecting with the dogs than my own symptoms,” shared one MBTR participant.

“Before I began the 8-week program, I was suffering from Major Depression. After numerous treatments including a variety of medications and 10 sessions of ECT, I was only minimally better. I was feeling numb for years and was unable to feel any joy.  I never left my home and did not want to do anything, even bathing was difficult. My occupational therapist recommended WCC. I honestly did not want to go, but I forced myself. After the first two sessions, I finally began to have some sort of feeling for the first time in years. I now leave my home several times a week and I want to do some things. It is a work in progress, and I have plenty of bad days, but this is a breakthrough,” shared a Veteran participant.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the program and used some of the skills to train my dog at home. It is very enlightening, and one feels like they are contributing their efforts for an excellent cause,” shared an MBTR participant.

“I appreciate the time I was able to spend with the pups & trainers. They are lovely & caring. It was a wonderful reminder to slow down pay attention and breathe into the positive or negative situation/what my inner voice was telling/yelling at me.”

“Training the dogs and learning how to train them in some of their tasks really helped me with concentration and slowing my mind down. I suffer from PTSD, TBI and anxiety amongst other things. My wife literally said the one day I was always in a good mood was the day I had an hour with the dogs. Before or after going.”

“Training the service dogs gave me a sense of purpose; connectedness with fellow veterans, instructors, and dogs; increased my mood; helped me be patient with my own dogs; gave me a sense of pride that I could contribute to society (I told my friends all about the program); made me more interested in other areas of my life again like sports and hiking with my dogs; it inspired me to take more dog training classes (animal CPR and obedience classes for my dogs); it made me feel like the VA cares about veterans with PTSD; I felt loved by the animals and instructors. Overall, this program made helped me feel good about myself again, purposeful and confident in myself.”

Learn more or get involved in WCC’s MBTR program here.

###

Warrior Canine Connection Awarded $125,000 in Grants to Help Veterans with PTSD and TBI

August 10, 2023

Funding to Provide WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery Training Program to Veterans in Virginia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOYDS, Maryland – Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $125,000 in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. The funding will enable WCC to provide its Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) service dog training program to more Virginia Veterans through the Rappahannock Regional Veterans Docket at the Spotsylvania Circuit Court, Fort Belvoir and in partnership with fellow area nonprofit organizations.

The funding will enable WCC to engage Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in the critical mission of helping to train future service dogs for fellow Veterans through its MBTR training program for a 12-month period. By participating in the program, Veterans can receive therapeutic benefits that research has shown reduces symptoms of PTSD and improves mental health.

“We are deeply grateful to the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, Suicide Prevention and Opioid Addiction Services Program (SOS) for its generous grant funding, which will significantly bolster our efforts to provide programming and support for Veterans in the state,” said Rick Yount, executive director and founder, Warrior Canine Connection. “This invaluable support enables us to expand our MBTR programming and resources, ensuring that these Warriors can benefit from the healing power of human-animal bond.”

In addition, grant funds will also support the placement of up to two WCC trained facility dogs at long-term, skilled nursing care facilities for Veterans. WCC facility dogs have the potential to impact the mental health of hundreds of Virginia Veterans.

“The purpose of this award issued by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services is for the provision of comprehensive suicide prevention and opioid addiction services for Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Angela Porter, PhD., CSOTP, Director of Suicide Prevention and Opioid Addictions Services for the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. “The Virginia Department of Veterans Services – SOS Program aims to enhance understanding of suicide prevention and opioid addiction among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) and build community support capacity to ensure the RIGHT HELP is widely available RIGHT NOW to military-connected citizens and families.”

WCC’s MBTR training model is the foundation upon which Department of Defense (DoD) Animal Assisted Therapy programs have been built, and it also inspired passage of the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act in 2021. This important legislation calls for the U.D. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to replicate WCC’s MBTR program at five pilot sites across the country. The organization has collaborated on that implementation and currently serves as the nonprofit service partner at two of the five VA hospital sites. Veterans participating in the MBTR program frequently report a decrease in isolative behaviors, decreased levels of anxiety, improved quality of sleep, reduced level of stigma, increased sense of purpose, improvement in family relationships, reduced hypervigilance and improved communications skills.

# # #

Warrior Spotlight: April Ames-Chase

February 15, 2023

Today we introduce you to U.S. Air Force Major (ret.) April Ames-Chase. She’s a Veteran who Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) had the good fortune to meet through its Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program in partnership with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). We are privileged to share her story.

April Ames-Chase was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force nine months after graduating from nursing school. Her four older brothers were all in the Air Force, so it was a big draw for her—to follow in their footsteps.

April spent 20 years in the Air Force as a registered nurse, which she says, “was the experience of a lifetime.” Her work took her to many duty stations both in the U.S. and abroad, including the United Kingdom, Korea, Japan, and Iraq.

Iraq was very different from previous assignments, as her time there was during the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She worked long, grueling hours at the hospital on base in Balad, where they were under constant mortar fire, and April says she saw too many combat casualties and often feared for her own life.

“I can tell you it was the camaraderie of fellow medics that got me through it because we all had one mission in mind, and that was to save every life that we could no matter how injured they were,” said April. “Our mission was to save their lives and send them back to the United States once they were stabilized.”

She says those four and a half months in Balad had a profound effect on her.

“As a nurse, when I came back from Iraq, I was a changed person,” said April. “My role changed to an administrator, and after my experience in Iraq, I saw it was a duty that I didn’t want to do anymore; I wanted to be able to go back to mental health and nursing where I could affect change within individuals and put my energy toward helping Veterans.”

The timing felt right, so April retired after 20 years of service to do the nursing work she loves. She’s now a Behavioral Health Nurse Specialist at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland where she works with patients, their families, and staff members.

April got invited to attend a WWP event and continued participating in several community projects, including laying wreaths in the cemetery, along with other events throughout the year.

“I just felt a connection with the individuals in Wounded Warrior Project by attending the events,” said April.

She saw information about WWC’s eight-week MBTR program and signed up.

“Oh, I loved it,” said April. “I traveled from Silver Spring, Md. there every week, which was quite a distance but well worth it. I looked forward to it every Saturday. The highlight was on my last day, taking Dollie to Starbucks with Emily and her dog. The dogs are loving, non-judgmental, and being in mental health, I know they raise our endorphin levels along with providing comfort and happiness—they’re life-changing.”

April continues to attend WWP events while balancing her work with finishing up her dissertation for her PhD, which focuses on the adaptation of female Veterans after returning home from Iraq—a subject which hits home for her both personally and professionally.

“Being in behavioral health, I’ve sought my own help where I’ve needed it and programs like those Warrior Canine Connection and Wounded Warrior Project offer, have been instrumental,” said April. “Whether it’s through interacting with the dogs or helping others by training future service dogs, or attending Wounded Warrior Project’s programs and events, it’s been so important for me to have these connection points and outlets for my own mental health. I highly encourage other Veterans who may be hesitant to get involved—they stand to benefit in ways they never realized.”

Warrior Spotlight: Mike Milton

August 29, 2022

Military service is a family tradition for Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Mike Milton; his brother, sister-in-law, cousin, and uncles, all served in the Armed Forces.

“I joined to be of service to country,” says Milton. “I had amazing experiences that included people, travel, and lots of different situations—both good and bad—they were instrumental in getting me where I am today.”

He enlisted in 2008 and served as an infantryman through 2016. During a physical fitness training event, a muscle breakdown led to a debilitating kidney injury. Milton spent four-plus months at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center undergoing dialysis treatment. He would spend 18 additional months undergoing outpatient treatment there before medically retiring in 2018.

“While at Walter Reed, I attended a few events and enjoyed socializing with other Warriors through the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP),” said Milton. “I didn’t anticipate retiring so early and wasn’t sure what was next for me, and they really helped me through some difficult times.”

After medically retiring from the Army, Milton enrolled in the Operation Warfighter Program, the Department of Defense’s internship, which helped position him for his current role as a Safety and Occupation Health Specialist with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory Safety Office.

He also continued attending WWP events. It was at one of those later events that Milton encountered a service dog in training who was part of Warrior Canine Connection’s (WCC) Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program. A dog lover, he volunteered for WCC’s 8-week MBTR program, where he helped train a service dog for a fellow Warrior.

During the program, Service Members and Veterans in their own recovery help train service dogs for their fellow Warriors. By doing so, they receive their own therapeutic benefit from skills development in communication, self-esteem building, accountability, and emotional regulation. They also learn patience when they perform acts of service for others.

“It was great to give my own time to part of the program,” said Milton. “Dogs are very smart, and they appreciate the interaction, and the instructors were a joy to work with.”

Just happy to volunteer his time, what Milton didn’t expect was that he would benefit from the sessions himself.

“I went through a whole bout of sciatica with a lot of pain,” said Milton. “It took me an hour to drive to get to the training location but working with the dogs was relaxing to me and calmed me down. I didn’t think about world events or work or my sciatica … I was so focused, yet peaceful.”

His advice to other Veterans who are struggling or just want to connect with other Warriors?

Milton said, “Reach out to WWP or WCC. They’re good people. They’ve been there, done that and aren’t going to leave you hanging.”

If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved in WCC’s MBTR program, click here.

Service animal expert informs students on the benefits of veteran service dogs

February 23, 2021

February 22, 2021 – Talk therapy and companion dogs could help veterans as an alternative to medicine, an expert on service animals told a group of about 60 students last week.

Sarah DelCore, veteran and military service manager for a Boyds, Maryland, organization called Warrior Canine Connections, encouraged the students to volunteer to train service dogs for military veterans. Jones was a speaker at a Psychology Club Event that featured her organization. Read the full story in the Campus Current here.

Tag Archive for: WCC’s MBTR