The 3 Warriors Hearts' Founders explain WHY it's unique mental health and substance abuse healing program was built with a training curriculum approach exclusively for military, veterans and first responders to heal with peers in sync with Mental Health Awareness and National Trauma Awareness Month (May).
SAN ANTONIO, May 20, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In sync with Mental Health Awareness Month (May) and Warriors Heart's Sixth Anniversary (April 2022), the three founders explain WHY they built the first and ONLY residential treatment program in the U.S. exclusively for warriors (military, veterans and first responders) like a training program. This on-site healing program is primarily for addiction, PTSD and co-occurring issues (depression, anxiety, trauma and more), and is located just outside San Antonio, Texas. Clients say it "feels like the opposite of a hospital."
CEO/President Josh Lannon, Former Law Enforcement Officer Lisa Lannon and Former Delta Operator Tom Spooner were recently interviewed during a Warriors Heart Town Hall where they explained their personal stories and WHY.
The founders launched the program in 2016, to provide a solution to the unacceptable average of 22 veteran suicides per day in the U.S. caused by the "War at Home". CEO/President Josh Lannon explained their thought process, "Let's merge our background and skills together to create Warriors Heart because it has never been done before."
While 98% of Warriors Heart residential treatment clients having a dual diagnosis (mental health and substance abuse), each case requires a customized curriculum for that individual using a training program approach to help rebuild their life and reduce the alarming suicide rates.
According to Veteran Affairs, "The overall suicide rate for veterans is 1.5 times as much as the rate for civilians." In addition to mental health challenges, substance abuse (drug and alcohol) among veterans and first responders can be a result of constant exposure to trauma, life threatening situations, long shifts and little sleep. And for first responders, suicide was the second leading cause of death for law enforcement in 2021 (behind Covid), claiming 176 officers across the country, according to Blue Help.
Former Special Forces and Warriors Heart Co-Founder Tom Spooner was instrumental in developing their unique approach, and explained, "Warriors Heart is a training program designed for people to go back to their lives and utilize the training to stay sober. Nobody wants to go to a drug rehab, but everybody will go to a course to learn how to control their emotions, and not drink or use drugs."
Josh Lannon has been sober since 2001 after receiving an ultimatum from his wife and Co-Founder Lisa Lannon. Josh reflects, "Our warriors come to us pretty broken and in a dark place. When our warriors enter the program, we welcome them home with a training course that is familiar to many programs they've attended. We really consider ourselves as a training company or an academy where they can rebuild their lives, and leave a 'Sober, Confident Warrior'."
Spooner added, "When a warrior comes into treatment, they get cleaned up, trained up, and then have the option of leaving with Aftercare set up by our clinicians or move over to Sober Living to begin the transition process back into a civilian life. We help them think about how they're going to get a job, find a place to stay and stay sober by going to meetings and having the right support groups set up to support a future quality of life."
When asked about what is different, Warriors Heart Co-Founder Lisa Lannon expanded, "Our warriors each have two clinicians from our top notch team when they come in. Along with their two counselor therapists, their team is really our 140 staff because anyone is willing to jump in and help at any time."
And this unique training program approach to treatment is working and growing. Lisa Lannon added, "We're now licensed for a hundred residential beds, which includes detox. And then we have 52 sober living beds, so we've gone from 0 to 152 beds to heal our military, veterans and first responders in six years."
Josh Lannon added, "We're definitely growing. Our number one growth area is clinical teams, licensed LCDs, licensed LPCs, along with the support staff around that as well." Warriors Heart is currently hiring individuals who have both the professional experience plus a personal connection to this "warriors healing warriors" process, either directly as a warrior or through a loved one who has served.
Media Contact for Warriors Heart:
Liz Kelly, 310-987-7207
ABOUT WARRIORS HEART (Bandera, Texas near San Antonio): Warriors Heart is the first and only private accredited treatment program in the U.S. exclusively for "warriors" (active duty military, veterans, first responders and EMTs/paramedics) faced with the self-medicating struggles of alcohol addiction, prescription and drug addiction, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), mild TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and other co-occurring issues in a private, 60-bed facility on a 543-acre ranch. Along with a minimum 42-day peer-to-peer residential treatment program, Warriors Heart provides "warriors" with options based on a Full Continuum of Care (Detox, Day Treatment, Residential Treatment and Training Foundation (Level I), Lakeside Extended Treatment and Training (Level II), Outpatient, Sober Living (60-day minimum) and Aftercare. Warriors Heart's work has been featured on the TODAY Show, CBS Health Watch, FOX 11 Los Angeles, National Defense Radio Show and in TIME, Forbes, The Chicago Tribune, Addiction Pro magazine, San Antonio Business Journal, Real Leaders and many more media. There is a 24-hour Warriors Heart hotline (844-448-2567) answered by warriors. https://www.warriorsheart.com
Media Contact
Liz Kelly, PR for Warriors Heart, 310-987-7207, [email protected]
SOURCE Warriors Heart
Share this article