AWN salutes REAL STRENGTH, REAL WARRIORS

May 2010 marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury’s (DCoE’s) Real Warriors Campaign. With the tag line, “Real Warriors. Real Battles. Real Strength.,” the multimedia public awareness campaign focuses on combating the stigma associated with seeking treatment for psychological health and traumatic brain injury concerns.

The Real Warriors Campaign Web site at http://www.realwarriors.net/features articles and resources on a variety of psychological health issues, as well as video profiles of service members who reached out and received treatment, and went on to maintain successful military and civilian careers. By sharing their stories, these Real Warriors are proving to their fellow service members that they are not alone, that reaching out makes a difference and that individuals who have sought psychological health care can continue successful careers.

The Real Warriors Campaign makes reaching out easy. The Web site includes a live chat feature (http://www.realwarriors.net/livechat) which any service member, veteran, family member or health care provider can utilize to connect confidentially with the DCoE Outreach Center for psychological health and traumatic brain injury information and resources. The DCoE Outreach Center can also be accessed tool-free 24/7 at 866-966-1020 or by e-mail at resources@dcoeoutreach.org. Service members, veterans, families and health professionals can also connect with each other through the campaign’s message boards (http://www.realwarriors.net/forum).

The Real Warriors Campaign is proud to include the Army Wife Network as a community partner in our efforts. For the program’s profile or to view other campaign affiliates, visit www.realwarriors.net/partner.