Veteran Spouse Resiliency Group (V-SRG)

Overview

As families transition from active-duty military life, to post-service life, they experience a multitude of changes that can include geographic relocation, navigating new career and educational pursuits, family reintegration, new mental and physical healthcare needs, and the re-establishment of community supports. The adjustment to civilian or post-service life requires hard work from the entire family and can be a source of stress that leads to interpersonal struggles within the family. 

As peers ourselves, we understand the value and benefit of strong supportive communities that offer peer-based guidance and understanding to help address the unique challenges of post-service family life. Out of this understanding, the Veteran Spouse Resiliency Group (V-SRG) Program was developed in 2017, as a curriculum-driven, peer-led support group for the spouses/partners of transitioning and post-service veterans. These groups provide a safe space for peers to come together, share their stories, successes, and challenges, lean on one another for support and guidance, and form lasting bonds that they can rely on well after the group ends.

Our groups focus on helping participants prioritize their own wellness, and our program evaluation has shown that spouses who complete the group, experience an increase in their quality of life, self-care practices, and social support, as well as a decrease in mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression. This program was designed for veteran spouses, by veteran spouses, and has evolved over the years based on program evaluation, and participant and leader feedback to ensure the curriculum addresses the topics you need it to, in the way you need it to! 

Program Model

The V-SRG program is offered through three different models to ensure that program participants can interact with the curriculum and receive the support they need based on their schedules and availability. All three models are offered in both in-person and virtual formats, with virtual offerings open nationally (unless otherwise specified), and in-person offerings throughout the state of Texas. Participants can take part in our traditional 12-Week groups, attend a V-SRG Mini-Series, or pop into our one-time Solo Session offerings. 

Curriculum

The V-SRG curriculum is designed to facilitate group discussion across a variety of topics that are unique to the veteran spouse/partner experience, where participants can share their challenges, strategies, and successes, while both receiving and providing support and guidance to their peers. While the majority of the curriculum is discussion-based, sessions also include educational content, skill-building exercises, activities, and conversation sparks in the form of videos and excerpts.

Eligibility

The V-SRG program is designed for the spouses/partners of transitioning and post-service veterans, as the curriculum topics are specific to post-service life. To be eligible for the V-SRG program, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be the spouse/partner of a post-service veteran, OR
• Be the spouse/partner of an active-duty servicemember who is within 1 year of separating from the military
• Commit to attending all 12 sessions (for the traditional 12-week groups), barring any unforeseen emergencies.
• In-person groups are currently offered in select cities in Texas, and participants must reside close enough to the meeting location to be able to commit to attending all sessions, barring any unforeseen emergencies. 
• Virtual groups are open nationally unless otherwise specified.

Register For a Group

We run our 12-week groups on a Spring, Summer, and Fall schedule, with mini-series and solo sessions being offered throughout the year. Stay up to date on all our V-SRG offerings by visiting our website, or complete the V-SRG Participant Registration form to be contacted about upcoming groups and opportunities. 

Become a V-SRG Leader 

As a V-SRG leader, you will facilitate curriculum-driven peer support groups for veteran spouses/partners, that provide participants with a space to come together, share their stories, challenges, successes, and lean on one another for support and guidance. As a V-SRG leader, you have the opportunity to lead in-person or virtual groups, either in the traditional 12-week, mini-series, or solo-session format. V-SRG leaders complete training in group and online facilitation skills, as well as the V-SRG curriculum.  If interested, complete the VSN Leader Application. 

Contact vsn@austin.utexas.edu with any questions.