In the five-county region of Southwest Florida, there are over 108,000 Veterans from all eras of service, equaling about 8-10 percent of the population. In Collier County, Veterans comprise a staggering 14% according to the federal census, yet many former service members across the state are lacking access to needed mental health services.

To respond to the needs of local Veterans facing increased levels of post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety and co-occurring substance use, Home Base Southwest Florida (SWFL) has entered into a new collaboration to increase the availability of world-class mental health services to Collier County Veterans and their families.

Home Base SWFL has launched a clinical partnership with David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health (DLC), Collier County’s only comprehensive, not-for-profit behavioral health provider serving children, adults and families, to offer outpatient behavioral services for Veterans and Military Families —at no cost.

The Home Base clinical program at DLC offers a multidisciplinary approach to care that includes outpatient therapy, psychiatric assessments and medication management.

On Veterans Day in 2019, Home Base SWFL first launched clinical care in Florida through a collaboration with Lee Health. As of Oct 2021, over 100 Veterans and Family Members have received outpatient care. Previously, those seeking clinical care could only access mental health services through Home Base’s two-week Intensive Clinical Program headquartered in Boston, MA.

The Collier County clinical program was able to become a reality after Home Base SWFL secured a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Collier County to fund their cognitive process therapy (CPT) training for clinicians at DLC, Lee Health and Florida Gulf Coast University.

Three DLC clinicians completed the Home Base rigorous training program making CPT available at DLC in Naples and Immokalee as well as Crossroads, DLC’s adult addiction recovery program. These clinicians are now equipped with the highly specialized tools needed to treat trauma victims with what is considered the gold standard for trauma therapies – skills that are lacking and difficult to access in SWFL Florida.

This care is funded through philanthropic support from individual and corporate donors in the Southwest Florida region. To help fund this clinical expansion, Home Base SWFL is hoping to raise $50,000 throughout the month of November. To make-a-donation visit www.HomeBase.org/salute.

Mental health services will be available to local Veterans at the Home Base Outpatient Clinic at DLC beginning in December 2021.

To learn more about Home Base SWFL’s Outpatient Clinic at DLC, please contact Home Base SWFL’s Veteran Outreach Coordinator Jared Wilson at homebaseswfl@partners.org, (239) 338-8389, or visit www.homebase.org/SWFL.

To learn more about the David Lawrence Center and its partnership with Home Base, click here: https://davidlawrencecenters.org/press-releases/cpt-veterans/.