In one of Dr. King’s final speeches, delivered two months before he was assassinated, he shared:

“If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant…By giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.”

Today especially, therefore, please join me in recognizing and celebrating the greatness of the Easterseals community – volunteers, donors, staff, and participants. It’s an honor to be part of a team where every day each individual embodies Dr. King’s ideal of servant leadership by serving each other and embracing Easterseals’ vision of a hopeful, inclusive community where all people realize their potential and live meaningful lives.

I recognize and understand the stress that is a part of our daily lives during the pandemic and with so much unrest. I appreciate those whose daily efforts are helping increase the well-being of our community by creating a sense of hope and safety. Thank you for creating a more just and equal society.

Dear Friend,

The past year changed each of us. The challenges called us to question, to reevaluate, to adapt. While 2020 wasn’t easy—and self-reflection leading to change requires effort—I see many positive developments. Many of us have refined our priorities, developed greater resilience, and exhibited compassion.

Just as the year led individuals to question and to change, organizations grappled with those same struggles. l am grateful and humbled by the way clients, supporters, and staff at Easterseals DC MD VA came together to tackle the challenges and devise creative and effective solutions. The pandemic and the social unrest during 2020 caused us to reflect anew on the evolving needs of the community and our strengths.

This soul-searching process:

• Validated the critical importance of our Vision—“Easterseals creates a hopeful, inclusive community where all people realize their potential and live meaningful lives.” 2020 proved that a community cannot survive when some members are excluded or live without hope;
• Focused our future growth on areas of greatest need including (1) improving the quality and accessibility of early education, (2) employment services, and (3) expansion of mental health care services;
• Produced important innovations to meet immediate community needs safely; and
• Reinforced the importance of having a sustainable organization that can weather difficult times.

When the pandemic shut down our normal operations, we knew that the needs of our clients did not go away, but in many ways became more critical. By April, Easterseals had developed new partnerships and was delivering food, PPE, medical supplies, diapers, and wipes to our most vulnerable families, and the team keeps those deliveries going every week! But even more importantly, as we connected with our families through these deliveries, drive-bys, zoom and telephone calls, we understood that we are really delivering HOPE.

Other times hope starts with the recognition that “I have a voice” and “what I want matters.” One of Easterseals greatest contributions is helping individuals build on their own strengths.

Marsi, whose two-and-a-half-year-old son Langston has Down syndrome shared that she became more confident and competent in helping her child. With Easterseals support, Marsi learned, “That I can actually do OK! Langston has special needs, and for the longest time I’ve always thought: I’m not a therapist, I am just a mom. But I’m slowly starting to let go of the ‘I’m just a mom’ idea. I am grateful for all the strategies you have shown that I can do with Langston right at home.” Read Langston’s story here.

Sometimes hope means knowing that others are in the same boat and hearing their ideas. We recognized that within our organization and through our partnerships, we have a real brain trust. The entire staff joined together to create our Candid Conversations webinars on vital topics like: Talking to Our Children About Racism, Ensuring Your Child Stays On-Track During COVID-19, Disability Employment, and Addressing the Mental Health Crisis in the Age of COVID. Replays of these fascinating sessions are available here.

And sometimes hope means just having fun. While we won’t have large, in-person celebrations for a while, we have come up with new ways to connect and to garner support for our programs. Early in 2021, Bright Stars Bedtime Stories Presented by M&T Bank will raise vital funds for Easterseals services and bring joy to thousands of children with disabilities and those from low-income, military, and first responder families. Participants will be able to log-in to hear celebrities and other special guests read specially selected books.

The challenges call to mind the inspirational words of a great American. In his famous I Have a Dream speech, Dr. Martin Luther King called on us to “hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.” As we start 2021, I look back with gratitude to the generous supporters who have enabled us to achieve so much—thank you! And I look forward with optimism to the potential of the new year—a time of health, renewed connections, and continued innovation and commitment so that we deliver the hopeful and inclusive community of Easterseals’ Vision.

Wishing all a happy and healthy New Year,

Jonathan Horowitch
President & CEO

On February 13, Easterseals hosted our signature annual family event – Bright Stars Night at Disney on Ice Presented by M&T Bank (Bright Stars) – at the Capital One Arena.

More than 2,500 children, families and supporters from the community joined Easterseals DC MD VA on this special night to enjoy enchanting ice skating performances by their favorite Disney movie characters from Toy Story to Moana and, of course, Frozen.

Even Mickey Mouse made a special appearance at our pre-event Circle of Heroes VIP reception to take photos with our honored guests and sponsors, whose generosity helped us raise more than $319,000!

I want to thank our Bright Stars Committee Co-Chairs Cecilia Hodges of M&T Bank and Craig Ruppert of The Ruppert Companies, and Founding Bright Stars Committee Co-Chair David Ross of Atlantic Realty Companies, as well as all the Committee members who did so much to make this event successful.

Their hard work and dedication to Easterseals ensures that our innovative programs and services are available to people of all ages with disabilities, special needs, military backgrounds and their families.

Now going on their eighth year as presenting sponsor of Easterseals’ Bright Stars, M&T Bank always brings a group of more than 20 volunteers to support our event and ensure that the children of all ages have a great time at the VIP reception.

Cecilia also presented M&T Bank’s latest commercial, which features Easterseals as one of the bank’s most valued community partners.

Kristen Berset-Harris, Co-Host of WUSA9’s Great Day Washington, served as Master of Ceremonies for our reception.

In early February, Kristen visited Easterseals Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Inter-Generational Center in Silver Spring and got to see two of our founding programs in action—the child development center and the adult day service center.

In addition to serving children and adults with disabilities, Easterseals is committed to serving our veterans and military families with high-quality behavioral health, employment and respite services. And we are serving even more children from Maryland’s Prince George’s County, with our Head Start programs, helping them and their families in underserved communities break out of the cycle of poverty.

Without support from our generous donors and sponsors for events like Bright Stars, we would not be able to continue to strive towards our vision of creating hopeful and inclusive communities where ALL people can achieve their potential and live meaningful lives.

We are committed to making an impact every day for the people we serve and ask that you help us continue making profound and positive differences for our communities by donating, volunteering or even spreading the message about our programs.

A large part of Easterseals’ success in achieving our mission – making profound, positive differences in the daily lives of people of all ages with disabilities, special needs, military backgrounds, and their families – is the collaborations we have with other like-minded organizations.

For National Dog Day (August 26), The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals (Cohen Clinic) and Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) hosted an event together at the clinic to introduce a different type of therapeutic strategy for wounded warriors living with mental health issues: training service dogs.

Two beautiful golden retrievers were introduced to the group by Emily McNeal, a veteran training program manager with Warrior Canine Connection. She was thrilled to introduce these canines to our veterans with the hope of drawing interests to WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) program.

“Warrior Canine Connection’s program is unique in that we not only train service dogs for veterans, we also enlist them in the process,” said Emily McNeal, WCC service dog training instructor. “We deploy passionate and skilled trainers to teach dog psychology and commands using behavioral, cognitive and physical technique training. During the process, veterans are healing their relationships and families, discovering new ways to express themselves in a positive way, creating bonds working with our dogs and feeling a sense of accomplishment by seeing these dogs placed in a forever home. Through our partnership with the Cohen Clinic, we believe we can reach a greater veteran population of those desiring to continue the mission, seeking purpose since leaving the military, as well as participating in volunteer work that thrives on fulfilling the Warrior Ethos.”

All of WCC’s service dogs, including those in training, are named after veterans and have their own Facebook page. Beverly is 19-months old and was named in honor of USAF Major Beverly Groogan, Ret., who served with the United States Air Force for 20 years.

J.J. is 16-months old and was named after Jesse Jack Martinez, a U.S. Army Private First Class who died in Iraq in July 2004. Both dogs had the opportunity to interact with our veteran participants in an exercise of being called over, making eye contact, responding to “sit” and then of course—THE REWARD!

In less than an hour, clearly, all our veteran participants were charmed by Beverly and J.J. and found petting and playing with them to be highly therapeutic. Outreach Manager Mallary Lass, USAF Ret. with the Cohen Clinic said that many of our clients have already been asking us about service dogs, and animals have been known to be extremely helpful within the therapeutic community. This event was an opportunity to bring that to Cohen Clinic clients.

“I am interested in training service dogs because I know it worked for me. My dog was given to me as a therapy dog and she’s been my lifesaver. She helps me with a lot of my issues and I just see this as a great way to give back,” said Derrick, U.S. Army veteran.

All selected service dogs go through an initial training with a puppy parent that lasts about 18 months before moving onto more advanced training. It is estimated that by the time one WCC canine is finished with training, he or she would have helped up to 60 warriors throughout the process.

Warrior Canine Connection utilizes its Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to empower returning combat veterans who have sustained physical and psychological wounds while in service to our country. Based on the concept of warriors helping warriors, WCC’s therapeutic service dog training program is designed to mitigate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other challenges, while giving injured combat veterans a sense of purpose and help in reintegrating back into their families and communities. As part of their training, veterans have the responsibility to teach the dogs that the world is a safe place. Through that process, they must convince themselves of the same.

“This partnership is a win-win for both The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals and the Warrior Canine Connection because it allows both organizations to help our wounded warriors find the best way to bring joy back into their lives. For the Cohen Clinic, helping veterans get better is more than just managing the mental health aspect of it. It is also about helping veterans find wellness, which is just as important,” said Mallary Lass, USAF Ret., Outreach Manager with the Cohen Clinic.

“I’ve been trying to involve myself in more stuff. So when the Cohen Clinic sent me the information, I thought it would be a good chance to work on socializing myself after I came back with my trauma. With this program, I also like that I can be flexible with my commitment and maybe participate once a week. Plus, I like the idea of giving back to the veteran community,” said Natalie, U.S. Army veteran.

Veterans interested in the program can volunteer by working alongside a professional trainer to assist in the training process for a fellow veteran.

The Cohen Clinic is also working with the Warrior Canine Connection on an eight-week training session that will be open to our veteran community. For more information on the session, please contact Outreach Manager Mallary Lass at mlass@eseal.org.

For more on the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals, please go to our website at mfc.eseal.org.

Fourth of July is coming up and most people spend it outside with their flags raised honoring both the holiday and those serving in the military. What many may not consider is how this display of patriotism may affect a veteran, particularly one with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It is important to note that anyone who has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event can develop PTSD, not just military personnel. That said, today’s blog focuses on the impact of PTSD on veterans and military family members.

Studies show that 12.5 percent of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD. However, only half of those with PTSD ever seek treatment. Some symptoms of untreated PTSD include intrusive painful memories, flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance of reminders and previously enjoyable experiences, depression and anxiety, and in extreme cases, suicidal thoughts or behavior.

Veterans in our community are not just warriors, they are also parents, spouses, siblings, and members of families who love them and can’t bear to see them suffering. That is why Easterseals partnered with the Cohen Veterans Network to open the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals (Cohen Clinic) in 2017. Our Clinic serves veterans and military family members by providing them with high-quality behavioral health care, regardless of their ability to pay and regardless of their discharge status.

More importantly, the Cohen Clinic treats each client with a holistic approach to address the complex challenges that veterans and military family members might be facing.

To help provide more insight to veterans living with PTSD, we spoke with Anneke Vandenbroek, Ph.D., ABPP – a licensed clinical psychologist and the lead clinician at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals – who has been working with military service members for over 20 years in the treatment of PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders and other behavioral health disorders. She shares with us HOW the Cohen Clinic is helping veterans break down barriers to get the support they need for PTSD.

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Q: The Cohen Clinic provides evidence-based therapies to help veterans with PTSD. What EXACTLY are evidence-based therapies?

Evidence-based therapies are treatments that have been researched across multiple studies and proven to be effective. Those studies might compare different treatments to each other, or they might compare a treatment to no treatment. Larger studies look at all the evidence across multiple studies to figure out which treatments are most effective. The treatments that are most effective are considered the ‘gold standard’ and that’s what we practice here.

Q: How effective are evidence-based therapies for treating PTSD?

The two most commonly used, and researched as being the most effective treatments for PTSD, are Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE). Clients can choose either one and do equally well with them.

As for outcomes, studies indicate that about 50 percent of clients with PTSD who are treated with either treatment will no longer meet the criteria for PTSD when treatment is completed. Of the remaining 50 percent, about 60 percent will have significant improvement in their symptoms. This means overall, 80 percent will have a positive outcome from these treatments.

Q: What can veterans expect to happen during treatment?

CPT consists of twelve 50-minute sessions of individual therapy. It can also be done as a group, but right now we only offer it as an individual treatment. It focuses on the change to thoughts and beliefs that have come about as a result of trauma. We help clients identify and examine those thoughts and beliefs and work to modify them. It’s very focused on improving the thinking aspect of PTSD.

PE consists of 90-minute sessions that vary from 6 to 12 total sessions, depending on the client. This therapy focuses on the avoidance component of PTSD and getting people back to the activities and things they enjoyed prior to the time they had PTSD. So we are looking at addressing the memories and the behaviors that have been avoided because of PTSD. For instance, people may stop going to the grocery store because they are uncomfortable in crowds. PE really focuses on helping people resume those activities that have become difficult for them as a result of the trauma.

Q: What kinds of traumas have been addressed with clients who have PTSD?

We have seen clients with a variety of traumas including combat-related, traumas that healthcare providers may encounter in combat situations or as casualty situations. So, for instance, working on a ship, like The Comfort, and responding to humanitarian disasters or a first responder kind of trauma, like a 9-11. Then there are traumas that result from early childhood abuse, being a victim of a crime or physical assault, as well as other miscellaneous traumas, like a car accident or something similar.

Q: Previously, stigma has been flagged as a major barrier for veterans and military family members when seeking adequate support for PTSD. However, now we are also learning that veterans have a hard time accessing care. Is access becoming more of a barrier than stigma for veterans when trying to get help?

I think the stigma is still a challenge for a lot of people, but we also know that barriers to care make it more difficult for people to get treatment. Barriers could be things like excessive wait times, the expense of coming to treatment, the logistical challenges around travel or times that our services are available.

The Cohen Clinic addresses these things on multiple fronts. For instance, we offer early morning appointments, we have weekend and evening appointments in order to work around people’s schedules. We offer childcare for when people need to come to appointments but have young children. We want to make it easier for them to make their appointments knowing that their children will be cared for while they take care of themselves. The ability to pay for services is not a barrier to care here.

We also offer telehealth services, which is one of the BIGGEST things we can do to overcome barriers to treatment because people can access care from their living room, office or even a parked car. They don’t have to take time to travel to the clinic. It really only takes 50 minutes out of their day to attend the appointment, so they don’t need to use leave time, travel time, get stuck in Beltway traffic to get here. It’s really fantastic.

Telehealth definitely reduces barriers and make it easier for people to access care. The technology is easy to use. If you can use an app on your smartphone, then you can use telehealth services. And I think it allows people who normally have difficulty accessing care to come in and get treatment.

Overall, it’s really up to the clients to decide what they are comfortable with. They can choose to come in person, connect via telehealth or even try a combination of both. The critical thing is just to be available to them.

Q: Is the quality of care via telehealth as good as in-person?

Telehealth really is an effective way to engage with clients and research shows that it is equally effective. The outcome for clients who engage in telehealth is as good as outcomes for clients who engage in in-person therapy. An additional benefit is that it is so much easier to come to appointments and keep appointments. For example, let’s say one of our clients who normally comes in caught a cold. Instead of canceling his/her appointment, we could still do it via telehealth. Perhaps a schedule change came up and one of our clients now needs to head somewhere else in the area. With telehealth, he/she can still make the appointment.

I also really like it. In some ways, it’s actually easier than an office because I can share handouts and things to the clients immediately. I can show them links to resources online or just share my computer screen. At first, I thought it could be emotionally cold or disconnected, but I didn’t find that to be the case at all. I feel I have the same relationships with my clients via telehealth that I do in person. Clients also report a high degree of satisfaction with their services over telehealth.

Q: How does the clinic protect privacy with online therapy?

We use ZOOM, which is a HIPPA compliant, encrypted platform, and is very secure. Every telehealth session has a unique identifier that no one else can use to log in. The client gets a link and they are the only person with that link for the meeting.

Q: Are there any disadvantages to using telehealth for mental health services?

The only disadvantage I can think of with telehealth is that with new technology it can be a little bit challenging for some people. On occasion, there might be some connection problems due to slow internet service or low bandwidth. Usually, there are workarounds when those issues arise.

In order to address that, we always do a telehealth initial check with our data manager. She connects with the clients before the first scheduled appointment to make sure that they know how to use the link that is sent to them and is able to connect via smartphone, tablet, laptop or whatever they are using so that they know how to use it and are ready to go with their sessions.

For more information on how to connect with the Steven A. Cohen Military Family at Easterseals to get help with PTSD or any other related behavioral health support, please go to our website at mfc.eseal.org.