HTP will create a sustainable and scalable model for community-based care to address the holistic health and wellness needs of Afghan Special Operations veterans and their families. Our programs are informed through a series of focus groups, facilitated in partnership with the Afghan Medical Professional Association of America (AMPAA). Additionally, a robust monitoring and evaluation program collects participant feedback at the conclusion of each program cohort and is used to inform improvements for subsequent cohorts.
Primary Research: to better inform our mental health resiliency programs, HTP facilitates focus groups to better understand the needs of the current Afghan refugee population. In partnership with AMPAA, focus groups explore all aspects of health that include physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and financial wellness. AMPAA facilitates these focus groups through an Afghan-American provider who has also lived the refugee experience so there is greater trust between the facilitator and the focus group participants. HTP and AMPAA will use the insights gathered from the focus groups for future holistic health partners, funders, and volunteers so they can better understand the evacuation and resettlement experience of newly-arrived Afghans.
Coping Skills: Small, peer groups of Afghan Veterans meet for three sessions that teach and develop coping skills that are necessary during the early resettlement period (3-6 months).
Psycho-Social Education: Designed specifically for the family members and loved ones of Afghan veterans, these psycho-social education sessions help them understand and cope with the stress and trauma of hastily evacuating their country and resettling in America. These groups are primarily women, although we intend to expand to all family members. The sessions are led by an Afghan-American who has lived through the refugee experience herself and has lived in the U.S. for several decades.