Broken Promises ~ Compromised Mental Health Care, Counselor Burnout & Retaliation at VA

Our Veterans are not numbers!

Suzi is joined by Ted Blickwedel, Retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, combat veteran and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, about compromised mental health care and counsel burnout in VA Vet Centers. Ted's journey from clinical social worker employed by the VA to today has been quite a road of discovery, hardship and disappointment in the VA system. Ted's expectation of quality care for his fellow men and women of service who need the support and mental health care from the VA was and is one top tier. Ted experienced first hand the lack of support as a clinician, lack of quality care for his patients and sadly the retaliation of speaking up about the injustice to both veterans needing help and those providing the help. 

Ted's Bio

Retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel and combat veteran who became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker after he retired from the military. He worked as a counselor at the VA VET Center in Warwick, RI from 2009 to 2018 where he provided mental health care for fellow veterans. In 2017, during his tenure at the VET Center, he began to ‘speak truth to power’ in an effort to have VA VET Center Management revise their clinical productivity policies that were harmful to counselors and compromising quality care for veterans. His subsequent whistleblowing campaign came at great price, personally, professionally, financially and health wise. He is currently urging the United States Congress to pass legislation that has been introduced to the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees, as a result of a federal GAO investigation he helped instigate which substantiated his allegations. This legislation will protect the quality of services to our veterans and their families, as well as safeguard the welfare of counselors who care for them at over 300 VET Centers nationwide. Blickwedel’s crusade to rectify compromised mental health care and counselor well-being within the VA VET Center program has been featured on NBC and NPR, to include the Military Times, other publications and local news broadcasts.

Energy Psychology (EP)

Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP)

www.energypsych.org

veterans.energypsych.org

https://www.vabreakingpromises.com/

Senate: S. 1944 - Vet Center Improvement Act of 2021

House of Representatives: HR

Music credit to Kalvin Love for the podcast’s theme song “Bee Your Best Self”

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