By Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair
Nonviolence Works has just completed a move to a new location at 105 Bertha Suite B — across from the US Postal Center and behind Toribio’s restaurant. We find the new space very uplifting — great colors and art — plenty of places for people to visit and work together. Our phone number is still the same (575-758-4297), and our website (www.nonviolenceworks.us) and Facebook page give you all the current programs news.
We are excited to begin our annual summer Therapeutic Camp (Familia y Mundo) with 45 enrollees and a great program of art, crafts, physical skill building, swimming, individual and group therapy, and community service activities. We offer this program to the community through the ongoing partnership with Ranchos Elementary School.
Our search continues to locate an appropriate environment for a residential treatment center for adolescent males — we will keep the community informed about those plans and our needs.
We have initiated a new Gabler Battle Back Program for veterans with unique strengths in our staff, board and our commitments to this population. The title refers to our belief that we must in good conscience help those who have sacrificed for our freedom — to be supported in their battle back to get all the way home.
There are 6,000 veterans in northern New Mexico and approximately 40% of them are in need of some form of mental health support. In addition, far too many of the homeless in our country are from the ranks of veterans. We see them at the roadside in our village — struggling.
Simon Torrez, the Nonviolence Works CEO, is a combat veteran; three members of our NVW board are veterans; and three of our clinicians — Karen House, Linda Sanders, and Beatrice Miera — have unique strengths in serving veterans.
Karen House, our clinical director, is a Gold Star widow and a licensed clinical counselor with experience as a special operations command military counselor and ongoing experience as a family life contracted-consultant for the military. She is experienced in treating military personnel, their families, and veterans with combat and post-combat stress, depressions, anxiety, suicide identification and intervention, substance abuse and addiction, and providing integration of support services. An additional specialty of Karen’s is adventure/wilderness programming, and she regularly leads rafting challenge trips. She established our Memorandum of Understanding with Not Forgotten to provide services on-site to veterans.
Linda Sanders, clinical supervisor, came to Nonviolence Works with ten years of experience serving veterans. As an administrator in the Dallas Veterans Medical Center, she was on the ground floor of the military’s initial work in identifying mental health issues, especially suicide intervention/prevention. She has extensive experience in family systems investigation and treatment and has worked with veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma, and other complex issues.
Beatrice Miera, lead clinician in the NVW/UNM Taos partnership, comes from a military family in which her father, uncles, brothers, and sons all served. She enlisted after high school and served in military intelligence — an experience that strengthened her ability to investigate and create solutions to human problems. She serves as a clinician with youth through adults, but has a special appreciation for work with veterans.
All three of these clinicians are available for services credentialed through TriWest/Choice/PC3 and TriCare for veterans. They can be reached at 575-758-4297, or referrals can be made online at www.nonviolenceworks.us. As we settle in to our new location, our entire team is looking forward to expanding our services to veterans — including a future residential treatment center.
Stay tuned!
Nonviolence Works has the largest credentialed and licensed behavioral health staff in northern New Mexico. Reach us to volunteer, donate or make a referral at 575-578-4297 or on line at www.nonviolenceworks.us
Mary McPhail Gray is the board chair of NVW and can be reached at 575-779-3126 or mcphailconsulting@gmail.com
