Veteranology 025, Pt.1 – Duane France

In episode 25 I’m joined in the studio by Duane France, a retired Sgt. 1st Class who has built a career as a mental health professional after leaving the Army.  Duane has continued to serve the veteran community in a myriad of ways.  He’s currently a mental health professional working at a private practice in Colorado Springs.  Second, he’s the Director of Veteran Services at The Family Care Center where he specializes in caring for veterans and their families.  Third, he manages a program that provides counseling to his local veteran court.  Finally, he writes the Headspace and Timing blog featured on VeteranMentalHealth.com.

In part 1, Duane and I discuss is time in service and how that experience pushed him towards a career in mental health counseling, while touching on the following topics:

• The challenges that a serviceman can face when joining the military during wartime and how that can affect the course of their career and their perspective of what it means to serve, especially as their branch transitions to “peace-time” service.
• How the constant high-speed training and deployment schedule can affect a transitioning veteran leaving the military.
• How much I sucked at garrison life.
• How we love going 0 to 60, but we’re horrible at going from 60 to 0.
• The importance of being flexible and open to several possibilities when planning for your future career and lifestyle
• How your sense of self shifts during the transition into civilian life.

There’s a lot of great storytelling in Part 1 and Part 2.  I hope you enjoy!

Important Links:

Headspace and Timing Blog

The Family Care Center in Colorado Springs