The Veterans Healing Veterans self-help group celebrated its 12-year anniversary and held its first graduation in San Quentin since before the pandemic. Graduates received their certificates and hardearned white VHV hats during the ceremony in July.
VHV was created in 2012 inside SQ to help incarcerated veterans heal from the trauma they experienced throughout their lives, including during childhood and military service.
Marine veteran Ron Self founded the program and developed its curriculum, centered on therapeutic shared trauma narratives, when he was incarcerated in The Q.
“Ron had a vision of helping veterans who weren’t cuttin’ it in prison, to give you an extra layer of healing,” announced Army veteran and SQ resident Kevin Brinkman from the podium, opening the ceremony.
“This program now supports veterans in prisons in three states,” said Self to the 50 veterans attending the event in the SQ chapel. He became the executive director of VHV soon after paroling in 2017.
Brinkman, a VHV facilitator and member since arriving at SQ in 2017, acknowledged the other inside facilitators in attendance for their commitment to helping fellow veterans. Seven stood up and received lively applause.
“When Ron paroled, we held it together,” Brinkman said. “That’s what we do, VHV: Leave no man behind.”
California Dept. of Veterans Affairs representative Mary Donovan also addressed the audience from the podium. “It’s always a pleasure to share this space with you guys,” she said. “I’ve learned so much in the VHV circles with all of you listening and embracing the ability to be changed by what you hear.” She estimated her time in healing circles at 1,000 hours.
Donovan was instrumental in helping Self create VHV through its first seven years as a volunteer, facilitator, sponsor, and director. Now, with Cal Vet, she works oneon-one helping veterans in California prisons get the benefits they earned during military service.
Survivors of military service have double the civilian suicide rate and one of the highest rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is associated with high levels of social, occupational, and physical disability. Imprisonment often exacerbates the damaging effects.
The most effective treatments for PTSD are trauma-focused narrative therapies that help the person process their traumatic experiences. The VHV facilitators guide participants through the curriculum that does precisely that with listening, talking, and writing.
“I listen,” said Roberta Dillon, a VHV outside facilitator since 2019. “I’m greatly rewarded when I see the growth in the men who are intent to change.”
VHV inside facilitator Donald Edge commended the graduates for achieving an understanding of their past traumas, which benefits themselves and society. “Thank you also to Ron, Roberta, and all the facilitators for kindly reaching out to help heal the veteran population,” said Edge.
“Not everybody makes it through,” said John Poggi, an outside volunteer facilitator for eight years. “You can’t just show up and expect to succeed. You have to make the commitment and do the difficult work.”
Poggi and Dillon lauded the zero-percent recidivism among the more than 100 veterans who have graduated since the program began twelve years ago.
One such success story is Navy veteran Tony Marquez. “I learned the hard way, and healing was a long journey,” he said. “I returned to old behaviors after I left the Navy, making poor choices leading to addiction.”
“VHV was the first group I ever took at San Quentin,” he continued. “I learned how my response to trauma and negative life events led me to be the person who committed my crime.”
After first being denied parole in 2020, three years later Marquez was found suitable and then paroled. Now working with VHV, he has facilitated for the program in three CA prisons.
“It’s bittersweet to see friends still here,” said Marquez. “It feels nice to help, but it’s sad to leave them behind.”
