Among first veterans’ rehabilitation providers in the nation to undertake specialized training; will benefit Pittsburgh-area veterans receiving services through Wounded Warrior Careers
February 19, 2014, New York, NY - Career Specialists Maggie Casteel and Jesse Putnam, with the National Organization on Disability’s (NOD) Wounded Warrior Careers Program in Pittsburgh, Pa., recently completed training offered by the International Association of Trauma Professionals to augment their services to veterans transitioning from military to civilian careers. Ms. Casteel is now a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, one of the first vocational rehabilitation specialists with this certification serving veterans nationally.
NOD Career Specialists are dedicated to providing intensive vocational support to veterans in the post 9/11 era, many of whom experience post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome (PTSD). Through the training, Casteel and Putnam learned about the individual, contextual, and cultural features of trauma unique to this generation of seriously ill or wounded veterans.
NOD began serving veterans in the Pittsburgh area in October 2012 with support from a coalition of local foundations, including the Heinz Endowments, the Hillman Foundation, Jewish Healthcare Foundation, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and Richard King Mellon Foundation. In an evaluation of the Wounded Warrior Careers released last year, veterans in NOD’s program achieved successful career outcomes at a rate twice that of similarly situated veterans not in the program.
“NOD proudly supports our Career Specialists in their ongoing efforts to offer state-of-the-art professional support to the veterans they serve,” said NOD President Carol Glazer. “These successful techniques are another asset Career Specialists can offer to the veterans of southwestern Pennsylvania.”