NewBridge Services and the Morris County Veterans Services Office are launching a bimonthly veteran peer support group on Feb. 3. NewBridge counselor and veteran Tim Slavin will facilitate the group. It will meet the first and third Thursdays of each month, 7-8:30 p.m.

Participation is free to all veterans no matter their length of service or discharge status. It offers a facilitated and guided conversation among veterans to aid in healing and recovery.

Veterans who were in combat or separated from family for extended periods may experience added life stressors.

“A peer support group for veterans is a way to come together to share stories of the stressors of deployment and the impact this stress has had on their lives,” NewBridge CEO Michelle Borden said. “It allows for an opportunity to forge connections of hope, recovery and support and to know they are not alone.”

One of Three County Initiatives

The veteran peer support group is one of three initiatives approved by the Morris County Board of County Commissioners in September. Commissioner John Krickus, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, recommended them. American Rescue Plan Act funding will cover the costs. The county also is providing veteran and family support counseling and veteran roundtables and other social events.

Krickus said in September that he wants veterans, including those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, “to know that we not only honor their service on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, but we are here to support you every day of the year.”

The Specifics

NewBridge’s veteran peer support group will meet at the Morris County Veterans Service Office, 540 West Hanover Ave. in Morris Township. The entrance is at the rear of the Morris View Healthcare Center. For more information and to register, contact NewBridge Services at 973-316-9333 or visit the NewBridge website.