Celebrating the Success of Veterans in the TVHS Whole Health Program
Staff and Whole Health coaches from VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) held a holiday celebration for the continued success toward their goals of the Vietnam Veterans’ group in December 2023.
“I think having these groups for Veterans is very beneficial,” said Henry Banks, a Veteran who served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam.
“The group was created by a previous Whole Health coach to bring Veterans together in a small setting, almost like a Vietnam Veterans’ support group within the Whole Health program,” said Edith Jordan, a Whole Health coach with TVHS.
“VA’s Whole Health program is a service that is a holistic approach to help Veterans meet health care goals,” Jordan said. “It is based on what the Veteran wants to achieve: want is their values and their strengths.”
The Whole Health program is designed for all Veterans to connect and create a individual health plan based on personal goals. The group is open to all Veterans to help support them outside of a clinical setting.
“We have eight components: moving the body; recharge; food and drink; personal development; family, friends, and co-workers; spirit and soul; surroundings; and power of mind. Based on those components, we work with the Veterans to see what they want to work on,” said Jordan.
Whole Health coaches start the process by meeting with the Veteran one-on-one.
“We start by interviewing them and using a form that we call ‘personal health inventory,’ and we get to know the Veteran,” Jordan said. “Then we try to connect what is important to them with their values, and then we try to connect them to different tools and techniques to reach their goals.”
This is not a directive program, she said. The job of a Whole Health coach is to guide Veterans to reach their goals through their actions.
Part of the nondirective portion of the Whole Health program is group support like the group of Vietnam Veterans gathered for the holiday part. The community and group aspect helps provide ideas for what the Veterans want to work on, Jordan said.
“The Veterans are able to sit down and have one-on-one sessions with Jordan and other Whole Health coaches, and then they will also come to group sessions to get additional aspects of what is going on,” said Tangela Babb, a social worker with TVHS and co-facilitator of the Vietnam Veterans’ group. “They also share knowledge, education, and resources that are available.”
Babb has been a helpful resource within the group to connect Veterans with additional VA resources.
“There is some information that some Veterans just do not know. Some Veterans were unable to contact their social worker, so I’ve been able to be their advocate to help connect them with the social worker assigned to them,” said Babb.
Providing resources and avenues of support is part of the Whole Health’s approach to empower Veterans to make decisions and grow.
“I could sit here all day and tell you what you need to do, but there is no guarantee that you are going to do it – because it might not be good for you. We help the Veterans brainstorm and come up with their solutions to their goals, and what can the Whole Health coaches do to help the Veterans to achieve those goals,” Jordan said.
The clinical and the Whole Health team combine to ensure that TVHS provides the Veteran with the best care.
VA’s Whole Health program approaches health holistically to support the health and well-being of Veterans. Focusing on what matters to the Veterans, it combines self-care and complimentary therapies – like acupuncture, Tai Chi, and yoga – along with medical care.