Strengthening Veteran Support: Tomah VA Staff Complete Resilience Training at Fort McCoy
By Amanda Batchko, Public Affairs Specialist/Outreach Coordinator
Tomah VA Whole Health staff joined National Guard and Reserve personnel at Fort McCoy for a weeklong Applied Resilience Training course focused on evidence based skills to better support Veterans, build connection, and promote long term well being.
Applied Resilience teaches practical, research supported tools that enhance self awareness, emotional regulation, flexible thinking, and relationship building—competencies essential to delivering compassionate, Veteran centered care. The training combined Tomah VA staff and military participants in a program grounded in cognitive and positive psychology, centered on four key competencies: Self Awareness, Self Regulation, Mental Agility, and Connection.
Instructor Jordan Hazel emphasized the universal value of these skills: “Self-awareness, self-regulation, mental agility, and connection… are real life skills—skills that help you in relationships, leadership, family life, and everyday interactions. We teach them in a military context, but they apply to everyone.”
This training contributes to a growing effort to align resilience strategies between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Currently, DoD resilience programs focus on readiness and performance, while VA efforts prioritize recovery and long term well being. That gap can leave service members without
continuity during transition.
CW4 Timothy Wildes explained the stakes: “The disconnect between these systems creates real challenges for service members during transition, when they’re often at their most vulnerable.”
A unified resilience framework would help create shared language, shared expectations, and seamless skill development across a service member’s entire journey. By standardizing core competencies and aligning training goals, both agencies can ensure that the strategies service members learn while in uniform remain relevant and reinforced after separation.
For Veterans, this means smoother transitions, more consistent support, and care teams who understand the same resilience concepts and terminology they learned during service.
Progress is already underway. Five Whole Health Coaches attended the April training at Fort McCoy, and seats have been set aside for national VA leaders to observe the next pilot course in Arlington, Virginia.
Wildes highlighted the momentum: “That level of collaboration shows how committed both departments are to building a more unified approach.”
As the collaboration between VA and DoD continues to grow, the ongoing resilience training marks a promising step toward ensuring Veterans receive seamless, informed support throughout their entire journey.