CFR Awarded $39,600 to Expand Emergency Aid & Access to Mental Health Resources for Veterans & Their Families

For immediate release. 

August 1, 2023 | Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has awarded Council for Relationships (CFR) a $39,600 grant through the Veterans’ Trust Fund to expand emergency aid and access to mental health resources for Veterans and their families through CFR’s program, Operation Home & Healing (OHH).  

CFR’s therapists aim to help service members, veterans, and their loved ones heal and become better partners, parents, and family members. CFR offers the following special counseling services for veterans and military families through OHH: 

• Therapists with specialized training in military culture and competency 
• Counseling to military members and non-married partners with or without the service member/veteran present 
• Fees on a sliding scale based on income for clients 
• Training for mental health professionals or clergy working with military families or veterans 

Since 2018, CFR has partnered with Headstrong in PA & NJ to provide stigma-free, barrier-free, and confidential therapy for up to 30 sessions at no cost, and unlimited sessions with a co-pay of $40 per session following the first 30 sessions to active-duty service members, members of the National Guard and Reserves, veterans of all eras, along with spouses and children, regardless of their characterization of discharge or combat status.  

CFR is also a member of the Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium (DVCC), which unites military and veteran service organizations that share common goals to build programmatic capacity and increase services to clients under the umbrella of regional collaboration.  

About the Veterans’ Trust Fund: 

For most veterans, the transition from the military to civilian life is smooth and uneventful. However, not all veterans are as fortunate, falling on hard times and find themselves looking for assistance to sustain a quality life. This assistance often comes from statewide charitable organizations and county directors of veterans affairs. That is where the Veterans’ Trust Fund (VTF) comes in. The VTF, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, provides grants to veteran advocates that ultimately assist Pennsylvania veterans and their families in need of housing, financial help, food, training, recovery, and more.

About Council for Relationships: 

Council for Relationships is a nonprofit organization founded in 1932 that strengthens interpersonal connections through accessible, specialized, and expert individual, relationship, and family therapy, clinical training, and research. 

More than 80 therapists and psychiatrists provide counseling to individuals, couples, and families in-person at 9 offices and community-based locations in the greater Philadelphia area and online across PA & NJ. Additionally, more than 60 clinical interns per year participating in CFR’s clinician education programs provide counseling on a sliding fee scale. We are committed to providing quality counseling services to all in need, regardless of ability to pay. To learn more, visit councilforrelationships.org. 

Media Contact  

Michael Fasano-McCarron 

Director of Communications and Development 

Representing over 85 therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists 

Phone: 215-770-2115 ext. 3160 

Email: mmccarron@councilforrelationships.org