Council for Relationships Receives Austelle Foundation Grant

Council for Relationships (CFR) received a $15,000 grant from the Austelle Foundation to support CFR’s Operation Home and Healing (OHH). OHH provides counseling for active-duty service members, members of the National Guard and Reserves, and veterans of all eras (regardless of their characterization of discharge or combat status), and their spouses.

“We believe that OHH’s mission to provide counseling to veterans and the families of vets, specifically those who have served in combat zones, is a unique and vital service,” said Austelle Foundation Executive Director, Margaret Hunting. It is one of the branches of Austelle Foundation’s mission to fund services to returning vets, particularly those suffering with PTSD or other issues arising from their experiences in military service.

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 who choose not to contact Headstrong
  • 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 cost-free, rapid response, stigma-free, unlimited, and confidential therapy to active-duty service members, members of the National Guard and Reserves, and veterans of all eras (regardless of their characterization of discharge or combat status), and their spouses and children.

CFR is also a member of the Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium, which unites military and veteran service organizations who share common goals to build programmatic capacity and increase services to clients under the umbrella of regional collaboration. “The support from the Austelle Foundation allows OHH to actively participate in the Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium and reach out to provide services to other veterans’ services organizations in the region,” said OHH Director, Nancy Isserman, MSW, PhD.

About Austelle Foundation: 

Based in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, the Austelle Foundation seeks to help individuals and to strengthen communities through support of sustainable environmental initiatives, veterans’ services organizations, and Islamic charities.

About Council for Relationships:

Council for Relationships is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people from all walks of life improve their important relationships by providing exemplary therapy, educating and training clinicians in the family systems approach, and advancing the mental health field through research.

More than 70 therapists and psychiatrists provide counseling to individuals, couples, and families in-person at 10 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:

Jessica Willingham

Marketing Director

Cell: 267-546-7685

Email: jwillingham@councilforrelationships.org