Transcript of Road Home Program: The Podcast, Episode 18
You can have the tools to heal yet still need help to put them to effective use. Learn why a veteran, who is also a therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, turned to the Road Home Program to get the support he needed to enable him to fulfill his mission to help fellow veterans.
Will Beiersdorf, Executive Director of The Road Home Program at Rush: All right, good day, everybody. I’m Will Beiersdorf. I’m the Executive Director of the Road Home Program. And this is the Road Home, the Podcast. And we do these podcasts every month on different topics with different guests. And I’m so grateful to have two of our guests here today, Reg and Shana McCutcheon, right? Did I say that right, Reg?
Reg McCutcheon, retired US Air Force Lt Colonel, therapist, and Certified Clinica Trauma Professional: Yep.
Will Beiersdorf: And, Reg, you know, you are an Air Force veteran. And, you know, and I’ll let you tell you a little more about, you know, share with our folks about your background. And you’re also, you know, a Road Home Intensive Outpatient Program alumni.
Reg McCutcheon: Yes, sir.
Will Beiersdorf: And we’re grateful that you went through our program. But before we kick off, and we talk a little about our guests in what we’re going to talk about today, I just want to take a second just to let people know, again, this is the Road Home Program. And if you’re just joining us, for the first time, the Road Home Program helps veterans, service members – again, could be men and women who are in the National Guard, active duty or the reserves – who are struggling with PTSD, military, sexual trauma, or other invisible wounds of war in life. And we’ve been around for almost nine years, and we’ve served several thousand veterans and family members and service members over the years, again, around these invisible wounds of war in life. And if you want to learn more about the Road Home Program, there are a couple of different ways you can find out about us. You can go to our website at roadhomeprogram.org. Again, that’s roadhomeprogram.org. Or, if you’re in the area here, we’re based out of Chicago, Illinois, you can call us at 312-942-8387. Again, that’s 312 942 VETS. Or we’re also on Facebook. So, so again, let’s kick this off today. And again, Reg, I’m going to ask you, I’m just going to before I, I kind of got your bio here, but I’m going to let you share with the folks a little bit about your background, your service and again, you know, how you came about, you know, to come to the Road Home Program?
Reg McCutcheon: Okay. Well, I was, I’m retired Air Force, obviously, I enlisted in 1980. Long time ago. And then retired in 2014. And so I, I enlisted was a cop and the Air Force invited me or gave me an opportunity to get commissioned to get a degree. And then from there went into space and missiles. First was flying with some mounts from Air Force base as a missileer. And then from there, went into Space Command running radar sites and, and flying satellites, and then doing some program management and program development things. And then, you know, after that way, I went into AOC work. Air Operations Control Center, and did that for a while and went to Afghanistan. So, I spent seven months in Afghanistan and retired in 2014 after 34 years or so of service. So, it was a blessing to do that and be part of, part of probably the military and its most fluctuated or most flex time they’ve ever had from peacetime or from Cold War all the way to full blown war. And post 9/11.
Will Beiersdorf: Wow. Yeah. And I was also again, I’m also an Army Navy vet. So I know, there’s folks listening, a lot of people say, “Whoa, are you confused, Will? What happened? What’s going on there?” I wish I would have known about the Air Force before, of course, you know, like we all do, because the Air Force definitely takes care of their folks. So, you, you serve, you know, again, like right, when, you know, again, the when the military was kind of getting revived under Reagan, and then you saw, you saw that growth all the way through to 2014. So again, thank you for your service. And I’m just going to ask Shana to real quickly, just again, you know, because again, at the Road Home Program, you know, you know, of course, the focus is always around the service member, the veteran. But families are really, really important. So, I just want to take a moment to, Shana, if you could, you know, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background and what you do.
Shana McCutcheon, wife of Reg McCutcheon: So I, this, this military life is a little new to me. I have a few family members that have been in the military. But Reg and I have only been married for a few years. And so all this has been new, wonderful, and a little difficult. And we have eight kids between us. And it really just has been a journey of, of, of me learning about the military and about just how he has served, what he has sacrificed. What that means for us as a couple and us as a family. And, you know, that, we were friends for, for years before we actually get together. And so all the things that, that make, make him who I have fallen in love with, I watched for years, just from afar, and in our community and with family, friends, and at church. And I just, I have really been amazed at his sacrifice. And how many people that along his journey he has been able to help. Yet, he just kind of came to a point where I wanted him to, to take a pause, and help, help himself and find healing and find understanding.
Will Beiersdorf: No, that’s, you know, that’s perfect. I mean, and it’s funny how all kinds of things work out, right? You know, in this life we lead, and you touched upon something really important again, you know, you see this, you know, because there’s great stresses that come with our service. And, believe me, having served myself almost 14 years, and different, in different opportunities, you know, over the years, I mean, you know, it’s you, as you are in the military and you grow in the military, you really grow to love it. Even though most of the time it can be the most miserable experience. Right, Reg?
Reg McCutcheon: Yeah.
Will Beiersdorf: But, but you said that, you hit on something about, “Hey, you, Reg, you need to take a little bit of a pause.,” right? And I want to just ask you, Reg, so you’ve got an interesting background. And this is one of the reasons why I wanted to have you on the Road Home Podcast.
And again, for folks that are just joining us again, this is the Road Home Program, the podcast. And I’m with Reg and Shana McCutcheon and we’re talking about some of the Road Home programming here. And if you’d like to learn more about the Road Home Program, again, we help veterans service members of families that are struggling, or dealing with the invisible wounds of war in life, you can reach out to us, you know, at roadhomeprogram.org to learn more about us. Or you can call us at 312-942-8387 or 942 VETS. But Reg, I want to ask you, because you’ve got an interesting background. So, you are also, you’re also a clinician, right?
Reg McCutcheon: OK.
Will Beiersdorf: You also provide therapy and care to vets and others. So, when I first heard you were coming to our program, we’re here I’m like, wait a minute. Yeah. You know, and I, you know, he’s one of us, right? You know, he’s kind of, but you forget that clinicians and folks that serve whether in the veteran or any other community are human too, right? And you have needs. So tell us a little bit about your journey, your background and in how you came to Road Home Program.
Reg McCutcheon: Yes. So, you know, yes, we’re all human. We’re very flawed people, of course. But my desire, and when I went in the Air Force in 1980, they had this thing called a dream sheet. And on that dream sheet, it said, What do you want to do when you grow up? Or what are you going to do ultimately grow up and on that was become a counselor/therapist. So, gosh, many, many years later, 30 years later, I took that opportunity. I got a Master’s Degree in business, Air War College, Air Command and Staff College and all that other stuff. And really, after, in my tour in Afghanistan, I realized we need help. We need people to stand with our veterans, our soldiers, sailors, Marines, Marines and airmen and help them in this minute. And the best people to help, we’ve been there. Not that I thought would bring something meaningful, great to the table, but I was going to get my effort to it. I was going to dedicate myself to that. Since I retired in 2014, that’s what I’ve done pretty much consistently is help veterans and their families. And as a trauma therapist, I, I just deal with every kind of it including sexual trauma and abuses, complex trauma from, from children of alcoholics or abused children that now have come through the military. And knowing that, you know, the volume of veterans that have served during this time this this last 20 years or so, actually 19 until we halted but, you know, that’s 1.9 million people that have deployed. But that’s not just 1.9 people, 1.9 million people, that’s 1.9 million families. And that is what has really moved me that there’s moms and dads and wives and kids and cousins and dogs and, you know, in every kind within their family that just needs more than, you know, that they need a welcome home, too. And so they need to understand what they’re dealing with. And that’s been my journey and working with families. I’m a Marriage and Family Therapist. So helping them understand family dynamics, and all those unique things within the family and their, and their cohesion, and stuff. So, yeah, you go from, you know, I jokingly say, rocket scientist to therapist, and what’s that, what’s that bridge look like? Well, it’s not a bridge, it’s really just a big old boat. You get on it. You just learn as much as you can. You swim a lot, too. And you change but, but systems dynamic or family systems theory is really very much like engineering. You know, people do things, because they’re the things they, to use a common phrase, “hurts, habits and hang-ups” to drive their life sometimes, but they don’t know what they don’t know. And I am, I am one of those. So, truly, as much as I take classes and understand, I don’t always have the capacity or ability to serve or, or solve my own problems. So, and oftentimes, those things pop up and very unfortunate time when we’re triggered and so, although I’m very aware of my triggers, I didn’t have a healing. I didn’t have a way to do it, because you just can’t do it always, it’s not always an internal mechanism. You need somebody to navigate you. Very aware of the necessity of someone to lead you and navigate. And, you know, I just have to give, you know, John, just all, by all, of all the props in the world for what he did. I thought John was amazing. John Murphy, your, one of your doctors here. He was just amazing. And just really, Air Force vet, too. Understood where I was coming from. Gave me the room to learn and grow. But, more importantly, he developed a very specific process, a very specific way of working with me that honored me. But also it wasn’t so cookie cutter, like you often see sometimes in treatment centers. That is not, it’s not just one size fits all. It’s a very specific process. And I know that our guys and my cohort, were just moved and appreciated their experience as well. So, but those are individual stories. But that’s the nature of the program. So, it was easy to see. And, you know, of course, I had Shana involved at every step. We spoke every evening and went over, the sessions, went over what we learned in class, the big old binder you gave me, why, you know, we’ve walked through that. I’ve shared it with her intentionally because I don’t think that I can do it alone. And I have to have a team with me I have to have, you know I have to have the right people to come alongside me and somebody else speak truth. And someone who, that’ll love me enough to speak truth, but more importantly, somebody that will, that’ll love me when I’m at my worst. And my worst, my worst now has new meaning. It’s probably not as bad as it once was. But more importantly, that we, she understands the events, she understands my nature, and we get the opportunity then to share that and have just really great conversation when we get triggered because I say it. I speak it out loud. And we have, we have a way of dealing with it now. Not that I didn’t know I could do that or should do that. It’s just this was, systems because, you know, we can’t always be therapeutic within our family, you know? It’s just not always, is not always good or healthy, you know?
Will Beiersdorf: No, and I just want to stop right there, Reg, because I want to make sure that in what everybody as you’re listening to this, you know, we’re talking about some of the programming that we have here at the Road Home Program at Rush. And what Reg is talking about is our two-week Intensive Outpatient Program. You know, so Reg, you went through that program, and I want you to share with you a little bit about, you know, kind of like the scheduling a little bit about that. And then also you touched upon again, how it gave you the tools, right? And the insight even though you, you knew right, you weren’t because you are, you are, you’re again, you’re one of the professionals, but, but again, you mentioned earlier, you know, you’re human, right?
Reg McCutcheon: Right.
Will Beiersdorf: And we all need help, right? And so it’s nice. And so I want to talk about a little bit about the IOP. Yeah, I also want to hit upon some of the some of the team members because again, you know, at Road Home Program we got some great folks here and you hit a hit upon Dr. John Murphy, who is wonderful. And there’s a whole host of others.
Reg McCutcheon: He just happens to be my, my professional in the moment, but there’s many others here for sure. So, and I’ve known the Road Home Program since your inception. So, a mutual friend of ours, Abbie Holland Schmidt, who worked with Wounded Warrior program many years ago, introduced me to you guys and Modi and Chris. So, I had the opportunity of meeting and then referring people here and then sharing the Road Home Program with friends and other professionals, so I had an insight into it. But, in truth, most treatment programs – let me add something to this, that, you know, when we talk about treatment programs, you’re usually dealing with something that’s addiction related, either drugs or alcohol, people trying to some, you know, dual diagnosis process where they have PTSD or trauma and then they also have, you know, alcoholism or substance abuse issues. Well, there are no programs or very few save yours and the other three in the network, that are really designed for specifically posttraumatic stress. Either posttraumatic stress or military sexual trauma. So, coming here was probably my only option. The only thing I could get into was to come to the very place I’ve been sending people. And I knew the program, very familiar with it. And when I reached out, I just remember talking to Modi, when I called her, I texted and said, “Hey, Modi, you got a minute?” And then she said, “Yeah,” so we finally talked. And I’m telling you, Will, there was not one minute from that moment forward that I didn’t feel like I was cared for, that somebody was interested me, and everyone I touched along the path, you know, on intake, intake processing, to every step, somebody really came alongside. They demonstrated hope, first, because it was not just in their word, but their actions. And they, they, they leaned in and we started negotiate when it become because I would have left the next day, if they, if they wouldn’t take me. But it took, it took a minute, but really glad it did. It gave me an opportunity to calm down a little bit on the inside and then step in in a right place. And it gave us an opportunity to look into that a little bit as a couple. And, but that comes from, you know, my understanding of where we’re heading. Most clinical programs that deal with, with either or dual diagnosis based or drug substance abuse and trauma, you’re lucky to get two sessions a week. While I was here, as you know, Will, I had two sessions a day. And there was a lot of work in that. And I, I know my work, but I can’t imagine, you know, in John’s case, his work, not to mention the group sessions that went on – the mindfulness, the group therapy sessions. You know, we really, we really went through our, went through our exercises. We had to get to places where we could express, and you guys did an amazing job of giving us space for that. But also given, giving us the tools to and teaching us how to use those tools. Kudos to, to the mindfulness and the, to the, you know, to the art therapy, and etcetera. And I know that you guys have this exhibit over at DuPage, I’d love to get over maybe while we’re up here, but I just know that that is, that is an example of just the power of healing. Because I saw them, I saw many masks while we’re doing it. And I just think that in this journey, we have to turn the page. And if we don’t turn the page, we don’t take a step forward, nothing’s going to change. You know, it doesn’t change until it gets too, too painful not to. There’s an old quote. But you guys truly helped us do that. From the very beginning, you’ve never stopped showing us a path. Respecting us. Drawing us together. Feeding us extremely well. Of course, and then, you know, just allowing us to be part of this with you and not being, and I want to say that again, being part of it with you. Not we came in and then we were just subject to. We were part of, and I think that was just priceless in my mind that everybody came in with that same, you know, everybody felt that same, same feeling, that same response from you all, and we really appreciated that. That was part of our discussion back at the end.
Will Beiersdorf: Yeah, you know, you hit on a lot of different things, Reg, Again, you know, what I always tell our team, you know, our culture of care is critical, right? We have a lot of people that have incredible wisdom and knowledge. But you know, knowledge and wisdom don’t mean much if you’re, if you don’t show that you care first, right? And show with some type of compassion. So, I think when I came to speak with you and your cohort when you were here, you know, again, I asked that question, do people, do you feel like they care about you? Do you feel like you’re cared when you come here? And I heard, you know, 100% from everyone, you know, what, yeah. You know, from the time I started the intake process, right? To the time that I actually walked through the doors to the, you know, to all the different things. And that’s the beauty of the Road Home Program is that we’ve embedded that, that strong culture of care because it’s not about us, you know. It’s about you. And again, giving you the tools and giving you what I call a pathway forward so you can get back to living life, enjoying life, you know, loving life, right?
Reg McCutcheon: Yes.
Will Beiersdorf: You know, our life’s, let’s be honest, you know, life is short. It is. Every time I wake up, I’m going, how did I get to be like, you know where I’m at today? I mean, how did like 57 plus years go by so fast? Kind of giving away my age here a little bit. But, but it’s true, though. And so, you know, when folks go through these, these situations and have these traumas and these challenges, you know, our goal is really to get you back on track. And we want you to be happy and love life. And because we have a purpose, you know, and also I value most, you know, about you, as I hear about all the folks that come through our program, you know, I was trying to embed that purpose. I think that’s what Road Home does really well. And then the rest is really up to you, right? I mean, because we give you the tools. With those two weeks, it’s intense. Our focus is solely on you, you know, and so, but, and then we hope that you can really get a good running start to get back on track, you know, and, again, there’s always opportunities for folks to come back, you know, or continue care, you know, in our outpatient clinic or other things. But, you know, one of the things I want to ask you is, like, was there one thing that really stood out, Reg? You know, I’m going to ask, yes, you that one thing. And then the other thing, too, is when Reg came back, Shana, was there one thing that stood out for you, when he came, when he came back? Or actually, when you’re having those conversations, because it sounds like you guys, you both were talking, you know, throughout the two weeks, but what, I guess for each of you what, what was the one thing that really stood out? Because again, you know, there’s all kinds of different programs and treatment programs, and you know, caregiving services, and all this other stuff, but what stood out? What, I mean, what was one thing that really, you know, made the difference?
Reg McCutcheon: For me, it really was how much your team cared. It played out over and over again. When, and I know, just from my experience, running treatment hospitals, that it’s very often in the, you know, in those final hours before they walk in your door, they’re either, most people are going out getting extremely high or extremely drunk, thinking this is my last one, I’m going to make it my best. And I never lost contact with your folks that I was always being reached out to and encouraged that this is happening. And they’re looking forward to see me from travel or whatever was needed. But I never for a second felt like, you weren’t looking forward to my arrival. And wait, couldn’t wait to meet me. But also not that you said you couldn’t wait to meet me, but they actually met me, they met me at the door and demonstrated that over and over again. And, you know, it really mattered. And that’s what stuck out stuck, stuck out to me. And the fact that, you know, you didn’t just say it, you did it. Now, that’s hope. That, that says that there’s hope in this and then no time, the two weeks that I was here did I lose that. Even when I left, the way I was treated on departure, you know, it was just a truly a gift and a blessing. Thank you,
Will Beiersdorf: Shana, I mean, what was, you know, again, from the experience that you heard about, saw, you know, and experienced, what was the one thing that stood out from your perspective?
Shana McCutcheon: Um, so, I would definitely say just a, a new sense of understanding. I know he understands everyone else. And he can figure out how to help almost anyone. And he really just needed somebody to lean into him, care for him. Bring him to a place of new understanding. Give him some tools. And so I would absolutely just say, you know, a calm that he could heal. That, that hope that he mentioned earlier, that he could see that there was something better in our future healing. And just, I mean, and yes, I mean, we’ve, he’s bragged about John over and over and over. But you know, he, he just needed somebody to do for him what he does for everyone else.
Will Beiersdorf: No, exactly.
Shana McCutcheon: It is truly a gift.
Will Beiersdorf: Yeah, well, each of our, all of our team members, everybody from the beginning of the process to the end of the process. I mean, it’s very special. And I always, I’m always so thankful and grateful. And just real quickly for folks that might be just joining us, I’m Will Beiersdorf, the Executive Director of the Road Home Program, and this is the Road Home the Podcast, and we’re with our guests today, Reg and Shana McCutcheon, from Indiana, and Reg, is, as an Air Force veteran, again, don’t hold that against them. I mean, again, I know these guys get air conditioning and all the special perks. I know, I know. Don’t remind me. I’m kidding as an Army Navy vet myself. But Reg is also a Road Home alumni. Reg went through our two week Intensive Outpatient Program and is also a clinician himself, you know, serving and caring for veterans and others back in Indiana. And so, so this is a very special podcast to me, because again, it’s, you know, you know, to hear and have you share, you know, some insight. And, you know, a couple last questions. Is there any anything else that you, you know, before we wrap up here, is there anything else you want to share on, share to, share with people, share with folks, whether it’s a veteran themselves or current service member or family member? I mean, because Reg, one of our hardest challenges, one of our toughest things, is to actually get people to make that call, or actually, when they make that call to actually get them here. But what would you say to folks, you know, it might be a mom or dad or husband or wife or girlfriend, boyfriend, whoever, but going I, you know, man, I got somebody here that needs help, what do I do? How do I connect them?
Reg McCutcheon: You know, I would get my brothers and sisters – whew – before you destroy another relationship, before you, you know, step on any harder than you already have, pause. Give yourself a chance. You know, not everybody’s going to understand you. Nobody’s understand your journey. But you have to understand that, too, before you can use it sometimes. And sometimes our hurts, habits and hang-ups, those very words I used earlier, get in the way of our ability to heal and grow and use those things to our advantage. I tell many folks, our past does not define us, it informs us. And if we’re informed by our past and not defined from it, we then know where the roadblocks are. Where the, where the accidents are and we know how to avoid them. But we keep running into them. And that’s a growth opportunity. That’s an opportunity for us to, you know, to know that yes, we went and done the hard things. We’ve stood for things and we’ve stood on walls, and we’ve sat in holes, and we’ve been out in the battle space. But more importantly, we did it because we loved our country and our, we don’t always see their country loves us. They do, they really do. They just don’t always understand. And I think that, again, go back to the original idea, we have to understand, understand ourselves, and then share that appropriately. Which means it’s just us being humble before them and saying, you know what? I’m having a hard time. Maybe I could use just a minute, maybe I could take a knee before I cracked the top on another bottle or I do something that just, I’m just feeding the bad habit instead of looking for the solution to the, to the problem. Again, we use our hurts, habits, and hang ups sometimes to relieve pain, when in fact, we can actually settle the pain with the right treatment. With the right people. With someone that has the courage to sit and share that space with you. That’s here. Before you do it, your family, your friends, you should be welcoming the opportunity to be a husband, a brother, a wife, a sister, a mom, a dad, cousin, a citizen again. And I think, really think that once you find your grounding, then you can do that. And the Road Home did that for me significantly. It made a world of difference. It gave me the, gave me the tools which I knew, which I truly knew. But I never took the time to use and somebody put them back in my hands and gave me the power and ability to use them. But it took a lot of humility and vulnerability on my part to do it. And I can tell you, it was worth every second.
Will Beiersdorf: Well, well said. Well said. You know, again, the biggest challenge we have here at the Road Home Program is getting folks to cross that bridge, right? Make that call. And it’s hard because again, they’re always you know, I’ve always heard this, “someone else needs it more than me.” You know, “I’m good.” You know, all the different things. But again, I think once we realize that, hey, we’re human, we all, we all need help once in a while, right? We all need that helping hand. That’s the beautiful thing about the Road Home Program is that it’s here, you know, and we do it in a respectful, thoughtful way. And again, as smart and as brilliant as we have in our clinical team, they’re very compassionate. They’re very thoughtful, right, Reg? Very caring And I think that’s the message that, you know, I am, we’re trying desperately to get out to folks. Because I don’t look at Road Home as necessarily a clinic, it’s really a community, you know. It’s a place where, you know, we’re helping build relationships, you know, rebuilding relationships, and giving people purpose. I mean, that’s really, at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. That was a great thing about the military. Even though when I joined, I thought, you know, I knew what I wanted, you know, and I had purpose in life as a youngster. But it all, it kind of renewed my purpose, you know, and gave me, I mean, it taught me how to do things that I never thought I could do through some difficult times. And it made me, it gave me something that I was, you know, again, part of something bigger than myself, you know. Part of something bigger than myself. And that’s the beautiful thing about the military. But the thing is, like, the military is also a big machine, right? So unfortunately, we know, it just kind of turns and turns people in and out. And that’s why at Road Home, you know, our philosophy is like, If any man or woman has worn the uniform, whether for one day or for 30 years, whatever, it might be honorable, dishonorable, whatever, you know, we’re here for you post or pre 9/11. We serve both. And we try to help. And if we can help, folks, you know, we can’t help everybody but if we can, you know, we’re here. And I just wanted to ask, you know, as we kind of wrap up here, Reg, what are any last thoughts from you, or, Shana, any last thoughts from you about, about the Road Home Program?
Reg McCutcheon: I’ll turn this to Shana after this, but I just wanted to say, what came to mind was an old song, and those have been in BBS know, it’s that phrase, because I, too, like you said, Will, you know, “somebody else needs it worse than me.” So, there’s always somebody else and you know, somebody else needs it worse and give it to them. I’ll take my turn when it comes. You know, there’s nothing wrong with that, and leadership. But this is not leadership. This is survivor. This is survivorship of anything. But the old song says, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, oh, Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” So take your chances. Don’t, don’t lose out on this. It matters the world to those around you, but what matters most is you actually admitting that you do. And they’ll gather in ways you never understood. The program is amazing. And I want to reiterate, at no cost to you. I think that’s really important that people understand that the Road Home Program, bring you here, feeds you, tends to your, gives you a place to stay. Brings you back and forth every day, and then brings you home safely to your family. So, what’s asked of you is to be present, and be fully engaged. They’re good.
Shana McCutcheon: I’m not sure if I can add too much to that.
Will Beiersdorf: And Reg, like kind of like, he’s like, that was it, right?
Shana McCutcheon: So, I, I would say, you don’t have to suffer alone. I just think you all have a very unique way of reaching the people that, you know, need this specific kind of, of healing. And I am just so thankful. So, I would say thank you.
Will Beiersdorf: Now, we’re grateful for both of you. We’re thank, especially thankful that you’re together, you know, and again, you know, we always say, you know, once you kind of come through to Road Home, whether it’s our Intensive Outpatient Program or Outpatient Program, it doesn’t matter the track or whatever the services, but you know, you become part of our family, you know. And we look at both of you as part of our Road Home family and so, so we’re grateful that you trusted us. I think that’s the best thing, because it’s so hard to trust nowadays, right?
Reg McCutcheon: Yeah.
Will Beiersdorf: Very hard to trust. Because there’s always a lot of promises made, but not many promises kept, right?
Reg McCutcheon: I agree with that. Yes.
Will Beiersdorf: So, we deliver here at the Road Home. So. So again, you know, if you’re just joining us, this, this is the Road Home Program, the podcast I’m Will Beiersdorf, the Executive Director, with Reg and Shana McCutcheon, and we were just talking about the Intensive Outpatient Program. And if again, if you’d like to learn more about the Road Home Program, you can go to Road Home Program, all one word roadhomeprogram.org or you can call us at 312-942-8387. That’s 312 942 VETS. We’re on Facebook, and again, the different services and things that we have here around outpatient care if you’re local here in the Chicago area. Or if you’d like to learn and more about our Intensive Outpatient Program, please call us, email us. Reach out to us. And again, you know Reg, I know you do a little bit of, you know, other work on the side, too. What is this? Before I wrap up here? What’s this Reg for Vets? What’s Reg for Vets?
Reg McCutcheon: So, it really goes back into my, my mission statement. I’m here to help my fellow veteran. And I do. We have a little woodshop on the side. We do some wood, I bring some vets in and it’s experiential therapy where we’re going to make more cutting boards. And now a new thing called butter boards. Make a little, some furniture, table, stuff like that. But it’s just, we gather together put some plans together. If somebody has something they need by, we make it and, and then the veterans, most of which don’t make a lot of money, they many, many don’t have full VA benefits, so once we pay for our material, material and everything we try and help other best with that to help each other out.
Will Beiersdorf: Good. Well, again, if anybody wants to learn more, again, they can go to Reg for Vets, right?
Reg McCutcheon: Yes.
Will Beiersdorf: They can, they can check that out. And again, you know, I can’t say it enough. You know, we’re grateful to both of you. Grateful again that you trusted us. And again, you know, thank you for joining us today, you know on the podcast here at the Road Home Program.
Shana McCutcheon: Thank you
Reg McCutcheon: Our pleasure. Thank you for having us.
About Road Home Program: The Podcast
Veterans have served our country, now it’s our turn to serve them. Road Home’s Will Beiersdorf talks with veterans and their families about their journeys transitioning to civilian life. During every episode you’ll hear from subject matter experts, like Rush clinicians, staff and community partners, discussing resources and services available to veterans to help them heal from the invisible wounds of war. Subscribe, download, or listen to other Road Home Program podcast episodes.
The Road Home Program provides mental health care and wellness to veterans of all eras, service members, and their families at no cost and regardless of discharge status. If you or a loved one needs help, call us at (312) 942-8387 (VETS) or fill out the Get Care form.
