Transitioning from service member to student can be exciting, fulfilling, and also hard from time to time. The grit, knowledge, accountability, and teamwork you relied on in the military will likely serve you well here at Drexel. However, moving from military to civilian life comes with its own challenges and complexities including but not limited to:

• Integrating into a learning community designed for 18–22-year-olds
• Lack of common understanding or camaraderie around military experience
• Post-traumatic symptoms
• Balancing family, employment, or childrearing responsibilities
• Injuries and other physical health concerns
• Shame around seeking support for academic or emotional concerns

If you are struggling, please know that you are not alone. The Counseling Center welcomes you to talk with one of our therapists about anything that is causing you distress. Our counselors can help with things like:

• Combat experiences and post traumatic symptoms
• MST
• Marital difficulties
• Family issues
• Anxiety
• Substance use
• Racial trauma and acculturative stress
• Grief, loss, and sadness
• Self-esteem concerns
• Sexual concerns and LGBTQ+ issues

How to Get Help

The Counseling Center offers free individual therapy, group therapy, couples therapy, workshops, and medication management to all full-time undergraduate and graduate students.

For immediate assistance if you are suicidal, please dial 911, contact the Veterans Crisis Line at 1.800.273.8255, or call the Drexel University on-call counselor after regular business hours at 215.416.3337.

Drexel Resources

• Drexel's Center for Military and Veteran Services
• Drexel Veterans Association (Student-Veteran organization)

Web-Based Resources

• Philadelphia Veterans Affairs and Medical Center
• Steven A. Cohen Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania
• Warrior Writers is a Philadelphia based, national non-profit whose mission is to "create a culture that articulates veterans' experiences, provide a creative community for artistic expression, and bear witness to the lived experiences of warriors."
• The Real Warriors Campaign is a multimedia public awareness campaign designed to encourage help-seeking behavior among service members, veterans and military families coping with invisible wounds.
• Veterans Crisis Line: 1.800.273.8255 (Press 1), text to 838255, or chat online
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Alliance
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: VA College Toolkit

Self-Help Apps

• PTSD Coach was developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center for PTSD in collaboration with T2
• Breathe2Relax teaches breathing and stress management through diaphragmatic breathing exercises (Available on Apple and Android)
• Tactical Breather teaches the use of breathing to control stress responses (Available on Android)

The content provided here is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, nor should it replace the consultation of a trained medical or mental health professional. Please note that outside links are not under our control, and we cannot guarantee the content contained on them.