Army veteran Joel on a mission to help other veterans

“It takes a village” is a proverb usually attributed to raising a child, but it can also apply to getting on top of your mental health. Army veteran Joel has leant on the support of Open Arms, other mental health professionals, family, friends and work colleagues to help him ‘adapt and overcome’. 

Joel has had more than his fair share of physical and mental health battles. 

As a person living with a permanent spinal cord injury, he is now committed to helping other veterans ‘take control of their own narrative’. Medically discharged in 2016, the combat veteran of 5 years who was deployed to Afghanistan sought help from Open Arms after reaching his ‘tipping point’. 

‘I was having dark thoughts every day, crying in my car, self-medicating and not wanting to leave the house,’ Joel explains. ‘I knew something was off.’ 

After being hospitalised, he sought further help and slowly began to rediscover his identify and sense of purpose: ‘I got through this because of the help of so many others, including my wife and 2 daughters. 

‘I am now studying for a psychology degree so I can help fellow veterans and their families cope with the highs and lows of life post-service. 

‘If you can shift your perspective, your narrative will change, and so too your outcome. We can all adapt and overcome.’