No-Cost Remote Therapy for Military and Families

***1/2/2022 UPDATE***

So far, my one-man-operation has had the following results in providing no-cost counseling services to Military Past/Present/Family:

2020: 17.25 hours of no-cost care and community outreach was provided (that is over $1200 worth of my time donated)

2021:  21.0 hours of no-cost care was provided (at $70.00 per hour, that is $1470 worth of care provided at no-cost to the service members/family members)

Hopefully, 2022 will see an expansion in this program.  As you can see with $810.00 in total donations since 2020, I always outrun the donations, two years in a row!  And a big thank you to everyone who donated to this cause so far, and Thanks-in-Advance to anyone considering a donation 2022!!  

***About Me***

The structures in society designed to support our Military Service members and family members need additional support.  There are many people who need quality behavioral health services, and it is important that I give back to those who have sacrificed the most.   I have years of experience working with military populations in the field of mental health.  I have always wanted to work with military populations full-time, and this is an opportunity to give more back to them.  I was raised around many veterans, and my family has a rich military history. 

My name is Jacob Slagle.  I am not a veteran, but I care about our military service members and their family members.  My biological paternal grandfather was wounded by shrapnel from his career in US Army service in the Korean War.  He passed away when my dad was six when he succumbed to health problems. My other paternal grandfather (the only paternal grandfather I have ever known, whom married my grandmother) served in both the US Marine Corps and in the US Army.  My maternal grandfather was a gunner's mate in the US Navy in WWII, and served in the Pacific Theater.  One of my uncles retired as a CSM in the US Army, and served in units such as the 1st Cavalry, 75th Rangers, and the 101st Airborne Division, to name a few, and in Vietnam.  I have numerous other uncles (family friends that are close enough that I call them "uncle") and family and friends who are veterans of Vietnam and other wars, and I have  a family member currently serving overseas in Korea at the time of writing this.


***Education/Credentials***

I completed my post-master's education at Cameron University in Oklahoma in 2013.  I have earned the following degrees:

-Master of Science in Behavioral Sciences
-Bachelor of Science in Psychology
-LMFT Supervisor in Oklahoma
-Telehealth LMFT in Florida

I have been fully-licensed in my field (Marriage and Family Therapy) since 2015.  I have worked in the field of mental health since 2012.  I currently operate a 100% remote private practice as a fully Licensed Marital and Family Therapist (and board-endorsed Supervisor) in the state of Oklahoma.  I have been granted permission to practice temporarily in certain other states due to the current COVID-19 pandemic as well.  I set our initial goal at $100,000.00 to see if we can get such a project off the ground, and if successful, I plan to expand this program to include more providers and service areas.  This all began by reaching out to local VSOs (Veteran Service Organizations) in Lawton/Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and I must give special thanks to Pontotoc Veteran's Rally Point for the inspiration.


***Mission***

I have recently decided to provide no-cost web-based outpatient counseling services to military service members and close family members, either current or past service.  I also offer discounted paid time slots on my caseload.  That being said, I currently have limited no-cost slots, working completely unpaid for a predetermined number of slots on my caseload each week.  I have a waiting list of clients who I cannot currently see because I can only work with a limited number of clients without being paid.

I am starting this gofundme to ask the public for funds that can help me to provide MORE quality, no-cost care to active-duty, reserve, guard, veterans and family members.  Eventually, this could become a foundation or a larger organization if it really takes off, and I have other counselors standing by ready to take on case referrals if I can get more work than I can take on myself.

By donating to this project, you can sponsor the quality outpatient mental health care of a veteran, or a veteran's family member (often, family members have no coverage or limited coverage support at best) at no-cost.

***Populations Served***

At the time of writing this article, I am fully licensed in Oklahoma, and I am able to practice telehealth on a permanent basis in Florida as well.  

Wounded service members are most likely to be rank E1 through E4.  They are most likely to be cared for by their siblings and parents.  This is a population that I aim to serve. 

Other specific populations of military and family members who are in need are people who:

-Do not want to use their tricare (or any insurance, for that matter)
-Do not want to have to deal with the VA
-Do not yet have their tricare or VA benefits set up
-Do not yet have their disability claims finalized
-Family members not covered by the VA or Tricare (Siblings, parents, for example)

***How the funds will be utilized***

-Providing my services to stakeholders at no cost (actual provision of psychotherapy to those who qualify)
-Raising awareness of the program (marketing)
-Retaining my services for stakeholders (retaining time slots open so that I am available to help)

My normal hourly fee is $90.00 USD per hour.  I offer discounted rates ($70.00 USD per hour) for military (past/present and families), first responders, and other mental health professionals.  I will take my discounted rate out of this gofundme when I provide services to military past or present and family members, minus gofundme's fees, of course.  This will allow me to work with, at no cost to the military service member or family member, more military service members and family members than I currently do. 

$100,000.00 is the first annual goal that I have set, this will fund an entire year of a completely full caseload for me to provide no-cost services to the military past/present/family member population.  This is a great cause to which to donate, because there is no board of directors who get a cut before the services reach the people who need them.   Ultimately, I hope to start a sustainable, 100% donation-funded foundation that provides no-cost care to military past/present/family member populations.

Let's help some veterans.  22 a day is unacceptable!

FYI:  If you're wondering who that is in the photo, that is me on the left, and a good friend of mine who served in the USMC overseas in OIF in AAV's.