This week’s educational episode highlights the vital work of PsychArmor, an organization dedicated to transforming society’s engagement with veterans and service members. Led by Dr. Tina Atherall, PsychArmor’s mission is to provide Education, training, and resources to both the military community and the individuals and organizations that support it.
We discuss the growing need for caregiver support, with recent studies showing a significant increase in active-duty, veteran, and civilian caregivers. Tina emphasizes PsychArmor’s unique approach of serving two key audiences—the military and veteran families and the broader community that interacts with them. Through Online Courses, webinars, and certifications, PsychArmor equips individuals and organizations to effectively support the military community, focusing on cultural humility and understanding the specific needs of this population.
A particularly poignant aspect of the conversation is the exploration of social isolation and its connection to suicide prevention within the military caregiver community. Tina shares her personal experiences and passion for this work, stemming from her own family’s military connections. The episode underscores the importance of creating community, providing resources, and empowering caregivers to ensure they can be the best support system for their loved ones who have served.
About:
Dr. Tina Atherall is a social Innovation strategist with a focus on nonprofit and education leadership. As CEO of PsychArmor, she leads a national nonprofit dedicated to educating and advocating for critical support for Veterans, service members, and their families.
With a Doctor of Social Work (DSW) from the University of Southern California, Dr. Atherall has devoted her career to social work leadership. Her recent work emphasizes addressing social isolation, one of the 13 Grand Challenges for Social Work. She is a George W. Bush Institute Stand-To Veteran Leadership Scholar. She is active on the SAMHSA National Advisory Council and the Council on Social Work Education’s Military Social Work Specialized Practice review committee.
In addition to her leadership roles, Dr. Atherall holds advanced certifications in nonprofit leadership and military social work and is a Certified Daring WayTM Facilitator. She is an Associate Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and teaches in the Doctor of Social Work programs at Simmons University and the University of Kentucky. Her board service includes leadership positions at Mission Edge and Project Healing Waters.
Known since childhood as “The Elliott Girls” or simply, “The Girls”, it makes sense that we work together to support our mother, and each other. Our trio begins with Jenefer Jane “JJ” who was and always will be “in charge”. She’s the peacekeeper. The responsible one, ensuring Natalie and Emilie remain alive. Next is Natalie, the middle child, who was and always will be Miss Congeniality. She’s the athlete. The rebel responsible for three babysitters exiting the summer of ’84. Then there is Emilie, the youngest, who was and always will be “the baby”. At 6’1”, she is the sensitive and quiet soul. The one responsible for the guinea pig that begged for lettuce and the stray dog we adopted from the bus stop.
After high school we went separate ways, from New Mexico to North Carolina. JJ would go on to get her Master’s in Business Administration and work in the finance world before partnering with her now husband, Dexter, to run a variety of businesses. Natalie would go on to get her Master’s in Social Work degree, and work in the mental health field, advocating for children and families to receive the most appropriate services. Natalie would marry and divorce early on but later marry Jason. Emilie would exit college early to marry and gift us with Owen and twins, Maxx and Natalie Jane aka “The Kids”. Emilie would later divorce and work with county government, focusing much time on caring for the kids.
The source of the sisterhood falls to Jim aka “Big Jim” and Connie, small town high school sweethearts married for almost 40 years.
In 2005, at the age of 52, mom would be diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. She hid the disease for years behind dad’s 6’2” frame. The tremors and sudden inability to move were both calmed and steadied by his arm and simple presence. He was her rock. Our rock. Close family and friends knew of her chronic illness, but to the rest of the world, everything was “fine”. Life would turn upside down when our dad unexpectedly passed in 2011 of a massive heart attack at the age of 58. The assumption was Dad would always be mom’s caregiver but that wasn’t God’s plan.
Mom would spend the years following our father’s death desperately seeking a cure for Parkinson’s while trying to manage her symptoms. As the years went by, the cruel symptoms associated with the disease increased, negatively impacting her body while her mind remained clear and in tune. We lived our lives checking in to make sure she was “okay” but knowing the day would come when we had to do more. And then it did. The summer of 2019 changed everything. That’s where the real caregiver story begins for us. Little did we know she would be only the beginning of our caregiving journey.
In March 2022, Natalie’s husband, Jason, was diagnosed with head and neck cancer. From the first time Jason detected something off about the swollen lymph nodes in his neck, to the formal diagnosis, and the decision to move to New York City to participate in a clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the journey would push them to their limits. The silver lining of his diagnosis was the cancer brought them closer to God, restoring their faith in Him while also experiencing a myriad of blessings through the kindness of family, friends, and strangers. Their story is a testimony that will inspire and offer hope.
