Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling offers a suite of free online and face-to-face group programs for current and former serving ADF members, partners and other eligible family members:
• Connected Couples
• Managing Anger
• Managing Depression
• Managing Pain
• Parenting programs
• Recovery from Trauma
• Relaxation and Stress Management
• Sleeping Better
• Stepping Out (transition from military to civilian life)
• Understanding Anxiety
Open Arms’ group programs are generally co-facilitated by a clinician alongside a Lived Experience Professional, who understand the military and veteran families’ experiences.
Group programs are designed to be supportive, inclusive and strengths-based, offering a safe space to learn, share and grow. The group format supports experiential learning, shared insight, and skills practice in a peer-supported setting, fostering both individual and collective growth.
We use a strengths-based approach to foster empowerment, resilience and self-efficacy in individuals, and prioritise emotional safety, choice and control, collaboration and empowerment, cultural sensitivity and respect for all forms of lived experience.
To find out more or enquire about joining a group, clients can contact Open Arms on 1800 011 046 or visit the group page: https://www.openarms.gov.au/get-support/treatment-programs-and-workshops to find a group program scheduled in their region.
If you have any questions, please email OpenArms.Groupprogramspathways@dva.gov.au