Mental Health Services For Veterans Expanded In Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA – Mental health services for military veterans in Marin County have increased to four days a week with the addition of Veterans Administration-funded mental health provider Dr. Jesse Wade.

Wade, a former U.S. Air Force staff sergeant, Iraq War combat veteran and clinical psychologist, was based in the Veterans' Center in San Francisco. He will be available four days a week at the Marin County Veterans Service Office at 10 North San Pedro Road in San Rafael near the county's Civic Center.

Wade will join Sean Stephens, a U.S. Army combat veteran who leads the center. Psychological services were previously offered two or three days a week at the San Rafael center.

"Providing me with office space and expanded hours is the most recent example of Sean's drive and advocacy for veterans' causes," Wade said.

There are nearly 14,000 veterans in Marin County, the bulk of whom served during the Vietnam War, Stephens said.

Before Wade came to Marin County, most Marin veterans had to travel to Santa Rosa, San Francisco or Oakland for VA mental health services.

"With Jesse's office next door to ours, the burden on a veteran to travel to access mental health services is eliminated," Stephens said. "That's a blessing for an aging Marin veteran population for whom health and mobility is most likely becoming an increased challenge."

Wade's parents were both mental health practitioners and advocates. After his service, his passion for wanting to help fellow vets drew him to the field.

He specializes in dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma and depression.

"After my service ended, I realized I wanted to be the vet who works with vets and helps them make sense of it all," he said.

Wade has been at the San Rafael center for about three weeks. He offers individual, couples and group counseling sessions Tuesday through Friday.

Whether or not veterans served in combat zones, all vets and immediate family members are eligible to receive assistance from the Veterans Services Office.

Contact the Veterans Services Office at 415-473-6193 and Wade at 415-473-7565.

– Bay City News Service; Kristina Houck/Patch contributed to this report.