COVID-19 Updates Cape Fear Valley Health is working hard to take every precaution to protect patients and our community. Check out their updated educational video to see the latest. Follow the Clinic on social media to get the latest updates about cancellations or closures for the clinic.

March: Celebrating Our Women Veterans

In honor of March being both Social Work AND Women’s History Month , we are profiling three female Veterans who served their country and now serve their community on staff at the Cohen Clinic. Paulette Bryan , LCSW, is a native of Cumberland County and a Psychotherapist on staff. Hailing from Linden and a graduate of Pine Forest High School, Paulette joined the Army Reserves upon completion of her Masters of Social Work degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. She served four years as part of an advance detachment team that provided behavioral health services to infantry units. While serving, Paulette says, “the gravity and importance that the role mental health practitioners play for our military really hit home.” Her military experience provided her knowledge of Army jargon and gained her the perspective of the challenges and disruptions that are unique to Reservists. She advises women seeking to join the military to approach it with the same purposeful intention they would any career path. Clarifying goals and expectations when considering joining the military will help determine if the fit is right. Having traveled all over the world, Paulette recognizes that people are more alike than they are different and “we all seek health, happiness and have the desire for ourselves, our children and our loved ones to thrive.”

LaKeisha Ramsey , MSW, a native of New Orleans, originally joined the Army with an eye toward the educational benefits. She quickly received so much more. As a 92A Automated Logistics Specialist, LaKeisha embraced being a part of the structure, camaraderie and consistency the Army provides. One unexpected benefit of serving was the exposure she received to different cultures, not only through travel, but more importantly with those she served. Coming from the South she says she, “appreciated learning about the subcultures of those also raised in the South and the real-world experience the Army provided that no textbook could.” LaKeisha credits her time in service with strengthening her empathy, active listening and desire to give back to the community.   As both a Veteran and a former military spouse, LaKeisha brings a unique perspective to her job as a Case Manager at the clinic. She has a passion for teaching and giving back to her community and advises women who are transitioning out of the military that, “early planning is best” to help alleviate stressors that arise when moving from a structured environment to the civilian job market.

Mary Martin, LCSW-A, a native of California, Mary began her military career early, joining the Army while still in her teens! She comes from a family whose father and brothers all served in the military. Like many young recruits, Mary was initially attracted to the military for the educational benefits but the diverse and strong women she met at Basic Training and the opportunities to test herself soon became her true motivation. With 34 years in both the Active Duty and Reserve Components, Mary began as a Signals Intelligence Voice Analyst and through a path of unique opportunities, she retired as a Psychological Operation Sergeant Major. With four deployments under her belt, Mary’s military career broadened her understanding of languages and world-wide cultures while at the same time strengthening her leadership skills.  But it wasn’t until she was transitioning out of the military that Mary began to look at Social Work as a logical next step in her career path. A firm believer that, “we are here on this Earth to care for and support each other,” Mary credits her years in the military supervising soldiers, deploying and being a wife and mother with helping to shape skills that serve in her position today. “The Veterans are the reason I’m here,” she says of her role in the clinic. With her long military career, Mary is able to relate from the same frame of reference and context that many Veterans are looking for when they come for therapy. Mary specializes in trauma focused therapy and substance abuse.

At 11.31%, North Carolina has a higher number of female veterans than the 9.41% national average (va.gov). The Cohen Clinic at Cape Fear Valley is honored to have provided services to 180 female veterans since opening in June 2017. Visit us at military.capefearvalley.com to learn more.

Clinic Spotlight

VSO  Spotlight

Here’s what one therapist in our sister clinic in Texas has to say about Telehealth. Telehealth Care Almost Anywhere! It seems that so many healthcare options are going online these days and while it sounds like it would be great, is it? As with all healthcare options, Telehealth is a personal choice but here are few reasons you may want to consider it. It’s easy to set up, completely secure and confidential. Cohen Clinic clients complete a series of paperwork that initiates the Telehealth process. After opting in, and with consent of your therapist, you are sent instructions for logging on to either a PC, tablet or mobile phone. A quick test call is initiated with our Data Manager who helps troubleshoot any issues prior to your first session. Once set up, you are given a secure link to use for your therapist. Provides Consistency Another reason to consider taking advantage of Telehealth is, well, life. Rather than miss appointments or endlessly reschedule them because the kids are sick, the repairman will be at the house sometime within a four hour window, the car broke down and you have no transportation or you’re feeling under the weather, Telehealth makes it easier to fit appointments into your schedule. Consistency with appointments greatly increases positive outcomes. As effective as in-person sessions. Shown to be equally effective as in-person therapy, Telehealth sessions provide the same high-quality, confidential care through a secure online platform. Any services offered in-person at the Clinic are also available via Telehealth. And Telehealth provides accessible mental health care in rural areas where it may be difficult to come to the clinic. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the community support of measures to slow the virus down by social distancing and self-isolation, Telehealth is the best option to help you get back to better. If you think Telehealth might be for you, contact our Clinic at [email protected] or 910-615-3737 to learn more.

Many of us see the iconic Red Cross logo and instantly think "blood donation" or "disaster relief." And, yes, those are critical services the Red Cross provides universally. But our local Red Cross offices provide so much more to the communities they serve! And the Red Cross Ft. Bragg/Sandhills is one of the biggest Red Cross operations in the country with a huge variety of programs. One critical program is casework for emergency communication between deployed service members and their families during urgent situations or family crisis. A closely related program is Casualty Travel Assistance available to immediate family members of injured service members. The Clinic partners with the Red Cross Ft. Bragg/Sandhills office to facilitate the wildly popular monthly workshop, Tuesday Talks, with topics related to building resiliency. These classes are offered free to the military and veteran community upon request.  A series of workshops is also available with a focus on disaster preparedness and health and safety including “Prepare with Pedro and the Pillow Case Project (for fire and hurricane) for children, Disaster Preparedness Training, Health and Safety Courses (CPR, First Aid), smoke detector installation, and training for adults. A critical component of our local Red Cross is its volunteer program that supports medical facilities located at Fort Bragg as well as veteran hospitals and clinics. These volunteers give countless hours each month in service of Red Cross programs. The Dental Assistant and Pharmacy Assistant Programs are free training opportunities for military dependents. And the Red Cross also offers financial assistance (referrals), the Green Ramp program that supports deployments and redeployments, and so much more! For more information on your the Fort Bragg/ Sandhills Red Cross visit www.fortbragghousing.com/red-cross . To obtain the latest schedule of workshops and programs contact the Fort Bragg Regional Director-Jeannette E. Salcedo at or Jeannette. [email protected]

Upcoming Events

The clinic offers FREE workshops and groups each month. Visit military.capefearvalley.com/events for more information and to register. (Unless otherwise noted, registration preferred by not required. Visit Eventbrite to sign up for any or all!) In support of precautions to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the clinic has rescheduled all March workshops (Intro to the Clinic, Mindfulness, and Tuesday Talk). We are working on ways to offer this through a virtual platform. Follow us on social media for the latest updates. 

Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Cape Fear Valley | 3505 Village Drive Fayetteville, NC | 910-615-3737

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