Many veterans face mental health disorders, substance abuse and other behavioral health changes as a direct or indirect result of military service. Our Pyramid Military Therapy & Recovery Program, available at our Altoona Detox & Residential Treatment facility, provides a curriculum specifically for military veterans who might be experiencing the negative impact on their behavioral health during or after their transition back to a civilian lifestyle.

Through a combination of individual psychotherapy, family therapy, peer support services and integrative treatment methods, we aim to help reduce your symptoms and improve your quality of life. You’ll learn to adopt healthy coping mechanisms while navigating life’s persistent challenges, to establish a sense of safety and prepare for the rest of your life.

If you’re a veteran ready for relief, our programs were created for you. Our safe, non-judgmental atmosphere allows you to embrace treatment in ways that create distance from stressors, triggers and discomfort.

We are a warm, welcoming, and inclusive space for all veterans, which can help every person to feel less threatened, less inferior, comforted and connected to their therapist and peers. Many veterans with trauma battle major depressive disorders, anxiety, panic, physical pain, substance abuse, eating disorders and a plethora of other issues. Every client receives a multidisciplinary treatment plan and individualized care that best fits their needs. 

Our veteran-specific programming involves in-depth evaluation, symptom management, treatment planning, stabilization and discharge planning. To ensure continuity of your care, our treatment team can provide guidance with aftercare planning and facilitate referrals when clinically appropriate. 

The treatment program includes staff who are dedicated to serving the Military and Veteran community, a curriculum designed with an understanding of military culture, comprehensive evaluation and individualized wellness treatment plans, education on tools for identification of and coping with triggers, psychological evaluation, medication consultation and management and evidence-based treatment (EBT), including individual therapy and group therapy.  

At Pyramid Healthcare we recognize that the population of veterans may have specific needs in relation to experiencing traumatic events which can cause long-lasting damage to all aspects of an individual’s life, including emotional, psychological, physical, spiritual and interpersonal well-being. Entering into any program demonstrates both great courage and hope of something better, and reprocessing trauma is part of that journey, when it is clinically appropriate to do so. 

The goals of our program are to help veterans rebuild their personal lives, aid in transition back into their communities and provide the foundation for sustainable recovery. 

Our program includes treatment such as medication management and using evidence-based practices: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills, acceptance & commitment therapy (ACT), medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and holistic modalities and interventions that can include mindfulness, movement and creative arts. All of these modalities may be provided in individual, group and/or family therapy.  

CBT is a type of “talk therapy” that emphasizes the importance of real, authentic relationships and connections between your thoughts, feelings and behaviors.  CBT can assist veterans with substance use disorders, trauma and/or post-traumatic stress disorder by reducing the negative impacts of their ineffective responses in their daily life and reduce the severity of these responses. As part of a personalized treatment plan tailored to an individual’s needs, CBT can help reframe the way thoughts are processed. Through use of these skills, an individual has the opportunity to develop a better grasp on thought patterns and learn to optimize the way that thoughts become actions.

ACT empowers people to process difficult experiences and let go of harmful thoughts and emotions surrounding those experiences without forgetting or dismissing what an individual has been through. ACT can assist with feelings of doubt, guilt or resentment creating blocks from sourcing help needed, and challenge this tendency. Through ACT, veterans can learn to reduce avoidance of stressors and instead face their pain and suffering to improve quality of life. Over time, ACT can help individuals develop psychological flexibility and reduce the feelings of distress often experienced when avoiding the greatest problems in life. Whether a veterans is experiencing substance use, obsessive-compulsive disorder, family tragedy, trauma or an eating disorder, ACT can help restore the control over life that they deserve.

DBT combines principles of behavior therapy, cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness, establishing a “dialectic” between helping individuals to accept the reality of their lives and their own behaviors on the one hand, while helping them learn to change their lives, including dysfunctional behaviors, on the other hand. Through DBT skills, veterans of all ages can come to terms with the thoughts and actions that stand between them and progress toward a healthier life. If a veteran faces challenges like suicidal thoughts, PTSD, bipolar disorder or substance use, DBT can help.

MAT is an evidence-based practice combining the use of medications with therapeutic interventions to support clients diagnosed with opioid use disorder or alcohol use disorder in their recovery. Education about MAT is offered during the intake/nursing assessment process and a referral to meet with a prescriber to discuss MAT is available any time throughout treatment, as clinically appropriate. Various forms of MAT are available and decisions related to MAT are discussed with medical staff.

As a complement to our conventional behavioral health treatment modalities and medication management, Pyramid Healthcare also offers holistic and alternative treatment options. Holistic and experiential approaches, like mindfulness skill development, can help to restore the connection between mind and body and increase overall well-being. 

Holistic therapies offered may include: 

• Mindfulness & meditation  
• Movement (yoga, drumming & other activities) 
• Creative arts (music, art & other activities) 

In addition to holistic therapies, veterans are encouraged to exercise for whole-person recovery and wellness. This focus and skills allows for building healthy lifestyle habits that sustain beyond treatment.  

• Group Therapy: Veterans in our treatment programs will participate in a supportive group atmosphere. Pyramid Healthcare works to foster a non-judgmental group environment, where all group participants feel safe sharing, listening and developing a deeper sense of understanding and respect from other attendees. This group therapy allows veterans the chance to connect with other service members who might be enduring similar life challenges and explore opportunities for growth and change.  
• Individual Therapy: Individualized psychotherapy allows veterans to work one-on-one with a qualified member of our counseling team to confront challenges that might require a specialized focus. Each psychotherapy session an individual participates in is tailored to their unique circumstance, identified needs and personalized treatment goals. Each session fosters free expression of thoughts and emotions, and allows for an opportunity to talk through problems or situations of importance to the individual.  
• Family Therapy Sessions: These sessions provide the opportunity for veterans and their families, loved ones and/or support systems to connect on a regular basis as part of an individual’s treatment journey. Family therapy sessions create a space for veterans and their supports to address any agreed upon topics in a safe, supportive and collaborative environment with a seasoned professional to facilitate understanding, communication, healing and recovery within the relationship.