OUR STORY
In Memory of SPC Kyle Thomas Yerian, United States Army
Camp Liberty is dedicated to the memory of its founder's son-in-law SPC Kyle Thomas Yerian who lost his battle with PTSD within a few short months of returning home to Fort Bliss, Texas after a deployment to Afghanistan in March of 2018. Kyle was only 26 years old.
In April of 2018, work began to build and establish a charitable organization to help veterans struggling with PTSD and other mental health concerns.
With more than 8,000 veterans taking their own lives each year, there was no other issue more urgent than this to bring awareness to and be capable of providing free alternative or supplemental mental health care to America's veterans.
In March of 2020 Camp Liberty, Inc was officially designated a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization by the IRS.
FARM THERAPY
At Camp Liberty, Inc we assist veterans on their personal journey towards healing by taking counseling out of the office and onto the farm. Together, our team of professionals and veterans address issues relating to anxiety, depression, PTSD, interpersonal relationships, self esteem and more through a farm-based therapy program. Farm therapy is a unique approach that helps veterans heal by putting them to work by planting and growing their own vegetable gardens, building, fixing and caring for the farm's horses. Unlike Equine-Assisted Therapy, Farm-Based Therapy is focused on maintaining a sustainable environment through the use of the land and the animals.
All veterans that attend Camp Liberty's seasonal farm therapy program receive individual and group counseling provided by a licensed professional counselor. Participants that complete the program will leave with an aftercare plan consisting of both cognitive and behavioral interventions to use as they move forward with their lives. The aftercare plan will emphasize the importance of developing and maintaining a positive network of social and/or family support.
The program runs from mid-May through mid-September. On-site and virtual counseling services are available throughout the year.
VETS HELPING VETS
Our peer based recovery support team is committed to providing military veterans with exceptional care in a compassionate, friendly and relaxing atmosphere. As veterans ourselves, we believe that those who served our country deserve the respect, care and treatment that they have earned.
The farm located at Camp Liberty provides a space where each veteran contributes and has purpose. Veterans are better able to work through mental health challenges after demonstrating their own resilience, creativity, and perseverance through physical work and connection with the horses - gaining insight into their own abilities for positive change within themselves and in relationships with others.
"You've done more than I could believe. I was stuck in limbo trying to find a purpose in life after the military. I connected with Camp Liberty and now I have back the ethos I lost"
SSGT MURRAY, USAF (RETIRED)