Base Camp for Veterans was founded by friends Theo Windish and Deborah Plum. Neither one served in the military, and they share their motivations for establishing a program that supports Veterans.
Base Camp for Veterans operates at a guest ranch outside of Tucson, AZ and offers their programs free of charge. They use equine assisted psychotherapy to help Veteran families safely develop skills to deal with issues of transition. One of the things I love about the program is that they use wild horses in their therapy, so they are helping both the Veterans and the horses.
All participants are asked to identify specific barriers and then Base Camp customizes the program to address those specific issues. The most common issues they see are anxiety, trust and isolation. Theo emphasizes the importance of a key element of their programming – participation by the entire family.
The White Stallion Ranch facility “puts the camp” in Base Camp. The ranch style accommodation allows for skill building and healing outside of the horse corral, sharing stories around the campfire or during group meals. Follow up programming is also provided to participants after leaving the site. Many of their graduates return as mentors.
Theo says they have considered expanding the program to other locations but “I don’t know how easy it would be to recreate the magic we already have.” However, they often provide consultation to other groups around the county who are interested in starting their own programs.
We discuss the fact that Base Camp for Veterans relies completely on grants and donations to support their programming and will always provide it at no cost to Veterans and their families. “When a Veteran and their family come to join us we really do want them to immerse themselves fully and not worry about what is going on at home. They should not spend a dime.”
Veterans who feel this program could be beneficial to their healing may fill out an application on the Base Camp website.