Grant funds expansion of mental health services for military-connected students

Grant funds expansion of mental health services for military-connected students

Veterans and their dependents will benefit from trained advocates, counselors and more information over the coming years.

By Janel Shoun-Smith | 615-966-7078 | 10/02/2026

Lipscomb's Office of Veteran Services will be making big strides over the next year in mental health and wellness services for military-connected students (MCS) thanks to a $150,000 grant from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC).

The latest THEC Veteran Connect grant will fund a collection of advocacy, training and awareness initiatives to train faculty and staff in military culture and trauma-informed care, develop a train-the-trainer workshop for on-campus mental health clinicians, enhance awareness of mental health resources among military-connected students and strengthen connections to community resources.

The 2026 grant is the latest in $730,663 awarded to Lipscomb's Veteran Services office since 2015. Over the years the THEC grants have supported the addition of an outreach coordinator, a program coordinator to enhance career placement, community engagement functions, research and a statewide conference on best practices.

Called BRIDGE, the program is to be carried out over the next two years and is targeted to MCS, which include both military veterans and their spouses and children. Lipscomb has 430 MCS students on campus this fall, with 60% of that number being dependent spouses and children.

"Military-connected students represent approximately 10% of Lipscomb's student body, and they face unique transition challenges and behavioral health risks," said Sam Lynn, director of the office. "Lipscomb's BRIDGE program aims to close existing gaps in support by fostering a military-informed campus culture and streamlining access to specialized clinical resources.

"Military-connected students often experience higher rates of anxiety, depression and social isolation than their civilian peers," said Lynn. "Current data indicates that while Lipscomb provides robust student services, many MCS feel these services are not tailored to their unique experiences. By implementing the BRIDGE program, Lipscomb will strengthen the capacity of mental health providers to address the needs of these particular students."

The BRIDGE program is being carried out by Veteran Services and the University Counseling Center (UCC) and utilizes the resources of the on-campus Lipscomb Family Therapy Center (LFTC) as well as graduate students in the marriage and family therapy (MFT) and clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) programs, said Ashley Dumas, director of the counseling center.

"Working with the entire family system is very interesting and exciting," she said. "It's an opportunity for the UCC to collaborate clinically with the LFTC to provide care."

The leaders will also collaborate with the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic in Clarksville), to develop trainings for Lipscomb faculty and staff as well as hold monthly on-campus visits from the Davidson County Office of Veteran Services and lunch-and-learn events with community partners to bridge the gap between university life and external resources.

"Many of our students who are children of veterans have grown up moving every few years, so they sometimes find it difficult to form lasting friendships and can experience hopelessness stemming from that," said Lynn. "Spouses, who have often been acting as single parents, can struggle with making friends, fear of the unknown and anxiety."

The BRIDGE program will be carried out in four parts:

• In order to build a campus environment that understands, respects and supports the experiences of military-connected students, the university will appoint strategically-placed faculty and staff members to become advocates, serving as a bridge between MCS and support services.

  Selected advocates will attend a one-day training event in summer 2027 to better equip them to support the mental health and wellness of MCS. Upon completion of training, participants will receive a certificate of completion and a placard to post on their office door, identifying them as an Advocate for this group of students.

• In order to strengthen the capacity of UCC counselors to address the unique needs of MCS, Lipscomb will contract with the Cohen Veteran Network in spring 2027 to develop a training program to enhance clinicians' knowledge and expertise in providing mental health services for MCS, including areas of suicide, post-traumatic stress and counseling for military family systems.

  Cohen is a national non-profit integrated network of mental health clinics committed to helping veterans and military families by reducing barriers to care. Their clinics offer specialized therapy for common issues that veterans and military families face.

• In order to increase awareness, trust and utilization of mental-health and well-being resources among MCS, the project team will promote the BRIDGE program on campus and distribute BRIDGE bags in fall 2027 to all MCS, containing informational materials and promotional items to raise their awareness of the enhanced services on campus.
• In order to improve access to external military-related support systems, Lipscomb will strengthen connections between campus and community resources, Veteran Services will bring in speakers representing a variety of internal and external resources each month for a BRIDGE lunch-and-learn event.