Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System

T-shirts hang in a Clothesline Project display in the Mental Health clinic in New Orleans.

T-shirts bearing messages of hope and pain lined the walls of a therapy room at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System Mental Health Clinic in New Orleans after a "Clothesline Project" event in May.

The Clothesline Project allows those affected by sexual assault to express their feelings in a visual medium, drawing attention to the issue and standing as a testimony to the strength of those who have survived it.

SLVHCS hosted the event to raise awareness of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and the treatment programs available to Veterans. Provided with t-shirts and art supplies, Veterans designed and painted their recovery stories on cotton canvases.

Organizers hoped to both help the Veterans work through their trauma and encourage others to seek treatment. Approximately one in five female Veterans and one in 100 male Veterans reports having been the victim of sexual harassment or sexual assault while in the service. The trauma of these assaults can last a lifetime if left untreated.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has special services available to any Veteran who experienced MST.

"Some people don’t realize this care is available. Others don’t know that even if you didn’t report the assault, you are still entitled to MST services through VA," said Women Veterans Program Manager Cynthia LeCount.

Dr. John Hunter, MST coordinator, knows patients can really benefit from treatment once they make the decision to pursue it.

Air Force Veteran Kateri recently completed the MST treatment and took part in the Clothesline Project.

Dr. Hunter treated Kateri for a year and a half. Her treatment included the use of Prolonged Exposure Therapy, or PE.

PE is time-limited treatment considered to be one of the most effective treatments for MST and post-traumatic stress disorder. The therapy focuses on education; breathing exercises to help the Veteran relax; and imaginal exposure, which involves visualizing the event with a therapist. A regular course of treatment lasts about 12 weeks.

"There are really three goals to PE. First, We help the Veteran distinguish between memories and what’s happening now. Then we help them organize their memories and understand them. Finally, we work on habituation," Dr. Hunter said.

Habituation involves repeatedly exposing the Veteran to the traumatic memories and allowing her to get used to remembering in a safe environment.

"In the end, they’re left with the memory without all the negative emotion attached," Dr. Hunter explained.

"It was very difficult and gruesome at first. Visualizing it, that’s the horror," Kateri said.

Although difficult, Kateri stuck with the program with Dr. Hunter.

"It was worth it. I realize now that I have the power to change the outcomes and I can channel my feelings into something that can help me," she said.

Kateri is now attending medical assistant school and has plans to continue her education and become a nurse practitioner.

"School has really kicked in my passion for helping people. I have stopped allowing the hurt to harm me. You have to have a plan. If you keep running in a circle, you never get anywhere," she said.

For more information about The Clothesline Project, visit http://www.clotheslineproject.org/.

If you have been the victim of MST, alert your primary care provider, contact the women Veterans program manager at 504-539-7414 or the MST coordinator at 504-571-8301.