Lt. Governor Helps Kick Off Yellow Ribbon Campaign for Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology at May 21 Reception

Campaign will raise scholarship funds to supplement GI-Bill grants to veterans training to treat other veterans

BOSTON (WEST ROXBURY) and BELMONT, Mass., May 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Massachusetts Lt. Governor Timothy Murray will be the special guest and master of ceremonies at the Yellow Ribbon Campaign kickoff for the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP) on May 21. Senator John Kerry is the honorary chairperson for the campaign, which will raise scholarship funds for six veterans enrolled in the doctor of clinical psychology program at MSPP.

What:  Yellow Ribbon Campaign Cocktail Reception Kickoff

Where:  Belmont Country Club, 181 Winter Street, Belmont, MA

Who:  Lt. Governor Timothy Murray, MSPP donors, alumni, friends, faculty, staff

When:  Friday, May 21, 2010, 6 pm to 7:30 pm

The campaign goal is to raise $30,000, which will match the $5000 for each student offered by the Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.  The Yellow Ribbon program allows U.S. institutions of higher learning to voluntarily enter into an agreement with the Veterans Administration to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate.

The campaign has already received an initial boost from the law firm, Mirick O'Connell, which will be recognized as a scholarship "bronze" sponsor for its gift of $500. The firm has offices in Worcester, Boston and Westborough. 

"If we meet our fundraising goal, these six dedicated student psychologists will have a year's full tuition," says Dr. Nicholas Covino, who has committed MSPP to finding ways to help veterans seeking to enter the profession as well as to increase the number of psychologists who are especially qualified, because of their own military experience, to help those returning from the current conflicts with mental health issues.

"Veterans understand military culture and the real impact that war can have on the minds, hearts and souls of those deployed for combat," says Covino. "We believe training veterans who can in turn help other veterans is now an essential part of our mission as a school of psychology."

Studies show that more than one-third of the 1.6 million U.S. veterans of war experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and traumatic brain injuries. With active conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, these numbers will continue to escalate. "Mental health support and resources are critical to the personal and professional readjustment of our military and their families," notes Covino.

For more information about MSPP, the Yellow Ribbon Campaign or the federal Yellow Ribbon Program, please go to http://www.mspp.edu/alumni-and-friends/events/default.asp

About MSPP

Founded in 1974 as a non-profit institution of higher education, the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology is a preeminent school of psychology that integrates rigorous academic instruction with extensive field education and close attention to professional development. The School assumes an ongoing social responsibility to create programs to educate specialists of many disciplines in order to meet the evolving mental health needs of society. MSPP is committed to bringing psychologists into nearly every facet of modern life. For additional information, go to www.MSPP.edu.

SOURCE Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology