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BOSTON, Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent Veteran's Department study, more than 20 veterans and active duty personnel commit suicide each day. A prior VA study put that number closer to 22. 

The toll of military service could not be starker than the way it manifests in those men and women who come to believe—wrongly and tragically—that relief from their unbearable psychological suffering will never come. 

As a counselor and life coach who has worked in state, community mental health and VA settings, my current private practice of counseling and life coaching means I now remain at an uncomfortable distance from the pain of America's veterans. And that makes me uncomfortable.  Because I live in a nation in which I enjoy the freedoms America's veterans fought and fight to preserve.

That's why I have decided to offer a full day, the 22^nd of every month, composed of one-hour counseling and advice sessions for any veteran who wants my help, free of charge—whether in person, by phone or via Skype or FaceTime. 

The first person I reached out to for assistance was Commander Kirk Lippold USN (Ret). Kirk was Commander of the USS Cole when the ship was bombed by al Qaeda terrorists on October 12, 2000 in the Gulf of Aden. He pulled bodies from the ocean that day. He knows first-hand what it is to live through the horrors of war. 

Kirk's father was a psychologist who founded the Salt Lake Suicide Prevention Center. When he was about five-years-old he heard his dad answering calls at all times of the day and night from people who needed help. And he never forgot it.

I could not be more honored that Commander Lippold agreed to join me in launching #HELP22.  So, too, has Christian Josi, one of America's leading public relations professionals and political consultants. Soon, we intend to challenge psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, pastoral counselors and life coaches around America to offer their own days of free counseling and advice on the 22^nd of each month. 

My first #HELP22 day took place on the 22^nd of November.  I wrote a bit about how meaningful that day was to me. Those who want to avail themselves of my time on December 22 need only email info@keithablow.com or call 978.462.1125 to begin the process of registering.

Keith Ablow, MD

Media inquiries and potential clients, contact info@keithablow.com or call 978-462-1125.

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SOURCE Dr. Keith Ablow