Service members contact Trisha Pearce in need of counseling.

"By the time people call us," she said, "they’ve already tried to get help elsewhere. Or they just want to be away from the whole military system. Whatever their reason, we get them help."

Pearce, a psychiatric nurse from Stanwood, then asks for basic information and links the caller with a nearby therapist, who offers free sessions. The military chain of command isn’t notified.

It’s the work of Soldiers Project NW, a 14-month-old program that aims to help veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who, for whatever reason, simply aren’t comfortable using the numerous mental-health programs the military medical system provides. Pearce, who has 30 years experience in the mental health field, has been the project’s director for the past six months. She organizes meetings every few weeks to draw support from therapists across the area.

It’s a way to help serve the men and women who serve the United States, she said.

"I just think that we, as a community, need to get behind the military and help them out," she said.

=> Read more!