{"id":95072,"date":"2026-10-26T14:31:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T20:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=95072"},"modified":"2026-10-26T14:31:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T20:31:26","slug":"next-chapter-helps-veterans-after-military-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/next-chapter-helps-veterans-after-military-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding a new mission: How Next Chapter helps veterans navigate life after military service"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Sean
Sean Sindler enjoys a run with Bon, one of his clients’ dogs. Sean dealt with depression both while he served in the military and after he was discharged. Next Chapter and other programs that support veterans provided vital services, including helping him get the correct diagnosis of bipolar disorder. He launched his small business, I’ll Jog With Your Dog, in early 2026. Photo by Mark Reis, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sean Sindler enjoyed a 20-year career with the U.S. Air Force<\/a>, serving in Korea, Germany and bases around the U.S. He graduated from Officer Training School and took pride in maintaining communications systems that are vital to keeping airmen ready for combat.<\/p>\n

But bouts of depression near the end of his career forced Sindler out of the Air Force. As he transitioned to civilian life in Colorado Springs, he couldn\u2019t keep a job, his marriage ended, and he struggled with mental health issues.<\/p>\n

In his worst moments, Sindler considered suicide and questioned his purpose in life.<\/p>\n

Veterans, therapists and peer mentors from several organizations helped Sindler find new purpose. He now runs a small business, I\u2019ll Jog With Your Dog<\/a>, and assists other struggling veterans by supporting the programs and people who helped him.<\/p>\n

El Paso County is known for its large population of military service members and veterans, but even in this military-friendly community, some veterans struggle with mental health challenges, drug and alcohol addiction, unemployment and fragmented relationships.<\/p>\n

The number of veterans in this region who die by suicide each year reflects these struggles. And the area has some of the highest suicide rates in the nation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2021, Colorado lawmakers funded a three-year pilot program called Next Chapter<\/a> to try to reduce the number of suicides among veterans in southern Colorado by providing streamlined, no-questions-asked support for veterans and their family members.<\/p>\n

The program\u2019s approach is intentionally different. Rather than leaving veterans to navigate a complicated and fractured medical and behavioral healthcare system on their own, Next Chapter experts pair veterans with providers and fellow veterans. They also connect former service members with local agencies, where they can receive care and stay committed to alcohol and drug treatment programs.<\/p>\n

Next Chapter now has a four-year track record of success, and its all-veteran team has helped drive the rate of suicide among veterans to a 10-year low by providing care and support to more than 1,500 southern Colorado veterans and their family members, including Sindler.<\/p>\n

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The Next Chapter offices near downtown Colorado Springs feature a peaceful, wooded backyard with colorful murals. The Next Chapter team includes, from left, Damian McCabe, director of behavioral health and military affairs for UCHealth in southern Colorado; Lori Montano, who runs UCHealth\u2019s co-response program in southern Colorado; Jose Ramirez, who develops relationships with providers and organizations for Next Chapter; Miguel Lopez, a Next Chapter behavioral health clinical therapist; and Rodger Johnson, a behavioral health provider with Mt. Carmel Veterans Services Center and liaison to Next Chapter. Photo by Mark Reis, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And while suicide rates among veterans remain stubbornly higher than leaders would like, the Next Chapter team has helped ensure that none of its clients has died by suicide.<\/p>\n

For Sindler, the support has been life-changing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a crisis and low point, career-wise,\u201d he said. \u201cI needed to make a change. Next Chapter enabled me to do that and make the change that I needed for my own mental health. And therapy gave me the confidence to branch out and challenge myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Searching for purpose after military service ends<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sindler enlisted in the Air Force in 1999 after dropping out of college in Florida. Looking back, he believes depression played a role in his decision to leave school after he struggled through his third semester. He had family members who served in the military, and he believed he could finish his degree and find purpose through military service.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I could serve the country that had been good to me,\u201d Sindler said.

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Seek help if your or a loved one is having mental health challenges or thoughts of suicide<\/strong><\/h4>\n