Building the bridge to care: How talking circles are reaching American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans

Editor’s note: The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products and services on the part of VA. Veterans should verify the information with the organization offering.

American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans have one of the highest rates of military service among ethnic groups, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). They also face some of the highest suicide risks of any Veteran group according to VA’s 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.

Yet, more than two-thirds of American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans do not use VA mental health services. Some Veterans living on reservations drive three to four hours to access care. Many communities lack broadband access or home computers. Deep-seated pride and generational stigma add additional barriers.

Televeda built a free resource to help close that gap: the Hero’s Story Project. It brings culturally grounded talking circles to Veterans who trust does not come easily from outside their own community.

Talking circles open with ceremony and are led by peers. No clinician leads the discussion, and Veterans set the pace. Janice Talas-Denny, Televeda’s Tribal Veteran Support Coordinator, keeps the approach simple.

“This is your talking circle,” Talas-Denny tells participants. “You run it however you want.”

Trust looks different in every tribe. Bernadine Tyler-Wilson, a Diné Army Veteran and Televeda’s New Mexico Tribal Partnerships Lead, has seen the contrast firsthand. On the Navajo Nation, chapter Veterans organizations already bring Veterans together regularly. In many Pueblo communities, Veterans know one another but do not have an established group, so trust can take longer to build.

Tyler-Wilson’s guiding principle remains the same: Relationships come before programs.

Talking circles can do more than reduce isolation. In an early pilot with the Navajo Nation, Televeda connected 285 Veterans to its platform. All participants reported feeling happier and more connected. Sixty percent later scheduled appointments with state Veteran benefits counselors. The peer circles became a bridge to formal VA care.

VA has also directly supported this work. Televeda’s platform won first place and $3 million in VA’s Mission Daybreak suicide prevention challenge in 2023. In 2025, VA awarded Televeda a follow-on contract to expand the program.

The program now serves Veterans in Arizona and New Mexico, with dedicated circles for women Veterans and Veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma..

Who is this for?

Any American Indian or Alaska Native Veteran seeking connection, free of charge, without a clinical label attached.

How to join?

Visit the Hero’s Story Project page to find a virtual talking circle or connect with a local partner.

What happens next?

A facilitator welcomes you into a circle that reflects your community’s traditions. You set the pace.

If you want help with VA enrollment, benefits or medical records, your facilitator can guide you through the process.

No Veteran has to walk this path alone. For some, a talking circle can be a first step toward reconnecting with care and support.

Learn more on the Hero’s Story Project page.

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