Cassandra Garcia lives in Thornton, CO and is the spouse of a post 9/11 Combat Marine Veteran. Cassandra has been married to her veteran for 19 years and spent 4 years living within military life while during his service and deployment. Today, she continues to navigate post-service challenges with her veteran.
Cassandra has been a Peer Leader with the Veteran Spouse Network for the last 4 years. She leads groups focused on resiliency, connection, and PTSD as well as offering one-on-one support. She often leans on her experience as a veteran spouse to support others that have similar experiences.
Cassandra started her journey with VSN by participating in its support groups, specifically the Veteran Spouse Resiliency Group (VSRG). The groups were so helpful and supportive that she decided to complete training to be a Peer Leader with VSN. She wanted to share her experiences navigating veteran spouse life and help ensure other military-connected individuals are aware of the support services VSN provides. Outside the VSN, Cassandra enjoys traveling, trying new foods, exercising, and going to the movies.
Cassandra’s current professional role is working in prevention and education mental health services. She facilitates a variety of groups and classes in the mental health field and brings those facilitation skills to the VSN groups she leads. Cassandra’s professional role highlights self-care and well-being as part of recovery from mental health challenges, and she encourages those same practices in the groups she leads at VSN.