Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about GratitudeAmerica's free post-traumatic growth training for veterans, first responders, and their Growth Companions. For program-specific details, see the Warrior PATHH and Military Support Retreats pages, or call us at 877-912-7175.
Choosing a program
Both teach post-traumatic growth, but they're built for different needs.
- Warrior PATHH is a 5-day residential training at our campus in Macclenny, Florida, in a small group of 6–8 warriors. It's followed by 90 days of virtual integration support, which can extend up to 18 months. You attend on your own, and travel is covered.
- Military Support Retreats are 4-day retreats where you attend alongside a Growth Companion, such as your spouse, a family member, a close friend, or a fellow veteran. You learn and practice the same tools together. Travel isn't covered, so most participants live within driving distance.
Both programs are free.
If you want to grow alongside someone close to you, and build a shared way of handling hard things, start with a Military Support Retreat. If you're ready for an immersive, individual experience with fellow warriors, Warrior PATHH is the deeper commitment. Not sure? Call us at 877-912-7175. Our team includes combat veterans who have been through these programs, and they'll help you decide.
Yes. Many veterans start with a Military Support Retreat and later choose Warrior PATHH to go deeper. Each program has its own application.
Re-Wilding is a nature-based program now in development at our campus in Fort Valley, Georgia. It will combine group experiences, personal mentoring, and ancestral skills to build resilience and renewed purpose. We're raising funds for a pilot program and are not yet accepting applications. If you'd like to help bring Re-Wilding to life, contact us.
Before You Apply
No. GratitudeAmerica is an independent nonprofit, funded entirely by private donations. We are not part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and we do not share your application or participation records with the VA.
We can't speak for the VA or predict how it makes benefits or disability rating decisions. For questions about your benefits, talk with the VA directly or with an accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO). Our programs are training, not treatment, and attending doesn't require you to stop or change any care you already receive.
No. Our programs are non-clinical training. You'll learn practical tools for post-traumatic growth, grounded in the research of Dr. Richard Tedeschi, the psychologist who defined the field, and taught by trained instructors who understand military life. The goal isn't to manage symptoms. It's to help you grow beyond what happened and build a life of meaning and purpose.
Training isn't a replacement for medical or mental health care. If you're working with a provider now, you can continue. If you're in crisis, call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, available 24/7.
Yes. Warrior PATHH welcomes first responders alongside veterans. First responders may also apply for a Military Support Retreat, and our team will let you know about availability.
- Warrior PATHH: the MSgt Michael G. Heiser Center for Post-Traumatic Growth in Macclenny, Florida, about 30 miles west of Jacksonville.
- Military Support Retreats: Amelia Island, St. Augustine and Sarasota, Florida, and Banning Mills, Georgia.
- Re-Wilding (in development): our campus in Fort Valley, Georgia.
About GratitudeAmerica
GratitudeAmerica is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2011, that teaches post-traumatic growth to combat veterans, first responders, and the people closest to them. Our two programs, Warrior PATHH and Military Support Retreats, are free to participants and funded entirely by private donations. Since 2013, we've served 3,000+ veterans and Growth Companions. We're based in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and run programs across Florida and Georgia.
Every program is paid for by individuals, foundations, and businesses who believe veterans deserve a path forward. We receive no VA funding. 87 cents of every dollar goes directly to programs. GratitudeAmerica holds a Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating, a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, and Top-Rated Nonprofit status on GreatNonprofits.
Yes. Warrior PATHH is measured across the national network of delivery sites. In Boulder Crest's 2025 Year in Review (1,213 participants), participants reported a 58% reduction in PTSD symptoms, a 58% reduction in depression, and a 65% increase in post-traumatic growth. The program has also been evaluated in a peer-reviewed, waitlist-controlled study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders (Renner-Wilms et al., 2026). At GratitudeAmerica's own site, the dropout rate is under 1%.
Military Support Retreats are measured through participant surveys. In 2025, 100% of 214 respondents rated the retreat beneficial, and 97% would recommend it to another veteran.
See our full Impact and Results.
The field's foundation is the research of Drs. Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun, who defined post-traumatic growth at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The Boulder Crest Foundation built that science into Warrior PATHH, the first non-clinical program designed to cultivate post-traumatic growth in combat veterans. Today Warrior PATHH is delivered at 11 sites through a national network. In 2019, GratitudeAmerica became one of the first two partner sites, and we deliver the program in Florida alongside our Military Support Retreats, which extend post-traumatic growth training to the people closest to veterans.
Yes. GratitudeAmerica Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 45-3969258). Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. You can give online, or through stock, a donor-advised fund, or cryptocurrency.