Our History
Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out was founded in San Quentin State Prison in 2012 by formerly incarcerated combat veteran of the US Marine Corps, Ron Self. Like many men housed at San Quentin, Self had taken part in various programs designed to foster self-insight and self-regulation. As a veteran of prolonged and intensive combat over the course of a decade, Self personified layers of complex trauma. In programs such as Insight-Out's Guiding Rage Into Power (GRIP) and Insight Prison Project's Victim Offender Education Group (VOEG), he found an opportunity to explore the impact of his experience, and to begin a life-long process of healing.
In 2012, the Veterans Administration released a report stating that veteran and military suicide had outpaced combat deaths in Afghanistan. Self was alarmed and dismayed by this statistic. He became profoundly inspired by the healing power in the simple act of telling one’s story and intimately understood that veterans often feel safest in each other’s company. With this knowledge, Self launched a pilot program: a peer-to-peer support group centered on a series of writing prompts which explore the ramifications of trauma (whether from early life, military service, incarceration or all combined). Jacques Verduin, a pioneer of prison rehabilitative programs and the Founder and Executive Director of Insight-Out, provided essential support and guidance as the program’s first Director. Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out was born.
As VHV’s peer support group became established, Mary Donovan - a study-hall volunteer with the Prison University Project - stepped up to fill the role of Executive Director, providing organizational structure, volunteer recruitment and funding development. Since that time, through combined professional efforts, VHV has expanded to offer our peer support processing groups at multiple locations: two peer support processing groups, one Facilitator group, and one Alumni group at San Quentin; one peer processing support group at Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, CA (2016); one peer processing support group at CSP Solano in Vacaville, CA (Sept 2018); one peer processing support group at CSP Sacramento (April 2019); and most recently two peer processing groups at CTF Soledad (July 2019) . At San Quentin our current program includes training in group facilitation and one-on-one mentorship, creative writing and, through partnerships with aligned organizations, trauma-sensitive yoga (Prison Yoga Project) and theater practice (Marin Shakespeare Company). To date, with the dedicated support of 15+ outside volunteers, we have completed 12 peer support group cycles, with over 260 veterans participating. We are blessed to have excellent crews and contributors in all these places on both sides of prison walls.
In October 2017, our Founder, Ron Self, was released from San Quentin State Prison. He paroled to Monterey County where he immediately set up a VHV peer support group. As with the groups he established at San Quentin, the new group benefited tremendously from Ron’s applied expertise gained from both academic pursuit and first-hand experience with group process. In addition to his studies with Prison University Project at San Quentin, Ron had extensive study of psychology through coursework in USMC re Psychological Warfare.
In 2018, with Ron’s successful transition back into the community, the role of Executive Director was transferred from Mary Donovan to Ron and the VHV headquarters office was established in Monterey County.
Our base in Monterey County has meant greater potential to expand our outreach to serve more incarcerated veterans within CDCR. In addition to outreach, VHV has enabled vital housing support to returning veterans during their transition from prison back into the greater community.
As all this was falling into place, former VHV Executive Director Mary Donovan was offered and accepted a position with CalVet as a Veterans Service Officer assigned to work with incarcerated veterans in five CDCR prisons. This new CalVet VSO position was created last year with the passage of Senate Bill 776, requiring seven such dedicated VSOs through the State of CA, giving veterans in each CDCR prison access to this sorely needed resource. With VHV in excellent hands, Mary was able to make this transition and provides invaluable support in her new role with CalVet.
In 2022, VHV established the first Veteran's Hub in the nation at CTF Soledad backed by Governor Newsom's funding in the 2022 budget.
In 2012, the Veterans Administration released a report stating that veteran and military suicide had outpaced combat deaths in Afghanistan. Self was alarmed and dismayed by this statistic. He became profoundly inspired by the healing power in the simple act of telling one’s story and intimately understood that veterans often feel safest in each other’s company. With this knowledge, Self launched a pilot program: a peer-to-peer support group centered on a series of writing prompts which explore the ramifications of trauma (whether from early life, military service, incarceration or all combined). Jacques Verduin, a pioneer of prison rehabilitative programs and the Founder and Executive Director of Insight-Out, provided essential support and guidance as the program’s first Director. Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out was born.
As VHV’s peer support group became established, Mary Donovan - a study-hall volunteer with the Prison University Project - stepped up to fill the role of Executive Director, providing organizational structure, volunteer recruitment and funding development. Since that time, through combined professional efforts, VHV has expanded to offer our peer support processing groups at multiple locations: two peer support processing groups, one Facilitator group, and one Alumni group at San Quentin; one peer processing support group at Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, CA (2016); one peer processing support group at CSP Solano in Vacaville, CA (Sept 2018); one peer processing support group at CSP Sacramento (April 2019); and most recently two peer processing groups at CTF Soledad (July 2019) . At San Quentin our current program includes training in group facilitation and one-on-one mentorship, creative writing and, through partnerships with aligned organizations, trauma-sensitive yoga (Prison Yoga Project) and theater practice (Marin Shakespeare Company). To date, with the dedicated support of 15+ outside volunteers, we have completed 12 peer support group cycles, with over 260 veterans participating. We are blessed to have excellent crews and contributors in all these places on both sides of prison walls.
In October 2017, our Founder, Ron Self, was released from San Quentin State Prison. He paroled to Monterey County where he immediately set up a VHV peer support group. As with the groups he established at San Quentin, the new group benefited tremendously from Ron’s applied expertise gained from both academic pursuit and first-hand experience with group process. In addition to his studies with Prison University Project at San Quentin, Ron had extensive study of psychology through coursework in USMC re Psychological Warfare.
In 2018, with Ron’s successful transition back into the community, the role of Executive Director was transferred from Mary Donovan to Ron and the VHV headquarters office was established in Monterey County.
Our base in Monterey County has meant greater potential to expand our outreach to serve more incarcerated veterans within CDCR. In addition to outreach, VHV has enabled vital housing support to returning veterans during their transition from prison back into the greater community.
As all this was falling into place, former VHV Executive Director Mary Donovan was offered and accepted a position with CalVet as a Veterans Service Officer assigned to work with incarcerated veterans in five CDCR prisons. This new CalVet VSO position was created last year with the passage of Senate Bill 776, requiring seven such dedicated VSOs through the State of CA, giving veterans in each CDCR prison access to this sorely needed resource. With VHV in excellent hands, Mary was able to make this transition and provides invaluable support in her new role with CalVet.
In 2022, VHV established the first Veteran's Hub in the nation at CTF Soledad backed by Governor Newsom's funding in the 2022 budget.
Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out is a 501(c)3 non-profit.