Our Mission

We empower combat veterans, service members, first responders and their families to resolve trauma through awareness, resilience and support.

 
 

How We Are Different

We are combat veterans who have expertise in treating post-traumatic stress (disorder), often referred to as PTS(D). We utilize our military and crisis training to find solutions to resiliency challenges in individuals with all types of field-related trauma.

 

Our Bigger Purpose

Giving back, honoring losses and providing for the greater good is integrated in every step of our ongoing care plan.

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Our Dedicated Team 

 

Operations

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Lt Col David Tharp, PsyD, M.Div., MASW, MACP

CEO / Co-Founder

 

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A clinical psychologist who is both a combat veteran and a former first responder himself, Dr. David Tharp founded Project Healing Heroes in 2016 to facilitate resiliency and reintegration for other combat veterans, service members, first responders, and their family members as they serve our nation both at home and abroad. Through his own experiences and clinical work, he recognized that PTSD and suicide are two of the most challenging issues facing our veterans and first responders today.

David served as the PTSD Program Manager at the VA Medical Center in Waco, TX, the third largest PTSD program in the country for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is also a Lt Col in the Air Force Reserves at the United States Air Force Academy and experienced firsthand the cost of war on our military men and women - and their families - after serving as a NATO Medical Advisor in Kandahar, Afghanistan. As the Medical Advisor to the commander of Kandahar Airfield (COMKAF), David was responsible for 28 countries’ medical assets and for notifying the country or service of those KIA (killed in action) as well as any civilians. His other responsibilities included medical response to casualties from rocket attacks, which occurred daily, and serving as an advisor to the US Army mental health team.

For David’s tireless efforts to NATO, the Air Force and our country, he received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the third highest Department of Defense award given. In addition, he is a two-time national and Congressional award winner, first with the Disabled American Veterans National Commanders Award for the Department of Veteran Affairs in 2012 and then in 2014 from the Air Force Association as the Department of Veterans Affairs employee of the year. David was also in the top 2 percent of all federal agents at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA.

Along with his military- and mental health-related career, David has professional experience as a computer engineer, hospital chaplain, Lean Six Sigma blackbelt and strategic management liaison.

According to feedback provided to Project Healing Heroes, David is a highly engaging and compelling speaker. His thought provoking and interactive style is highly sought after and appreciated by audiences of all sizes. If you would like for him to speak at an event, please contact us at info@projecthealingheroes.org. Remember to include as much detail about the event as possible.

 

Board of Directors

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Maj Katherine Tharp, MD

Board Member / Co-Founder

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Brig Gen Jeffrey Kendall

Board Member

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Brig Gen Jeffrey Kendall is the president of JBK Integrated Solutions, a consulting company in New Braunfels, Texas. He is a retired US Air Force Brigadier General and highly decorated combat veteran who served in various command assignments around the globe.

Paul Lawson

Board Member

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Paul Lawson leads The Market Builder operations as Vice President. Paul’s career began in 1993, when his parents incorporated The Market Builder. Since then, Paul has filed nearly every roll in the organization. He grew up in the industry as a third-generation marketeer.

Over the past years, the organizations direction has purposely shifted to providing multi-channel communication services and software solutions for non-profit organizations. It’s overarching mission to use the gifts bestowed upon us and the skills acquired through our experience to advance the missions of non-profit organizations. We do this by aiding in raising capital though individual donations marketing campaigns, building communications systems or applications that increase engagement while lowering overall operational costs, allowing the organization and its members to make a great impact in our community.

Paul’s experiences and tenure has provided him the opportunity to develop and refine a great deal of knowledge and expertise. His work passions are organization management & strategic planning, traditional and e-marketing, multi-channel communications, immersive web applications, software development, mechanical equipment engineering, integrations services, marketing strategy, data management, hygiene & analytics, creative and copywriting, printing and bindery.

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Col Peter Coldwell, MD

Board Member

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Col Peter Coldwell has served in the US military for 38 years and began his career on active duty as a Private Airborne medic and then served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is currently the State Surgeon for the Texas Army National Guard/Texas Military Forces.

 
 
 

Strategic Advisory Panel

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Terry Scariot

Strategic Advisor

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Terry is a board member and officer of Save A Warrior and USA Cares and a board member of WKU’s Kelly Autism Program. He is also an advisor to Smoky Mountain Service Dogs, Refuge for Women and The Center for Courageous Kids. He has held many positions in executive management throughout his career.

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Jennifer Robinson, PhD

Strategic Advisor

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Dr. Robinson is a cognitive neuroscientist, Associate Professor of Psychology and Adjunct Professor in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Kinesiology at Auburn University. She is an avid veteran supporter, and has spent over a decade working to improve the diagnosis and understanding of PTSD.

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Andrew James “AJ” Williams, PhD

Strategic Advisor

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Dr. Williams received his B.A. in psychology in 1980 and his Ph.D. in counseling in 1986 from the University of Texas, beginning his focus upon trauma recovery during his internship at the Temple VA. He worked for a rural MHMR for a year before moving on to a private outpatient clinic, where he subcontracted with Child Protective Services for 4.5 years. He also assessed adolescents and adults accused of child abuse for the court system and worked with victims and perpetrators of abuse in group, family and individual psychotherapy.

He was co-creator, clinical director and lead therapist for the Hays County Women's Center's Sexual Abuse Family Treatment project for 18 months, continuing after he left the private clinic to start a private practice specializing in trauma recovery. Dr. Williams became increasingly involved with a local trauma recovery and addictions residential treatment center for adults, first as consulting psychologist and then as clinical director. He also served as a child abuse group therapist through the Pebble Project in Austin.

In 1992, Dr. Williams joined the Federal Bureau of Prisons, working with female inmates with addictions and trauma for 15+ years. His last 7+ years with the women's prison were spent proposing, creating and serving as coordinator of Trauma Treatment Programs. The success of the program he created resulted in his being named the Psychologist of the Year for the Bureau of Prisons.

Dr. Williams also hired a consultant to train staff and set up a neurofeedback training component. Neurofeedback services were then offered to several dozen inmates over a period of 2-3 years. No inmates completing this component are known to have returned to prison.

Dr. Williams then worked primarily in trauma recovery for the VA and US Army for a total of 11 additional years before retiring in November of 2018. Approximately 44,000 of Dr. Williams' 50,000+ total hours of clinical experience have been with trauma and its treatment.

Dr. Williams has completed over 1,525 hours of continuing education and has given another 27 local- to international-level presentations in suicide prevention, attachment, hypnotherapy and trauma recovery. He has mentored and supervised approximately 30 students and postdoctoral psychologists throughout his career, primarily focusing upon trauma treatment.

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Robert “Mitch” Norman, MD

Strategic Advisor

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Throughout life, people generally have a few core experiences that shape who they are and how they deal with what life throws at them. For Dr. Norman, one such core was being raised in the world of educators. Both of his parents were school teachers, and he was exposed to a wealth of knowledge that he was both encouraged and expected to explore and absorb.

One genre of book that Dr. Norman read early in life (and had read to him), were the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Such science fiction greats, which he thinks of as science fact greats as many of their works would prove true, led him to a love of the sciences. A natural outgrowth of these sciences was medicine, to which he found himself attracted as he grew older.

In college, Dr. Norman was introduced to the social sciences, which ultimately led him to dual degrees in psychology and biology. After deciding to take on psychiatry as a profession, he went on to medical school and residency in that field. However, after years of working in standard clinics, he began to be exposed to telemedicine. To him, given the mobility of our society, the desire to stay with a clinician with whom you have a good working relationship, and the ease with which medicine can be imported into our own homes for convenience, made telemedicine seem like an inevitable progression. Deciding to move in that direction himself, he is now a telepsychiatrist.

 
 

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