Veterans Wellness
A multisensory approach to emotional wellness for veterans, service members, and the people who support them.
Why This Work
I spent 19 years at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs developing training. Since then, veterans at my aromatherapy bars have told me how much a few quiet minutes with a calming scent meant to them. These workshops grow out of both experiences. They pair practical tools for life online with aromatherapy-informed sensory practices for clarity and calm, designed for the veterans community with care and respect for its experiences.
Veterans carry a great deal, often quietly. Many also spend a lot of time online. Social media can connect them with people who served alongside them, but it can also bring up hard memories, stir up comparison, and keep stress running in the background.
My approach brings together three things:
19 years of VA training development. I built learning experiences for a federal audience, so I know how to design sessions that are clear, structured, and respectful of people's time.
Doctoral research on social media and emotional wellness. My Doctorate in Information Systems and Communication focused on how social media shapes emotional wellbeing. That research is the basis of my Four Mirrors Framework.
Hands-on aromatherapy experience. I've hosted aromatherapy bars focused on clarity and easing anxiety, where veteran guests have shared how the experience affected them. Organizations are now asking me to bring it to wider audiences in a formal way.
Workshops
1. Scent for Clarity and Calm
An Aromatherapy-Informed Sensory Workshop
This hands-on workshop shows how scent can help people pause, settle, and focus. Participants explore a curated set of aromas chosen for clarity and calm. They learn simple grounding practices that pair breath and scent, and they leave with a personal calming blend to use at home.
Participants will:
Learn how scent connects to memory, mood, and stress
Practice a short scent-and-breath grounding routine they can use anywhere
Find which aromas help them feel clearer and which help them feel calmer
Make and take home a personal blend for moments when they need to reset
Formats: In-person workshop (60 or 90 minutes) · Aromatherapy bar experience for events, resource fairs, and appreciation days · Add-on to a keynote or training day
Designed with care: Taking part in scent activities is always optional. Every scent is chosen ahead of time, and unscented alternatives are available. Scents are kept light and offered in well-ventilated spaces. We avoid aromas that could bring up difficult memories, such as smoke-like or fuel-like notes.
2. Scroll With Intention
Emotional Wellness Online for Veterans
This workshop builds on my doctoral research and the Four Mirrors Framework. It helps veterans notice how social media affects them and take back control of their time online. We talk openly about triggers, comparing yourself to others, upsetting news and content, conflict in comment sections, and the pull to keep scrolling. Then we practice simple tools for setting boundaries and resetting.
Participants will:
Recognize the online content and patterns that trigger them, and plan how to respond
Understand how self-comparison works on social media and how to step out of it
Use the Before You Scroll reflection practice (Before, After, Next) to check in with themselves
Build a personal plan for their feeds, notifications, and screen time that protects their peace
Find ways to stay connected with their community online without being drained by it
Formats: Workshop (60 or 90 minutes, in person or virtual) · Keynote · Facilitated conversation · Multi-session series
3. Calm Online, Calm Within
Combined Experience
This session combines both workshops. Participants first learn to spot the moments online that raise their stress, then practice an aromatherapy-informed grounding routine to come back to calm. It works well for retreats, wellness days, and veteran appreciation events.
Formats: Half-day workshop · Retreat session · Wellness day
Who I Partner With
Veteran Service Organizations
These workshops can serve as member programs, chapter events, conventions, and family days for national and local VSOs, posts, and auxiliaries. Chapters can also offer them as a regular wellness series.
VA and Federal Programs
I worked inside the VA for 19 years, so I know how its programs plan, buy, and deliver training. I offer workshops, training, and curriculum development for:
VA medical center wellness and Whole Health programs
Veteran outreach and community events
VA employee wellness and staff development, including support for the staff who care for veterans
Other federal, state, and local veterans affairs agencies
Community Partners
Veteran resource centers, transition programs, and nonprofits
Military family, spouse, and caregiver programs
Employers and employee resource groups for veterans
Colleges and universities with veteran student services
Conferences, wellness summits, and veteran appreciation events
Curriculum and Consulting
I can also design a custom curriculum or train-the-trainer program, so your staff can keep offering these practices long after a workshop ends. Every program comes with clear learning objectives, facilitator materials, and evaluation tools, ready for the review and reporting requirements federal and organizational programs expect.
Agency and Organizational Partners
Planning programming for a VA facility, government agency, or veteran service organization? Let’s talk about your goals, timeline, and procurement needs.
Bring Veterans Wellness to Your Organization
Whether you lead a VSO chapter or manage a VA program, let’s talk about your group, your goals, and the format that fits.
These workshops support everyday emotional wellbeing. They are educational and are not medical or mental health treatment, and they do not replace care from a licensed provider. If you are a veteran in crisis, or concerned about one, contact the Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 then press 1, text 838255, or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat.
Dr. Nikki is an independent practitioner. These workshops are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.