You served. You got out. On paper it went fine.
Nobody died in front of you. You were never shot at. Maybe you never left the state. So when something feels off now, the first thing that shows up is the argument in your own head about whether you have earned the right to feel it.
I know that argument well. I had it with myself for ten years.
The day I stopped giving the correct answers
I spent twelve years in the Ohio Army National Guard as a Combat Engineer and a Sergeant. Every year we ran the annual medical screening, station after station, twelve hours of lines.
There is an unwritten rule in the military. Do not stand out. For ten straight years I answered every screening question the way that moved the line along.
One year I answered honestly.
A Major ordered a psychological evaluation within thirty days. Non-deployable. I walked out of that building alone, and the staff locked the door behind me. I sat in my car in the parking lot with my hat in my hands and let myself feel all of it at once. A career ending. A heart condition. A job that was too much. A young family that was struggling.
It took me almost thirty days to find a therapist. By the third session he told me to pull the DSM off his shelf and look something up myself, and then he asked whether I had ever thought about doing this work. Within a couple of months my panic disorder was gone. Within a year I was back in school.
That is why this practice exists. I am not guessing at what it costs a service member to say the honest thing out loud.
Let me be clear about what I am and what I am not
I am not a combat veteran. I never deployed. My service was twelve years in the Guard as a Combat Engineer, and it ended with me turning in my gear on an ordinary weekday with no ceremony and no phone call.
I say that plainly for two reasons.
The first is that you have probably met providers who let you assume more than was true, and you noticed. I would rather you hear it from me in the first thirty seconds than wonder about it in session six.
The second is that it turns out to matter less than people think. The men who come here are rarely carrying a firefight. They are carrying an identity that ended without a ceremony, a body that broke down before they were ready, a family that got the worn-out version of them for years, and a quiet conviction that none of it counts because someone else had it worse.
That conviction is the thing that keeps men out of this office. It is usually the first thing we take apart.
What counseling for veterans in Gahanna actually looks like
Most of the veterans I see are not in crisis. They are functioning. They are often the person everyone else relies on. What brings them in is some version of this:
- The purpose that used to pull you forward has gone quiet
- Anger that shows up faster and bigger than the situation deserves
- Sleep that has not been right in years
- A marriage where you are present but not really there
- Retirement, medical separation, or a career change that took more from you than you expected
- Moral weight from decisions you still turn over
- Faith that got complicated, or fell apart, and you have nowhere to say so
I work with veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, first responders, and men navigating major transition. I use cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, existential work, and Gottman method for couples, drawn from whichever fits the person in the room rather than a fixed protocol.
I am also trained through Star Behavioral Health Providers at Tier 3, Ohio’s training track in military culture and the clinical needs of service members and their families. I earned my master’s in clinical mental health counseling at the University of Dayton, and I served as Director of Counseling Services at the Military Veterans Resource Center before opening this practice.
The practical details
I see clients in the historic Olde Gahanna Schoolhouse at 106 Short Street, in the Creekside District, Monday through Wednesday from 2 to 8 PM. Telehealth is available anywhere in Ohio.
This is a self-pay practice. The first appointment is a 90 minute diagnostic evaluation at $175. Ongoing sessions are $150. Couples sessions are $200 for 90 minutes. I do not bill insurance and I am not a VA or TRICARE provider, which means no diagnosis goes to a payer, no treatment plan gets approved by a third party, and nothing here touches a security clearance file through an insurance claim. For some veterans that privacy is the entire reason they choose a practice like this one. For others the cost is the wrong tradeoff, and that is a fair call to make.
If you want VA care, start at mentalhealth.va.gov. Vet Centers also offer readjustment counseling at no cost, and many veterans do good work there.
When this is not the right place
I would rather route you well than book you.
Look elsewhere first if you are in acute crisis or thinking about suicide, if you are seeking care for a child or teenager, if you are dealing with active untreated substance dependence that needs detox or an intensive program, or if you need care billed through insurance.
If you are in danger right now: Call or text 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line. In Franklin County, Netcare Access is available 24/7 at (614) 276-2273. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
When the immediate risk has passed and you are looking for ongoing counseling, I am glad to be considered then. The right level of care first. The right fit second.
Starting
You book your own time. No phone tag, no screening call, no pitch.
Questions before you book: 614-598-9190 or ryan.sargent@guidingpurposecounseling.com
Frequently asked questions
Do you work with veterans who never deployed? Yes, and they are a large share of who I see. The screening you failed, the injury that ended it early, the discharge nobody marked, the years of drill weekends nobody at home understood. Those leave a mark whether or not you went overseas. Not deploying does not disqualify you from being affected by your service.
Are you a combat veteran? No. I served twelve years in the Ohio Army National Guard as a Combat Engineer and Sergeant, and I never deployed. I state that up front rather than letting it stay vague.
Do you take VA benefits, TRICARE, or insurance? No. Guiding Purpose Counseling is a self-pay practice. The initial 90 minute evaluation is $175, ongoing sessions are $150, and couples sessions are $200. Receipts are available if you want to pursue out-of-network reimbursement on your own.
Do I need a PTSD diagnosis to come here? No. Most veterans I work with do not have one and are not looking for one. Life transition, anger, disconnection in a marriage, loss of purpose, and moral weight are all reasons enough.
Do you offer telehealth? Yes, for anyone physically located in Ohio at the time of the session. In person appointments are in Gahanna’s Creekside District.
What happens in the first appointment? It runs 90 minutes. We cover your history, what brought you in, and what you want to be different. You will leave with an initial direction rather than a homework packet. If I am not the right fit, I will tell you that in the first session and point you somewhere better.