Dean Score was treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has now received a diploma in therapeutic counselling - and is now helping others to recover from the trauma of war. Dean served in the Army for seven years, including two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, before a specific incident left him with PTSD.
Dean served in Iraq and Afghanistan before an incident left him with PTSD (Image: Combat Stress) Following successful treatment from veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress, Dean spent five years securing the necessary qualifications to set up his own practice. Dean, from Sturminster Newton, said: “It’s incredible to me that eight years after trying to take my own life, I’m a qualified therapist helping others. “I feel so lucky and humbled to have been given the support to do this.
"Without Combat Stress, I would just be another veteran suicide statistic, and I certainly wouldn’t have achieved what I have. Dean and wife Jenny (Image: Combat Stress) "My wife sacrificed so much to support me, and I am so thankful to have her, as well as SSAFA, the Army Benevolent Fund and the Rifle Association for funding me through this process. "Without them, I would never have been able to afford to do this and would have fallen at the first hurdle.
" Dean left the Army in 2008, after beginning to struggle with his mental health. In denial, and worried he would appear ‘weak’, he ignored his symptoms for years. Des.