Veterans Retraining Program (VRP)

Gregory Burek

Title:

 MD, Marines

Additional Information:

Dr. Gregory Burek is a psychiatrist and founder of Aurora’s Veteran Program, along with his colleague Dr. Erich Roush. Drs. Burek and Roush established the Veteran Program in 2018 to improve mental health care for military veterans and servicemembers through understanding military culture and how that effects the individual.

Dr. Burek served in the United States Marine Corps between 1999-2003 and was deployed to Iraq in 2003 for Operation Iraq Freedom. After his service he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and a Master’s Degree in Biological Science, then went on to earn a Medical Doctorate from Drexel University College of Medicine in 2014. He completed residency in Psychiatry with the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2018.

As a veteran himself, Dr. Burek believes that understanding military culture is essential to helping veterans live a healthy and fulfilling life. He is committed to treating veterans and military servicemembers. He is well informed on how military life effects people and problems that frequently occur due to these experiences. Dr. Burek has a patient-centered approach. His practice is trauma-informed, but he knows that there is much more to a person’s story than trauma. He dedicated to service veterans with any issue they may have.

In his free time Dr. Burek enjoys snowboarding, camping, reading, and spending time with friends and family, and other veterans.

Christopher Clark

Title:

LCSW, French Air Force

Additional Information:

Chris Clark is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker currently providing outpatient individual therapy to adolescents and adults at Advocate Aurora Behavioral Health, and joining the Behavioral Health Veterans Program to provide group treatment. Chris obtained his Master’s Degree in Social Work from the Catholic University in Washington, DC. He brings mental health treatment experience from various settings over the past 20 years, including home-based counseling for adolescents dealing with substance abuse, treating families, children and adults in a community mental health center in Northern Virginia, and helping patients 15 to 75 at Aurora manage a range of clinical issues over the past 7 years, both individually and in groups. In each setting, addressing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in its many presentations has been a crucial and recurrent imperative and Chris is looking forward to expanding his knowledge of treatment techniques as they apply to combat-related trauma including moral injury and issues affecting functioning in the civilian world such as traumatic brain injury and sleep and emotion regulation.

Chris’s military experience consists of a year of French military service in the late 1980s as part of maintaining French citizenship. He served on a strategic air base as a Reserve Acting Officer, teaching English to French Air Force staff including pilots and air defense operators. He has lived in France, the UK and the US, the latter for 28 years. As a home-based counselor in Northern Virginia, he treated several military families stationed near and around Quantico, VA.

Chris combines various approaches to treatment including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, Mindfulness-based exercises and Motivational Interviewing to address recovery issues. Chris encourages patients to develop the skill of understanding, validating and effectively communicating their emotional states, as part of regaining a sense of choice, relating to others and making a life worth living. In his limited spare time, he enjoys cycling, reading and model-building.

Title:

LPC, SAC, Navy

Additional Information:

Mark Hufen is a Licensed Professional Counselor who works with veterans, first responders, and their family members. Mark is from an Airforce family, and he also served in the Naval Reserve at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard from 1994-2002 with lengthy periods of active Marine Corp infantry training and operations at Camp Lejeune, South Carolina. Mark Hufen, LPC, SAC specializes in the treatment of troubled marriages, trauma, substance use disorders, pastoral counseling, and sexual dysfunction. Mark has a specific interest and background in treating the quiet professionals (and their spouses) of the special operations community.

Mark uses a strategic family systems model where different treatment interventions including but not limited to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Internal Family Systems, biofeedback, and Emotionally Focused Therapy are integrated and utilized. Mark works with individuals, couples, families, and within the group setting. He also provides clinical Christian counseling upon request and leads marriage retreats focused on improving communication, increasing intimacy, and healthy boundaries.

Mark Hufen, LPC, SAC earned his Master of Clinical Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University, Chicago. Mark has an earned bachelor’s degree in broadcast communications, and he is currently completing studies towards a Doctorate in Behavioral Health from Freed-Hardeman University. He also has extensive substance abuse treatment and holds a registered Wisconsin substance abuse certification. Mark has completed sexual dysfunction training and supervision through Loyola Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Maywood, Illinois.

Mark has been and continues to be happily married to Laura for 29 years and has five teenage children, including one son who is currently serving in the Army at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. In his free time, Mark enjoys spending time with his family, taking his teenagers on medical mission trips to countries within Africa and Asia, riding motorcycles, and martial arts.

Title:

NP, Army

Additional Information:

Dr. Herbert Raasch is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner that works with Dr. Gregory Burek and Dr. Erich Roush. Dr. Herbert Raasch completed his clinical rotation with Dr Gregory Burek during the time that the Veteran’s Retraining Program (VRP) started in 2018. Dr. Raasch recently joined the VRP team in late 2021.

Dr. Raasch served in the United States Army between 2001-2007 and was deployed to Iraq in 2003-2004 for Operation Iraq Freedom. After his service he earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and worked as a police officer/instructor for 7 years. Realizing his compassion for helping people, he went back to school and completed a bachelor’s degree in Nursing in 2014. He continued his education earning a Doctorate Degree in Family Practice Nurse Practitioner 2017 and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in 2018. He completed his clinicals in Psychiatry through the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee College of Nursing and Dr. Burek in 2018.

As a veteran himself, Dr. Raasch believes that understanding Veteran’s Physical, mental and spiritual needs coupled with military culture is essential to helping veterans live a healthy and fulfilling life. He is committed to treating Veterans, Law enforcement, Fire fighters and all medical staff. He is well informed on how military, law enforcement and emergency medical services careers effect people and problems that frequently occur due to these experiences. Dr. Raasch has a Holistic and individualized patient-centered approach. His practice is trauma-informed, but he knows that there is much more to a person’s identity than trauma. He is dedicated to service veterans, law enforcement, fire fighters or medical staff with any issue they may have.

In his free time Dr. Raasch enjoys hunting, fishing, traveling and spending time with friends, family, and other veterans.

Kathleen Rivero

Title:

 PsyD

Additional Information:

Dr. Rivero is passionate and committed about providing culturally sensitive and individualized care to service members (active, reserves, veterans). She has worked with Veterans for the past 8 years in various VA facilities throughout the United States. She has received specialized training in Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure for PTSD. Her area of clinical interests includes: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Complex PTSD, Moral Injury, Anxiety Disorders, and Interpersonal Issues.

Dr. Rivero employs an integrative interpersonal approach to conceptualization and treatment. She emphasizes on the therapeutic relationship and identifies relational themes, unhelpful beliefs about self and others, and emotional patterns that are creating distress to the patient. She is trained in evidence-based interventions, but also utilizes other therapeutic modalities to best address patient needs.

Dr. Rivero received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Indianapolis and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Chicago. She completed her internship at the VA Central Massachusetts Healthcare System where she worked primarily with Veterans with substance use and trauma-related concerns. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Residential Rehabilitation at Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center working primarily with Veterans with PTSD and Trauma.

Outside of the clinic, Dr. Rivero enjoys mind-body activities such as yoga, dance, and hiking outdoors.

Erich Roush

Title:

PsyD, Army

Additional Information:

Dr. Roush began establishing Veteran focused mental health treatment at Advocate Aurora Health in 2018 along with Gregory Burek, M.D. The program’s goal is to make Advocate Aurora the most veteran friendly healthcare system in the country. Dr. Roush is passionate about treating Veterans in all stages of their life and how trauma can disrupt a person’s optimal functioning. He has an open-minded, transparent, and flexible approach to therapy, meeting people where they are at and helping them achieve meaningful goals.

Dr. Roush has been in the U.S. Army since 2007: five years active duty and in the Reserves since 2012. He has served as an armor, signal, and medical officer and now serves as a psychologist in a Combat Operational Stress Control unit. In his position at Advocate Aurora, Dr. Roush focuses on treating trauma, moral injury, and working with a military population which includes individual, couple, and group therapy. He utilizes a number of evidence-based modalities (CPT, PE, EMDR, ACT, CBT) in addition to using an interpersonal style to treat trauma related disorders. Furthermore, he is a certified Brainspotting therapist, which is a growing and effective modality to help process traumas. Dr. Roush is also competent in treating anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, serious mental illness, and relationship problems. He has extensively studied barriers for veterans accessing mental healthcare and has a strong background in motivational interviewing.

Dr. Roush earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and Master's of Science in Clinical Psychology from the Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology in 2017. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Marquette University. He completed a psychology internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), and completed Master Resiliency Training from the U.S. Army.

When not in the office, Dr. Roush is an avid sports fan with allegiance to Wisconsin based teams. He enjoys spending time with his children, traveling, and trying new foods.

Tamara Morris

Title:

Psy.D, Army

Additional Information:

Dr. Morris is a licensed Psychologist who works with veterans, first responders, and their family members. Both she and her husband are veterans of the US Army, and she has extensive experience working with veterans of all eras of service.

Dr. Morris earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology, her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology from Cardinal Stritch University, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Carroll University. She completed her doctoral internship at the Cheyenne VA Healthcare System, where she later served as the Director of Training.

In her position at Advocate Aurora, Dr. Morris focuses on working with individuals with complex trauma, moral injury, serious mental illness, persistent depression, anxiety, emotional regulation difficulties, and interpersonal issues. She utilizes an integrative interpersonal framework and focuses on providing a safe, flexible, and supportive environment within the therapeutic relationship. She has training and experience in providing evidence-based treatments including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Interpersonal Therapy for Depression (IPT-D), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), and Motivational Interviewing (MI).

When not at work, Dr. Morris enjoys spending time with her family, exploring the outdoors, board games, reading, and enjoying the local activities.

Jon Christensen

Title:

MSed, MSed psych, LPC, CSAC, CEAP, Army

Additional Information:

Jon enlisted in the Army in 1966. He volunteered for Vietnam, serving from March 1967 to March 1968 with Headquarters,1st Logistics Command.

He has counseled Combat and Combat Theatre Veterans for over 40 years in private practice including 8 years as the Director of Operations and Director of Clinical services for the Center for Veteran Issues Homeless Veteran program in Milwaukee and 8 years as a counselor with the Milwaukee Vet Center. Semi-retired, he continues to be involved with Veteran concerns as an elder with the Medical College Warrior Partnership, Energy Worker with Healing Warrior Hearts, intensive weekend retreats, and Coordinator of complementary medicine with the Aurora Veteran Treatment Initiative.

He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Substance Abuse Counselor and Counseling Supervisor. He also holds National Board Certifications as a Counselor, Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Substance Abuse Professional, and Certified Employee Assistance Counselor.

Jon says his life is perfect. He lives on an acre wooded lot with 5 dogs, two cats, and the woman who continues to enrich his life.