Introducing What Makes the Difference CIC

What Makes the Difference CIC is a Community Interest Company (Non-Profit). Born from the ideas and shared experiences of Rich Hilton and Ali Baird, We provide proactive and reactive support for transitioning veterans and their families.  They met while working with military veterans who were experiencing a wide range of mental health issues. They share a frustration with the lack of acknowledgement that 'Transition' involves more than finding employment and housing.

They repeatedly found themselves working with veterans who described the following:

• I don't know who am I without the uniform and what I do next - Identity and Purpose

• A sense of isolation and abandonment as they had not only left their previous career but also their community

• Missing being part of something bigger with clearly defined goals and values 

• Butterfly careers, often leading to increased difficulty finding employment potentially branding them unemployable or unreliable

• Increased risk of burn out or heightened anxiety as the military mindset of ‘thee before me’ resulted in a lack of clarity in personal boundaries

• Communication breakdowns, avoiding difficult conversations at work or at home

• Difficulty integrating into the rhythm of family life, their new local community and the workplace with increased risk of relationship breakdowns and fractured family units

  • Previously their workplace included their community, now they are separated 

We do this through:

• Group work 

• 121 sessions 

• Session delivery is both online (Zoom/Teams) and face-to-face through workshops and retreats. 

Expected outcomes are:  

• Purpose - rebuilding a sense of what comes next for me

• Establishing structure and learning to assert boundaries

• Inter-family communication - removing assumptions through communication skill development and ‘seeing others’ maps of the world

• Relationship building - moving from avoidance, to curiosity and understanding 

• Community connections - engagement with veteran and civilian networks, building not one but many supporting communities around them and their family

• Stability in employment and family life 

• Reducing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Childhood coping mechanisms can result in 'maladaptive' behaviours in adults, impacting employment, relationships, and life expectancy 

What Makes the Difference CIC, is the missing link in the transition story for the service leaver and their family.