Military Ocean Therapy
A unique, ocean-based alternative therapy protocol to help military members who are wounded, ill and injured.
Military ocean therapy program
A unique, ocean-based alternative therapy protocol to help military members who are wounded, ill and injured.
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JMMF’s Military Ocean Therapy Program offers a unique, ocean-based alternative therapy protocol to treat military members who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) as well as anxiety, depression, alcoholism and addiction as a result of mental and physical trauma suffered during their service.
“When you are surfing, you are in the moment. There is no anguish about the past, no stress about the future.” Col Greg Martin (ret) – First Commanding Officer, Wounded Warrior Battalion – West
We currently work with:
Active Duty Military
Since 2007, we have been working with active duty Marines from the Wounded Warrior Battalion-West (WWB-West) stationed at Camp Pendleton. We meet at Del Mar Beach on base. In early 2025, we expanded our program to include the WWB-West Hawaii detachment stationed at the Marine Corps base on Oahu.
Veterans from all branches of the military that meet at South Ponto State Beach the second Saturday of each month. These sessions are led by a military veteran who has become a social worker that came through Camp Pendleton and learned about Ocean Therapy during his assignment with the Wounded Warrior Battalion-West. This group of veterans have suffered some form of mental/psychological trauma and/or physical injury and are transitioning out of the military and into civilian life.
Veterans
We serve veterans from all branches of the military at various locations on the California coast. We meet at South Ponto State Beach for our Second Saturday Surf Meetups on the second Saturday of each month. These sessions are led by Nick Borrelli, a former Marine infantry officer (two tours in Iraq) who is now a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) that came through Camp Pendleton and learned about Ocean Therapy during his internship with the Wounded Warrior Battalion-West. This group of veterans have suffered some form of mental/psychological trauma and/or physical injury and are transitioning out of the military and into civilian life.
We also work with Vet Centers in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and Ventura counties to offer regular Ocean Therapy sessions throughout the year.
Veterans in Recovery
We partner with the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration (GLAVA) to serve veterans living in “the Dom” (domiciliary) in West LA and offer 4-6 sessions per year on the beach in El Porto from April through October of each year. We also host sessions in San Diego and host veterans from the San Diego VA Domiciliary (also known as Aspire Center) and various veterans organizations in the area. These sessions provide care for those struggling with addiction, alcoholism and homelessness with the goal to assist them in their recovery and successful transition back into their communities.