After earning his Masters degree in Psychiatric Social Work from Florida State University in 1968, Shad went on active duty in 1969 as a Captain in the U.S. Army. In 1970, he served one tour as a Social Work/Psychology Officer for I and II Corps in the Republic of South Vietnam.
Upon his return to the states, Meshad continued his dedication to American veterans by starting the Vietnam Veterans Re-Socialization Unit at the Brentwood, CA VA Hospital in 1971. He spent eight years working with Vietnam veterans and their severe readjustment problems in the Los Angeles area. Shad was one of the pioneers in the study of the disorder known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
In the past 27 years, Shad has received many service awards and recognitions for his work. He authored a book about his year in Vietnam, Captain for Dark Mornings, which, highly acclaimed, is in its second printing. Meshad has made appearances on many major television networks and cable news talk shows, including 60 Minutes, 20/20, Dateline, Nightline, and CNN News. Shad continues to consult, train, and counsel nationally and internationally.
In 1986, Shad started a stress management and consulting service. In the early 90's he began focusing on treating compassion fatigue. This condition is identical to secondary traumatic stress disorder (STSD) and is the equivalent of PTSD. It is the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized person. Through his associations, Shad introduced Charles Figley, Ph.D., a long-time friend and colleague to Dr. Roger Callahan who developed Thought Field Therapy. Dr. Callahan approached Meshad with the opportunity to study the effect of TFT therapy on veterans who suffered from PTSD. Impressed by the amazing results of this study, Shad has become a certified TFT diagnostician and practitioner, offering seminars on Levels I and II TFT nationwide.
In 2000 Shad founded Quantum Performance Institute with the goal of utilizing the amazing power of energy psychology techniques in the area of negative emotional states and attaining one's optimum performance level.
(More information follows, from a separate bio)
For more than 30 years, National Veterans Foundation (NVF) Founder and President Shad Meshad has worked as a therapist for veterans and an advocate for veterans’ rights. After receiving his master’s degree in psychiatric social work from Florida State University, he enlisted in the army in 1970, and served as a counselor for U.S. soldiers in Vietnam.
Upon his return to the U.S., Meshad founded and directed the Vietnam Veterans Re-Socialization Unit at the VA Hospital in Los Angeles, California. It was the first program of its kind, focusing on the readjustment problems of Vietnam veterans. During this time, Meshad was among the first to study the disorder now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
In 1978, he worked to develop and lobby for the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Bill. In 1979, he founded the Vet Center Outreach Program, which now serves veterans in more than 200 locations across the country.
In 1980, Meshad was nominated for the first Olin Teague Medal of Service Award. In 1982, he published a memoir of his experiences in Vietnam, entitled “Captain for Dark Mornings.” In 1985, he founded the Vietnam Veterans Aid Foundation, which he later renamed the National Veterans Foundation.
He has served on the faculty of the International Critical Incident Foundation; as President and Board Member of the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists; and, recently, was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Green Cross Project.
In the wake of the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001, Meshad was called upon by the U.S. government to help train the critical incident and trauma teams at Ground Zero.
Today, Meshad consults and teaches stress reduction and anger management techniques to mental health, law enforcement, and critical incident professionals through Quantum Performance Institute, a firm he established in 2001. He continues his work with veterans in the Los Angeles area, helping them through the process of healing and readjustment.
