Aaron Dugan
Founder & President
Aaron, a Marine veteran
I am a USMC Combat Veteran; I served from 2006-2010 as an Infantry Mortarman with 2/8 weapons company based out of Camp Lejeune, NC. I deployed in 2007 to Ramadi, Iraq and then later deployed in 2009 as part of operation Khanjar under the 2nd MEB led by General Larry Nicholson.
After my military service, I jumped into emergency services: I served as an EMT-B on an all-volunteer crew, ultimately making the rank of 1st Lieutenant, while also serving on the volunteer fire department in the same town. If that wasn’t enough, I also worked full time as an LNA in the Neuro Special Care Unit at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH.
Over the years I had taken lives, and when I got back I told myself that my goal was to save more than I took. Along the way I had collected unimaginable trauma that I never learned to work through. Ultimately, my own demons led to a failed marriage, my entire world crumbling into nothingness, and sitting in a dark room alone wanting to die.
Whether I had a uniform on saving lives or was struggling to just make it to the next day, in my mind I was the “hero.” I believed that I didn’t need help because I am the one that gets called for help. I was unaware how wrong that mindset was until my world crumbled.
I had some bad experiences with mental health providers in general during my time in service and later at the VA; I honestly hated all of them for it. During my darkest moments throughout my divorce process, I felt so incredibly alone. Honestly the only thing that kept me alive was my daughter and knowing that she deserved more than I had become.
Fast forward a couple years of enduring hell and being basically homeless for a few months, I met Kat, who is also a Labyrinth Therapeutic Services founder/board member. She not only accepted me for who I was and where I was at in my life; she also chose to believe in me and my passion for wanting to save as many people as I can as fast as I can.
I began volunteering at Out of The Woods EMDR and Counseling Services as the Military and First Responder Liaison; my sole purpose and mission in life was to reach the guys and girls just like me who were stuck alone in a dark place. I quickly found that I needed to do more if I was going to be able to accomplish that. It seemed like every time I found someone who could benefit from a therapist who didn’t suck at their job or one who used modalities that are proven to work extremely well, their insurance didn’t cover it or there was one hurdle after another blocking them from care. It was within my struggle in my outreach position that the concept for Labyrinth Therapeutic Services was originally born. Partly out of frustration with the VA, health insurance companies and the entire mental health system in general and partly out of the need to be able to do more to meet people where they are at.
My brothers from my time in the service are still killing themselves at a rapid rate. We have lost more to ourselves than we did to Afghanistan and that is unacceptable. My heart breaks every time I hear of another brother or sister losing their battle.
The war may be over, but our battles will last the rest of our lives. We can’t do it alone, we weren’t trained to fight alone, we fought in fire teams for a reason. When I needed support the most, it wasn’t there. When I needed help, there was no one to call.
The lack of support ends with Labyrinth, we are here; we will endure your darkness beside you until the sun rises on the other side.
Kat Dugan
Founder & Vice President
Kat’s uncles, Army and Air Force veterans.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by human psychology—not just how people think and behave, but why. What is it about an experience that causes one person to suffer while another grows from it? Why can multiple people live through the same event and emerge with entirely different stories? Looking back, it’s no surprise that I became a mental health counselor.
For nearly a decade, I’ve worked across a variety of settings, including community mental health, college counseling, correctional mental health, and private practice. In 2022, I founded Out of the Woods EMDR and Counseling Services in Litchfield, New Hampshire, where I primarily work with individuals living with PTSD, complex trauma, and dissociative disorders.
My curiosity about psychology quickly evolved into a commitment to finding the most effective treatments available. That passion led me to train in EMDR, psychedelic-assisted therapy, Brainspotting, and several other trauma-focused modalities. While I work with clients from many backgrounds, I found myself consistently drawn to serving military members and first responders. Whether it’s the specialized treatment approaches, my dark sense of humor, my sarcasm, or simply the fact that I don’t fit the mold of a "traditional" therapist, this community has continued to find its way into my office. It has been one of the greatest privileges of my career to walk alongside these individuals as they heal. After dedicating so much of themselves to serving our country and communities, they are too often overlooked—or left navigating a mental health system that fails to meet their needs.
Outside of therapy, I’ve spent much of my life passionately advocating for the things I believe in (my mother would happily confirm that). Early in my career, I became acutely aware of the enormous influence insurance companies have over access to mental health care. Cost remains one of the greatest barriers to treatment, and the reasons are straightforward: insurance reimbursement is often inadequate, delayed, or denied altogether. As a result, private practices are forced to limit insurance participation or close their doors entirely, leaving many people with nowhere to turn except overburdened community mental health centers. Those agencies then face overwhelming demand, long waitlists, and unsustainable caseloads, making timely, high-quality care increasingly difficult to access.
For years, I tried to address this problem in my own practice by providing pro bono services, training interns to offer reduced-cost therapy, and speaking openly about the systemic failures within our mental health system. But it became increasingly clear that meaningful change would require more than individual efforts.
Meeting Aaron made those systemic issues deeply personal. Having grown up with two uncles who served in the military and having worked extensively with veterans and first responders, I understood the challenges they faced. But witnessing Aaron's pain each time another brother or sister in arms died by suicide reinforced just how urgently our system needs to change.
That shared commitment ultimately led us to help build a nonprofit dedicated to one simple mission: ensuring people can access effective, evidence-based mental health care regardless of their insurance coverage or ability to pay.
Becca Esposito
Founder & Board Member
TOP LEFT: Becca’s grandfather, an Air Force veteran and firefighter
TOP RIGHT: Becca’s father, a firefighter
BOTTOM ROW: Becca’s husband’s uncles, both firefighters who lost their lives in 9/11
I have worked within the healthcare system and the mental healthcare systems for more than a decade; from urgent care systems, surgery centers, and mental health private practices. I spend my time battling insurance companies every day just to get them to pay for services they are contractually bound to pay. I am the one who hears the countless excuses they come up with to deny or delay payment, all while trying to help clients understand how their balance keeps rising when they were told their insurance would cover their services. I am the one who has to then negotiate payment plans with these clients to pay off their large unexpected balances, knowing that most will stop getting their counseling because they can no longer afford it. I’ve been given the runaround between multiple workers, been hung up on, and been lied to by insurance companies and worked within the state system to report these behaviors to the commissioner to investigate and handle.
I became part of Labyrinth because I can already see the positive impact it will have on making a difference in the community and lives of those who need it most. My grandfather served in the Air Force and later as a firefighter for Boston Logon International Airport, and my father served on the Milford Fire Department. My husband lost two uncles, proud New York City firefighters, to the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Having close personal relationships with both first responders and veterans has made me aware that having even a small part in providing mental health support to those who might not otherwise have access to it can make an incredible direct, positive impact in helping them develop a better life for themselves and their family.
Merlin Schuster
Board Member
Merlin, a Marine veteran
Aaron & Merlin, Marine veterans
Merlin “The Magic Man” is extremely passionate about being able to help guide our cause towards a bigger and brighter future so that we can continue to save more brothers and sisters. Merlin served alongside Aaron and deployed together in Afghanistan in 2009.
Hunta Hawes
Board Member
Hunta Hawes is the grandson of a US Army soldier and the son of a firefighter, so he and his family know exactly what it means to have served our country. Hunta is an avid outdoorsman and has been instrumental in Aaron Dugan’s journey to health and healing not only through who he is but also his amazing musical talent. You may find Hunta at open mic nights throughout New Hampshire and he was gracious enough to play our launch party in June of 2025 (on his own birthday no less)!
Hunta is extremely passionate about helping those of us who have served our country and community because he has grown up within a family that has and continues to give a lot of themselves for others!
Andrew Coville
Board Member
Andrew, a Marine veteran
Andrew Coville is a Massachusetts native who was born and raised on Cape Cod. He served in the Marine Corps with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion from 2006-2010 as an 0352 anti-armor assault-man. In April 2008 he deployed to the Al Anbar Province in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and in May 2009 he deployed to the Helmand Province of Afghanistan as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade for operation Khanjar. Andrew was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in June 2010. After the Marine Corps he became a police officer in 2012 with the Yarmouth Police Department and was promoted to patrol sergeant in 2019.
He is a graduate of Curry College and the author of Summer 2009: A Journey of Self-Discovery Amidst the Afghanistan War. You can also catch him on his own podcast, Lessons Learned.
Evan Eldridge
Board Member
Evan, a Marine veteran
Evan Eldridge is a proud Marine Corps veteran, former law enforcement officer, devoted husband, and father of six. As the founder and owner of The Veritable Veteran.
He has committed his life to supporting fellow veterans as they navigate the complex challenges of life after military service, especially with mental health. With a deep understanding of the unique struggles veterans face, Evan works to foster greater awareness and communication between service members and their families. His mission is to bridge the gap between veterans and their communities—empowering both to build stronger, more resilient foundations of support.
Hannah Arnholt
Board Member
TOP ROW: Hannah’s great-grandfather, a Navy veteran
BOTTOM LEFT: Hannah’s late fiancé, an Army veteran
BOTTOM RIGHT: Hannah’s father, a Marine veteran
Hannah Arnholt has always been around the military, being the great-granddaughter of a proud Navy sailor, the daughter of a Marine, the surviving fiancée of a U.S. Army combat medic, and the friend to several veterans and some still serving. Hannah did try her own shot at joining the Navy as an officer, but life took her a different route after college, seeing her leave Navy OCS to pursue a civilian career in the defense industry to better use her engineering background for protecting warfighters and sailors. Currently Hannah is working on her PhD in Ocean Engineering at the University of New Hampshire, funded by the DoD SMART Scholarship Program, and she'll be working on marine robotics research for the U.S. Navy after she defends her dissertation.
Hannah's journey to fighting for veteran mental health began in the wake of the loss of her fiancé, Joe, last year, after he lost his battle to his PTSD. She hopes to help others know that they're not alone, and to help show them know that life is a battle worth fighting for.