Rhinelander - We hear of the toll war takes on our veterans. But what about their families? One local group is at the forefront of helping families cope.

Every week spouses of local veterans come together to support one another. Their stories are different but they all feel a common bond.

VA Peer Support Specialist Tim Bahr says the group talks "about our challenges that we've had since the last time we met and some of our successes. We help each other learn about managing the effects of Post Traumatic Stress in ourselves and in our families because of the fact that we learn from each other." The support group is unique because its facilitator is the only veteran in the nation that teaches a specific technique for the Veterans Administration: Mantram Rapid Relaxation.

"We as veterans - when we joined the service - were conditioned a certain way and when we come back out of service as veterans, we continue to think that way. [Mantram] gives us that opportunity to stop thinking that, to stop the cycle of the destructive thought processes," say Bahr.

Some of women in the group were the first veterans' spouses in the country to be certified in the technique.

Tim Bahr also leads veteran support groups. You can hear the group's full story on Friday night's newscast.