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By Rich Simon It seems astonishing that even just two or three decades ago, parents not only pretty much knew what was expected of them to turn their offspring into civilized adults, but they could actually count on society to back them up. Even more astounding, kids seemed to understand this, too. Even if they rebelled against, yelled about, or sullenly resented how “unfair” adults were, they seemed to acknowledge adult authority and realize that they would just have to wait until they turned 18 to get for themselves the keys to the kingdom of grown-up independence. and unique warrior society that have contributed to the problems these men and women experience. Yet, since we can expect a huge wave of soldiers needing clinical care from civilian clinicians as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we need to understand the military world that’s changed them so profoundly. In this workshop, you’ll get an enlightening primer on the nature of these traumas, vets’ paradoxical feelings about war, “secrets” they rarely share with anybody except “battle buddies,” and the emotional vulnerabilities that differentiate vets from other trauma sufferers. You’ll learn specific steps to take that’ll make them feel more comfortable during therapy--and things you should never do--and how to handle the particular factors that put vets at such high risk for suicide.
Alison Lighthall, R.N., M.S.N., is a former captain in the Army Nurse Corps. Since 2004, she’s trained civilian and military mental health professionals to assess, treat, and care for combat vets, and, most recently, served as the lead clinician for Fort Carson’s Urgent Psychiatric Response Team.