With the United States’ involvement in numerous combat operations overseas, the need for civilian social workers with the clinical skills necessary to work with members of the military returning from combat, as well as their families, has never been more critical. In this practical and important book, each chapter is written by specialists in a particular area devoted to the care of service members and includes case material to demonstrate assessment and intervention approaches. The reader is introduced to the world of the military and the subsequent development of mental health services for returning men and women. Chapters look at special populations of service members with specific needs based directly on their experience in the military, discussing post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, sexual harassment and assault during their service, and the physiology of the war zone experience. The challenges faced by reintegrating service men and women are explored in detail and include family issues, suicide, and substance use disorders. A section on services available to returning service members looks at those offered by the Veterans Administration and at the use of animal-assisted interventions. The book concludes with a section devoted to unique concerns for the practitioner and explores ethical concerns they may face and their own needs as clinicians working with this population.
Part I: The World of the Military. Hall, The Importance of Understanding Military Culture. Coll, Weiss, Yarvis, No One Leaves Unchanged: Insights for Civilian Mental Health Care Professionals into the Military Experience and Culture. Part II: Special Populations. Yarvis, Beder, Treatment of War-induced Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Parkinson, French, Massetti, Care Coordination in Military Traumatic Brain Injury. Bell, Reardon, Working With Survivors of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault in the Military. Beder, Jones, When They Return From Iraq/Afghanistan: The Needs of the Wounded. Cabrera, Figley, Yarvis, Helping the Combat Medic and Corpsman: Adapting to Both Primary and Secondary Traumatic Stress Down Range and Beyond. Bruner, Woll, The Battle Within: Understanding the Physiology of War-zone Exposure. Part III: Clinical Challenges. Beder, Those Who Have Served in Afghanistan/Iraq: Coming Home. Chapin, Family Resilience and the Fortunes of War. Jackson, Branson, Assessing and Responding to Suicidal Risk Among OIF/OEF Veterans. LaMorie, Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom: Exploring Wartime Death and Bereavement. Everson, Perry, Wives. Roy, Skidmore, A Clinical Overview of Assessment and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in Veterans and Service Members. Part IV: Services. Beder, Sullican-Sakaeda, Martin, Animal-assisted Intervention. Amdur, Batres, Belisle, Brown, Cornis-Pop, Mattewson-Chapman, Harms, Hunt, Kennedy, Mahoney-Gleason, Perez, Sheets, Washam, VA Integrated Post-combat Care: A Systemic Approach to Caring for Returning Combat Veterans. Part V: Unique Concerns for Practitioners Beckerman. Ethical Challenges When Working with the Military. Figley, Beder, The Cost of Caring Requires Self Care.
Biography
Joan Beder, DSW, is a professor in the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University in New York. She has been a clinical social worker for over 30 years and maintains a private clinical practice in Long Island, NY.
"This book is a significant, distinctive, timely, and very welcome contribution to the social work practice literature. Its attention to military culture, special populations, clinical challenges, family, and ethical implications are particularly noteworthy."
Raymond Scurfield, DSW, LCSW, Vietnam veteran; Professor Emeritus of Social Work, University of Southern Mississippi
"I was most impressed by this book which addresses key issues faced by social workers and practitioners who are challenged to provide expertise and skill in this very demanding field. It makes a very significant contribution to social work literature on interventions with soldiers and their families when on the battlefield and upon returning home. I am most certain that many practitioners and their clients will benefit greatly from this unique book."
Rachel Dekel, PhD, Associate Professor of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, Israel
