Healing Stress in Military Families (eBook)

LORIE T. DECARVALHO, PHD, is the Director of Behavioral Health Services at the Central Valley General Hospital in Hanford, California.?? She is coauthor, with Julia Whealin and Edward M. Vega, of Clinician's Guide to Treating Stress After War: Education and Coping Interventions for Veterans and Strategies for Managing Stress After War: Veteran's Workbook and Guide to Wellness, both published by Wiley. JULIA M. WHEALIN, PHD, is the Deputy Director for Education and a Research Health Scientist at the National Center for PTSD in the Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System.?? She is coauthor, with Lorie T. DeCarvalho and Edward M. Vega, of Clinician's Guide to Treating Stress After War: Education and Coping Interventions for Veterans and Strategies for Managing Stress After War: Veteran's Workbook and Guide to Wellness, both published by Wiley.

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

How to Use this Book xiii

Introduction All in the Family: Sources of Stress xix

The 8 Steps to Healing and Wellness

Step 1 Connect 3

Step 2 Explain 17

Step 3 Discover 31

Step 4 Empower 47

Step 5 Improve 61

Step 6 Process 85

Step 7 Challenge 103

Step 8 Grow 127

Appendices: Handouts for Families and Clinicians

Appendix A Handouts for Military Families 151

Appendix B Clinicians' Resource Guide 205

Appendix C Service Members and Military Families Resource Guide 209

References 215

About the Authors 223

Index 225

"Healing Stress in Military Families offers practical help for military families coping with the myriad repercussions of their loved ones' duties, from their deployment to their return home." (Socialworktoday.com, April 2012)

"This excellent book will be highly useful for providers and anyone
interested in helping military families reconnect and become more
resilient in the setting of the enormous stress these families face
on a daily basis. Using a clear format that avoids jargon,
providers and families can work through the eight practical steps
that focus on reconnecting the family and improving resiliency. The
book includes highly useful "Making It Real" and "Taking Action"
exercises that families can readily use and practice as they work
through these chapters. This excellent book will surely become core
material for anyone interested in working with military
families."

--Bradford Felker, MD, Director Deployment Health
Service and Mental Health Primary Care Service Department of
Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System Commander, United
States Reserves

"Military families are faced with incredible challenges such as
deployment separation, constant relocation, and caring for loved
ones with physical and psychological injuries. Unfortunately, due
to the necessary attention paid to service members, families are
often unintentionally overlooked. Drs. DeCarvalho and Whealin do an
excellent job detailing the various challenges faced by military
families and provide practical and helpful tips for increasing
their resiliency in the face of adversity."

--Bret A. Moore, Psy.D., ABPP

"Healing Stress in Military Families: Eight Steps to
Wellness is a timely, practical publication that recognizes and
addresses the impact of traumatic stress on countless "hidden
victims," our military families. The focus on empowerment and
goal-directedness--versus illness, disorder and dysfunction is
so needed today."

--Mark D. Lerner, Ph.D., President, Institute for
Traumatic Stress