Counseling Military Families: What Mental Health Professionals Need to Know Book

Foreword   Mary Edwards Wertsch     ix
Preface     xv
Acknowledgments     xix
Setting the Stage     1
Introduction: Rationale and Purpose     3
The Need for Services     4
Why Civilian Counselors     5
The Increasing Need     6
Family Preparedness     7
Continuum of Care     8
Taking Its Toll     10
The Need for Culturally Competent Counselors     16
Military Service Members     25
Active Duty     25
Citizen Soldiers     26
Representativeness of the Military     27
The All-Volunteer Service     29
Titles, Rank, and Hierarchy     31
Why They Join and the Reasons They Stay     35
The Military Family     43
The Unique Culture of the Military     45
The Warrior Society     45
The Fortress     55
Parent-Focused Families     58
The Military and the Male Psyche     61
Women in the Military     66
The Military Family     71
Living in the Fortress     71
The Warrior Clan     72
FamilyReadiness     73
Family Strengths     74
The Military Spouse     75
Yesterday and Today     77
Concerns of the Military Spouse     80
Male Spouses     89
Dual Military Couples     90
Divorce and Remarriage in the Military     92
The Children     101
Unique Challenges     101
Military Brats as Adults     106
Strengths and Their Possible Consequences     109
Major Challenges     113
Living in a Democratic Society     118
Parenting Styles     120
Development of Problems     121
Military Youth Satisfaction     123
Tips for the Schools     123
Department of Defense Schools     126
Other Military Families to Consider     129
Reserves and Guard Members and Their Families     129
Stepfamilies and Remarried Couples     136
Single Service Members and Their Families     146
Retired Veterans     148
Working with Military Families     151
Major Challenges of Military Families     153
Mental Health Status of the Military     153
Deployment      158
PTSD     171
Family Violence     177
Alcohol in the Military     184
Finances     187
The Transition Journey     191
Change, Grief, and Loss     191
A Framework for Healing: The Transition Journey     192
New Understandings of Grief and Loss     193
The Constants of Loss and Change     194
Children and Grief     212
Effective Interventions     215
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy     217
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy     218
Family Systems Therapy     221
Addressing PTSD in Family Therapy     226
Addressing Deployment in Family Therapy     234
Working with Military Stepfamilies     236
Working with Military Men     245
Military Family Case Studies     251
The Rest of the Story     251
Not Quite the Brady Bunch     255
Questions for Discussion     260
References     263
Organizations and Programs     275
Resources for Kids and Families     279
Resources for Mental Health Providers     281
Military Service Web Sites     283
Glossary of Military Acronyms     285
Military Glossary of Terms     289
Rank and Pay Grade Charts     291
Index     295