The impact of combat on service members' mental health has received considerable attention both in the popular press and in scholarly publications. Yet few books have focused on systematic, evidence-based attempts at preventing mental health problems and enhancing service members' well-being and resilience. This book is intended to fill that gap. The editors have gathered leading clinicians and researchers in military mental health to examine how mental health providers and military leaders can best moderate the negative impact of combat. Contributors discuss the importance of individual screening, training, peer support, leadership and organizational policies, as well as the development and implementation of large-scale mental health programs that incorporate these elements and more. The editors promote a broad occupational health model of prevention and include the latest research on delivering mental health services in pre-deployment, in-theater settings, and VA hospitals. The psychological health of not only service members but also military families is approached as an integral aspect of deployment psychology. The result is a ground-breaking book that emphasizes what we know-and don't know-about evidence-based interventions. It represents the first comprehensive review of mental health interventions across the deployment cycle and will help guide the field of military psychology in developing a much-needed support system for service members in the years to come.

The first book to explore the idea and effect of moral injury on veterans, their families, and their communities Although veterans make up only 7 percent of the U.S. population, they account for an alarming 20 percent of all suicides. And though treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder has undoubtedly alleviated suffering and allowed many service members returning from combat to transition to civilian life, the suicide rate for veterans under thirty has been increasing. Research by Veterans Administration health professionals and veterans’ own experiences now suggest an ancient but unaddressed wound of war may be a factor: moral injury. This deep-seated sense of transgression includes feelings of shame, grief, meaninglessness, and remorse from having violated core moral beliefs. Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini, who both grew up in families deeply affected by war, have been working closely with vets on what moral injury looks like, how vets cope with it, and what can be done to heal the damage inflicted on soldiers’ consciences. In Soul Repair, the authors tell the stories of four veterans of wars from Vietnam to our current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan—Camillo “Mac” Bica, Herman Keizer Jr., Pamela Lightsey, and Camilo Mejía—who reveal their experiences of moral injury from war and how they have learned to live with it. Brock and Lettini also explore its effect on families and communities, and the community processes that have gradually helped soldiers with their moral injuries. Soul Repair will help veterans, their families, members of their communities, and clergy understand the impact of war on the consciences of healthy people, support the recovery of moral conscience in society, and restore veterans to civilian life. When a society sends people off to war, it must accept responsibility for returning them home to peace.

This expert compendium surveys the current state of military psychology across the branches of service at the clinical, research, consulting, and organizational levels. Its practical focus examines psychological adjustment pre- and post-deployment, commonly-encountered conditions (e.g., substance abuse), and the promotion of well-being, sleep, mindfulness, and resilience training. Coverage pays particular attention to uses of psychology in selection and assessment of service personnel in specialized positions, and training concerns for clinicians and students choosing to work with the military community. Chapters also address topics of particular salience to a socially conscious military, including PTSD, sexual harassment and assault, women’s and LGBT issues, suicide prevention, and professional ethics. Among the specific chapters topics covered: · Military deployment psychology: psychologists in the forward environment. · Stress and resilience in married military couples. · Assessment and selection of high-risk operational personnel: processes, procedures, and underlying theoretical constructs. · Understanding and addressing sexual harassment and sexual assault in the US military. · Virtual reality applications for the assessment and treatment of PTSD. · Plus international perspectives on military psychology from China, Australia, India, and more. Grounding its readers in up-to-date research and practice, Military Psychology will assist health psychologists, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and clinical social workers in understanding and providing treatment for military populations, veterans, and their families, as well as military psychologists in leadership and consulting positions.

This book has been replaced by Military Psychology, Third Edition, ISBN 978-1-4625-4992-4.

Military Psychologists' Desk Reference is the authoritative guide in the field of military mental health, covering in a clear and concise manner the depth and breadth of this expanding area at a pivotal and relevant time.

With global commitments and combat duty, our armed forces face life-threatening challenges on a daily basis. However, less visible threats also impact the mental health of our military men and women. Experts examine challenges on the battlefield, such as women coming to terms with life after being prisoners of war, or soldiers dealing with mistakenly killing civilians. But life in the armed forces presents less dramatic, daily challenges. Away from the front lines, soldiers have to raise their families, sometimes as single parents. Children have to learn what it's like to be in a military family, and to make sense of war. Gay or lesbian officers cope with a don't ask, don't tell policy. An unprecedented range of contributors—military officers, medical doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and professors—take us onto the bases and the battlefields and inside the minds of military personnel who face far greater challenges than most of us ever see in the headlines. These volumes also highlight factors that make members of the military resilient and stable, as well as programs and practices that can ease the psychological burdens of military personnel, families, and children. Readers can better understand how society views our military and military operations, and how each one of us can play a role in supporting our armed forces.

"The chapters in this book summarize current scientific and clinical knowledge about psychological trauma, PTSD, and related posttraumatic stress reactions among military veterans and civilians deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Although the content is focused on individuals serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the book also offers a framework to help those not only in the United States but elsewhere around the world who will be directly affected by future wars. This book is designed to support clinical practice by providing clinicians with solid, evidence-based information. To that end, the chapters include clinical case illustrations intended to help practitioners integrate the material with real-world scenarios. The book should also stimulate research by providing a comprehensive summary of the existing literature. We anticipate that it may function as a practical tool for clinicians interested in trauma work and as a textbook for use in instructional settings. A comprehensive approach to the management of posttraumatic stress reactions must encompass both prevention and treatment. It must also incorporate both clinical and public health perspectives. Problems experienced by individuals affect the larger community, so care at the individual level should be offered within the context of a larger system of services. Thus, this book comprises five major parts: epidemiology and course of problems; assessment of trauma, PTSD, related mental health outcomes (including the context of co-occurring traumatic brain injury), and suicidal states; specific noncombat stressors and problems and their ramifications; prevention and treatment of PTSD; and public health challenges related to barriers to care and integration of service delivery systems"--Introduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).