Feminist Vs. Postmodern Therapies

The World War II and Korean War veterans talk about their trauma and share stories amongst each other, which is beneficial because they all can relate in some shape or form. Since I started observing this PTSD group, many of the veterans expressed how difficult it is to share their combat experiences with their family and friends because they don’t understand. Also, connecting with their loved ones was a whole other issue. The veterans believed that everyone was judging them and therefore they would isolate themselves and cope with substance use. For any veteran with PTSD, it’s important to find people who will listen without judgment (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014). Strengths of using CBT in a PTSD group is identifying thoughts about the world and yourself that are making you feel afraid or upset. With the help of the clinician, the veterans are learning how to replace these thought with more less distressing thoughts in order for them to feel and behave differently about themselves or

This paper is about counselors who choose to work with veterans or those who suffer from PTSD. The topics that will be discussed are the specific job descriptions, the salary one could look to receive, the certification requirements, and the future of this ever growing field.

Treatment for co-ocurring disorders fall under the outpatient spectrum for addiction rehabilitation, however, it is an essential and successful form of treatment specifically for veterans. For many civilians who have not been to combat it is difficult to comprehend the toxic combination of pride, anger, duty, anguish and anxiety many veterans feel after their time in the service. Consequently, adjusting back to civilian life is a difficult task to accomplish; while some veterans sustain only minor physical and psychological wounds from combat, others aren’t as lucky. As mentioned above, for veterans, PTSD is considered a mental health condition caused by the traumatic events experienced in wartime. Thus often causing veterans to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate. If left unaddressed, PTSD and substance abuse in veterans can be

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has affected many veterans ranging from the Korean War all the way up to Iraqi War Veterans. There are programs that help veterans cope with PTSD such as VFW posts. But after a recent interview with Will Short (Machinist’s Mate, Master Chief, Surface Warfare, Retired), I discovered that rehab groups for PTSD did not exist. Veterans are left to find some way to cope with their PTSD in any way that they could come up with on their own. Will Short, being a Veteran of sea warfare, thinks that it would be very helpful to people who struggle with PTSD to cope with that through talking to veterans who struggle with the same disorder. Already, there are programs to prevent any veterans with PTSD from committing suicide, but a simple phone number is not enough. It is human nature not to want to be alone through any endeavor, and in that respect, veterans are the same as any other civilian. Veterans, such as Will Short want to relate with someone who understands completely what the other person is going through in PTSD. For a future America, I would like to know that any Veteran struggling with PTSD has someone to turn to when they need help the most. A friend, a comrade, a brother in arms so to

The mission statement of the VA Social Workers is to eliminate significant barriers to clients in need and offer interventions for veterans and families. It is accomplished by developing and maintaining integrated, in-depth programs in patient care, research, and education (Hoffer, Elizabeth. F., Dekle, Judith. Ward., & Sheets, Carol., 2014). Its proposed 11 percent to 20 percent of Iraq, Afghanistan veterans as well as 30 percent of Vietnam vets encounter (PTSD) posttraumatic stress disorder traumatic incidents like combat can lead to PTSD, military sexual trauma of military service member, and veterans may possibly deal with depression, anxiety in addition to other mental health concerns. Vets distress from these mental health and cognitive

Many veterans are unable to leave behind the trauma of Vietnam and psychologically return home. They struggle with a variety of extremely severe problems that neither they nor their families, friends, or communities knew how to understand

“Treatment for PTSD is usually based on a combination of therapy and medication to manage symptoms”(SocialChoice). Some veterans may be embarrassed to get help. Group therapy is a good option for these people. During “group therapy members of the service talk about the trauma they have been through. They also learn skills to cope or manage their symptoms of PTSD”(military.com). Family and couples therapy is also an

Most veterans are seeking care from the VA more than before. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2.1 million veterans received mental health treatment from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in the five year period from 2006 through 2010 (Foundation, N. V. 2016). PTSD is the most prevalent mental health diagnoses for Afghanistan and Iraq veterans; therefore, it is important that these veterans have/are offered the best treatments to help them with their PTSD. Because 1 in 5 veterans are homeless in the United States, it is evident that these veterans are either not seeking treatment or the treatment that is currently being offered is not working. It is safe to assume that the lack of treatment options available is problematic in America. Only a quarter of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans search for treatment options in the U.S (Stecker, Fortney, and Sherbourne, 2007). When a veteran goes into treatment, they do not stay for very long because their are many barriers that affect their mental illness (Drapalski et al., 2008). Drapalski(2008) assessed barriers to medical and mental health care among Veterans with serious mental illness and found similar results. In 2006-2007 a study was done for 490 men and women veteran with PTSD in regards to

The wars of Iraq and Afghanistan have not only renewed the appreciation for our nation’s military, but it has also raised awareness about the sacrifices and the culture that is produced through the ranks in uniform and also amongst veterans. While it is important to note how the Department of Defense, and The Department of Veteran Affairs have significantly ramped up their efforts to address and identify the transitional problems that affect many veterans, barriers to treatment remain along with the challenge to provide successful outreach through benefits and mental health services to the Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), veteran population.

Veterans have the need to be thoroughly understood; however feel isolated because no one close to them outside of war knows what they have been exposed to. These feelings of being misunderstood cause them to feel isolated from society. When in isolation they begin to experience paranoia, Hyperarousal; flashbacks, Intrusion; and become void of emotion, Constriction. Society needs to better the lives of our warriors by creating an organization that can help prevent our former soldiers from being exposed to the syndrome most commonly known as a disorder called PTSD.

We live in a time where war, armed conflicts, hate crimes, foreign and domestic terrorism are on the rise. Historically there has been a population of individuals that served their country however, when they returned home they were under-served. Many combat veterans returned home only to face new challenges with adjusting to the dynamic environment around them. United States Armed Forces Veterans are confronted with evolved challenges such as; the advent of social media, and increase in news outlets which can keep a steady stream conflict flowing into the veterans home, impairing a veteran’s ability to reduce vigilance. When I separated from the military in July 5, 2007, after 9 years of service, despite my best efforts and all the experience I had acquired I was unemployed. Upon gaining employment, my income was been cut in half, my position of authority was removed, I was now disabled and dealing PTSD, I was having marital problems and struggling to adjust to civilian life. In essence I was struggling fulfill some of my basic needs discussed in Reality Theory. The encouragement and support I received from those with share experiences was monumental factor in my positive progression. Being connected to other veterans, either via family or friends that could empathize, encourage, and confront destructive thinking was a key factor throughout that process. Therefore, therapy in the form of small closed groups called fire teams in therapy can be beneficial in

A postmodernist world demands equality. One of the hot topics in the news today is, “Should the military require women to register for the draft?”. Women want equality but this one question sparks a heated debate on both sides. Over the years women have cried foul, starting the feminist movement in which they demand equality between genders. Some feminists object to the biblical and traditional name by which the Trinity is designated – “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” – as implying a male deity. Some churches have found the cry of the feminists plausible and have changed the premise of the Trinity to “Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer”. John Wesley, one of the co-founders of the Methodist, anticipated the inadequacy of such a formula as “Creator,

Motivational factors in this theory comes from the need to explore and master environments meaningful to the individual. With this motivation, change is possible as the person re-organize and re-establish their occupational roles. Possible changes in the women veterans living with PTSD participating in this group include: Veteran will be able to recognize areas of occupation in which their traumatic experience has impacted. Veterans will be able to recognize environmental triggers related to PTSD then exercise learned coping techniques to address the issue. Veteran will utilize resources (leader, peers, family etc.) available to them to verbalize moments of distress freely. Using both extrinsic and intrinsic sources as suggested in MOHO, group

Before reading the book, Feminist Therapy by Laura S. Brown I had many different and somewhat jumbled ideas of feminism and what is meant to be a feminist. After reading the book I feel much more clarified and found a great appreciation for many aspects involved in the feminist theory and approach. It is refreshing to see a theory that takes into consideration the effects of the dominate patriarchal culture and systems.

Empowerment as a goal in feminist therapy is achieved by reframing and reconceptualizing psychopathology as an external patriarchal social structure. The concept of psychopathology is generally avoided in feminist therapy. Instead, feminist therapy uses the terms distress (subjective experience of misplaced well-being) and dysfunction (ways of being that created life difficulties; Brown, 2010). Shifting the blame to uncontrollable forces can be empowering for the client. The experience of powerlessness and disempowerment are central to occurrence of distress and dysfunction.