DCoE Blog

• How to Help Restore a Sense of Safety in the Aftermath of Tragic Events

  Posted by Navy Capt. Paul S. Hammer, DCoE director on December 19, 2012

  

  Photo Courtesy of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth

  On behalf of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE), our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims’ families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, their loved ones and the entire community of Newtown, Conn.
  
  The mass shooting in Connecticut has left an entire nation with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty, struggling to understand and mourn the loss of innocence by so many. During this painful time, as we struggle with the loss and trauma of Dec. 14, it’s important to connect with others as much as possible and not isolate ourselves.
  
  As adults, parents, loved ones and community members, it’s understandably difficult to cope with tragic events of this nature. Knowing how to support and communicate with the children and teenagers in our lives who are also grappling with the same feelings and unanswered questions can pose additional challenges.
  
  

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  Categories: Resilience , Stress , Community Support , Families , Psychological Health   |   Comments (2)

• Encourage Healing After a Disaster

  Posted by Dr. Vladimir Nacev, Deployment Health Clinical Center clinical psychologist on December 18, 2012

  

  A United States flag flies in the background amidst debris and destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy in Toms River N.J., Nov. 3, 2012. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Nate Hauser)

  Exposure to natural disasters — hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires — and manmade disasters — shootings, workplace violence, and war — may place a tremendous burden on our resilience, self-esteem and ability to survive a disaster.
  
  Psychology provides us with an understanding of how we might cope with some of these feelings. For example, it’s normal to experience a wide range of emotional, behavioral and psychological reactions to trauma. Feelings of helplessness, anger, fear and sadness are expected, and allowing yourself to experience these feelings is necessary for healing. Over time, these feelings will begin to fade, but keep in mind grieving is a process that may take months or a year, or more to work through. It isn’t something that can be rushed. However, there are things you and your loved ones can do to encourage healing:
  
  

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  Categories: Resilience , Stress , Community Support , Families , Psychological Health   |   Comments (1)

• Prepare Your Family for the Holidays Apart

  Posted by U.S. Public Health Service Capt. Wanda Finch, Deployment Health Clinical Center licensed independent clinical social worker on November 21, 2012

  

  U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Benjamin Crossley

  November is Military Family Month, a month that celebrates military families’ service to our country and extraordinary sacrifices made on the home front. This month also coincides with holiday traditions that many of us will share with our loved ones as we prepare to bring in the New Year. While these days may be festive and celebratory as service members return home, they may also be stressful for families facing separation.

  Separation is accompanied by change and the potential for disruptions to familiar routines. However, you can minimize the impact of disruptions by keeping up communication and family connections, learning coping skills and being flexible. All of these things are important in order for your family to foster resilience before, during and after a separation. If you’re missing a loved one this holiday season, here’s some advice that may be helpful:

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  Categories: Resilience , Stress , Families , Resources , Military Children , Deployments   |   Comments (0)

• 10 Tips to Boost Resilience in Service Members

  Posted by Diana Moon, DCoE Strategic Communications on November 6, 2012

   

  

  Click infographic to enlarge

  Resilience is the ability to withstand, recover and grow in the face of stressors and changing demands. It’s a skill that can be learned and sharpened with practice. Building flexible strength is a hallmark of resilience and necessary for recovering peak performance after stressful events.

  Service members face unique stressors, which, without the flexibility to recover and adjust, may challenge their fitness for duty and ability to manage home and family life post-deployment. Here are 10 tips experts at Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury shared that if practiced may help service members better adapt and manage stressful situations:

  • Communicate regularly and effectively. Express what you think, feel or believe in a way that will help you solve problems and receive the outcome you desire.

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  Categories: Resilience , Stress , Veterans , Reintegration , Psychological Health , Leadership , Deployments   |   Comments (7)

• After Service, Find afterdeployment.org

  Posted by Jayne Davis , DCoE Strategic Communications on October 15, 2012

  

  Photo courtesy of U.S. Army

  Getting started is often the most difficult step in any process. If you’re a service member struggling with depression, sleep difficulties, posttraumatic stress, traumatic brain injury or any number of challenges to living a healthy, balanced life post-deployment, taking that first step toward improvement can be daunting. As simple as it seems, even clicking on a website that offers help for your concerns requires a leap of faith in yourself and the website.

  That’s well understood by the developers of afterdeployment.org, an interactive wellness resource. Created specifically for service members, their families, veterans and health care providers, it takes into consideration the unique combination of issues service members could encounter post-deployment and guides their self-discovery through an engaging, media-rich experience.

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  Categories: Traumatic Brain Injury , Collaborations , Resilience , Stress , PTSD , Families , Veterans , Resources , Substance Misuse Treatment , Treatment , Depression , Psychological Health , Deployments   |   Comments (0)

• Mobile Devices Bring Sesame Street’s Message of Resilience to Military Families

  Posted by Lynn Chwatsky on October 4, 2012

  

  Photo courtesy of Sesame Workshop

  Lynn Chwatsky has been overseeing the Sesame Workshop’s initiatives with military families since 2006.

  When we think about the challenges of military life, we sometimes forget the transitions the youngest members of our military families go through. Our service members’ young children are faced with a number of uniquely difficult circumstances: repeated relocation, the deployment of a parent, homecomings, injuries, even the death of a parent – to name a few. For years, Sesame Workshop has been providing resources that help both military parents and their children stay resilient during those trying transitions. Now, those bilingual (English and Spanish) resources are available on our new, free military families mobile application.

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  Categories: Technology , Resilience , Community Support , Families , Resources , Military Children , Deployments   |   Comments (1)