Full Description
Social workers have a long, proud history of service in most branches of the United States military. The experiences of social workers and other human service professionals of all military ranks have an important, often profound, and lasting impact that informs not only their practice within the military but throughout their career long after they have left the combat zone. In exploring the experiences of 13 American combat social workers (CSWs)--whose role is, among other things, providing military mental health services to members in their unit--this book shares lessons from military service through the lens of social work practitioners. The text includes strategies learned about social work practice in a war zone that are highly applicable to other highly stressful contexts (e.g., crisis intervention, stress reduction procedures, suicide prevention, brief psychotherapy, and consultation on family issues). Combat Social Work is uniquely positioned to serve as a valuable resource for social workers and other mental health providers interested in the assessment and treatment of trauma with active members of the military and military veterans.
Contents
Contributors
Introduction
Section 1. Orientation to Combat and the Combat Social Worker
Chapter 1. The Life of a Combat Social Worker
Jeffrey S. Yarvis
Chapter 2. Life After Deployment: The Work of Combat Social Work in Garrison
Jeffrey S. Yarvis and Charles R. Figley
Section 2. Combat Social Worker Stories and Lessons
Chapter 3. Dark Mornings to New Beginnings
Shad Meshad
Chapter 4. Combat Social Work in Vietnam, 1968-1969
Raymond Monsour Scurfield
Chapter 5. The Journey of Serving as an Army Reserve Social Worker
Vaughn A. DeCoster
Chapter 6. War Stories of a Brigade Behavioral Health Officer
Debra M. Stone
Chapter 7. Combat Social Work in Afghanistan, 2010-2011: An Interview with Thomas Stokes
Thomas J. Stokes with Naomi North
Chapter 8. Deployment of a Social Worker
Eric J. Kirwan
Chapter 9. Navy Combat Social Worker
Alyssa L. Gibbons
Chapter 10. The Professor Goes to War: Serving as Team Leader for a Combat Stress Unit in Iraq
Cathleen A. Lewandowski
Chapter 11. Combat Social Work in Afghanistan, 2009-2010: Leading a Combat Stress Control Detachment
Randal C. Nedegaard
Chapter 12. Triumph Over Adversity: A Journey From Vietnam's Son to Combat's Healer
Christopher Lee Atkins
Chapter 13. Social Work at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam, Afghanistan
Dan M. Grinstead
Section 3. Conclusions for Paying Forward the Lessons of War
Chapter 14. Ted Studebaker: Combat Social Worker Warrior for Peace
Bruce A. Thyer
Chapter 15. Combat Social Work: Preparing the Next Generation of Practitioners
Charles R. Figley, Jeffrey S. Yarvis, and Bruce A. Thyer
