ACA MEMBER BLOGS

Therapy, what you do to heal from pain. Mental health therapy deals with not only the mental and emotional aspects of pain from our past, the traumas we’ve dealt with, or maybe even the addictions that are entangling our mind, but also with the physical aspects of pain.

Addiction is an important aspect of working with military mental health. While the drug using population with active duty military is significantly smaller than the drug using population with civilians, largely due to the zero tolerance policy for drugs listed in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, alcohol misuse is a significant concern (NIDA, 2013).

In January 2016, I wrote a blog on Sexism in Therapy for the Huffington Post where I shared an experience I had with my psychotherapist, whose internalized sexism stopped her from recognizing me as a person in my own right.

Self-care was something I was taught in grad school, and honestly was never really convinced my own professors knew how to incorporate it into their daily lives. One branch of self-care for a working professional, particularly a therapist is seeking their own therapy!

In an effort to better understand the personal struggle many combat veterans face with PTSD, I reached out to a friend of mine, to ask permission to write his story. The following is an account of his experiences.

I would imagine that in the majority of multicultural and/or ethics graduate courses, most counselors are exposed to the lawsuit brought against Augusta University by Jennifer Keeton.

How often are we aware of what our body is telling us? Do we push the limit because of our competitive nature? Or do we go beyond our limit because we just are not aware of the strain we are causing our body? The answer is probably both. In terms of competitiveness some of us may say we are not, but when it comes down to it in a circle full of other people, we can’t help, but to compare, or even judge ourselves based on who is doing what better.

When I look in the mirror I like what I see. I am very confident with my appearance and feel no particular tug to change it. According to medical charts, however, I am overweight. I am lucky that my job does not depend on me conforming to medical standards of appropriate height weight proportions. This is not true for someone who is serving in the military. For these individuals, not conforming to height/weight standards can be grounds for separation.

I have the honor and privilege to come alongside the lives of those that have been impacted by sexual assault. Sometimes our journey together is a few weeks, months, or even years, but no matter how short or long our time is these brave souls have impacted me for the rest of my life.

Every military instillation provides family counselors, addiction counselors, community counselors, medical counselor, roving counselors, and counselors that focus on group work that come out to the units themselves to provide counseling services as part of the work day. With all of these services being provided, free of charge, and easily accessible, the question remains, does the stigma still exist for individuals pursuing mental health counseling?