ADVOCACY PROJECTCarla MichelleApril 16, 2016

WARSW O M E N A N D R E L AT I O N A L S O LU T I O N S

Working Through Complications That Impact Interaction with Military Personnel

Carla M Tucker is the originator of the name WARS Women And Relationship Solutions helping loved ones of service man work through relational conflict brought on but not limited to PTSD, TBI, and other mental health problems. Information or idea can not be used without written permission.

© 2016

WARS MISSION STATEMENT:Women and Relationship Solutions is a mental health program that focuses on helping, educating, encouraging and developing (HEED) African American women who require attention and care when faced with the hardships that come with being a partner to a military personnel/veteran who is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Alcohol and/or Drug Abuse, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or Secondary PTSD that they themselves may be experiencing.

Women and Relationship Solutions offers a national network of volunteers capable of responding to both acute and chronic conditions that arise within our society, by providing complimentary and confidential psychotherapy therapy for loved ones and the community.

RELATIONAL COMPLICATIONS:

• Military life, deployment or return to civilian life• Difficulty in communicating or making decisions• Disconnection and emotional distance• Anger and aggression• Lost of interest for pleasure and life

WHAT CAN LEAD TO COMPLICATIONS?• Problems like stress, posttraumatic stress, health concerns, depression, anxiety,

irritability, insomnia, feeling out of place or disconnected, or difficulties with memory may interfere with strong relationships.

• Military training rewards self-reliance, so the first instinct when facing any problem may be to withdraw or isolate from others instead of sharing what they are going through.

• Protecting your loved ones by not sharing information which can lead to isolation and loneliness.

• Over-functioning with the responsibility of handling all household chores, childcare, financial management, etc. with little or no help

THE BATTLEIf I love them enough, they will stop.

I can “fix” this.

I need to do everything I can to make them happy.

I need to keep everything “perfect” to the outside world.

I am tired, angry and depressed and I cannot do anything right.

I am feeling the strain and I am crying all the time.

DECLARATION

• Permission to Invest in

Self

• Permission to Let it Go

• Invest Time in Family

• Have a Reality Check

• Set up Escape Plan

• Peer Support & WARS community

With free one hour therapy our primary focus will always be to attend to those in need by linking them to individuals in our society best equipped to respond effectively. In addition, we will develop research and educational programs to further promote the value and importance supporting those forgotten. We hope to encourage an increase in shared responsibility for those citizens who are suffering. We have not only the potential but the duty to help one another in times of need.

PLAN – 1ST QUARTER 2017• Solidify a Memorandum of Understanding with the Army National Guard and develop a

collaborative relationships with the commanding officers of returning troops so that these officers are aware of and comfortable with the services we provide. We are also working closely with a number of veterans service organizations to promote our services directly to the family members of troops. We are also collaborating with the Veterans Administration to distribute information about our services through Vet Centers across the country and to take referrals from their Veterans Crisis Line. Finally, we are promoting our services to the military community and the public through a media campaign that includes print, television, and radio coverage.  

• WARS will recruit mental health professionals in several ways. We have been endorsed by the major mental health associations in the United States--the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, American Association of Pastoral Counselors, American Group Psychotherapy Association, American Mental Health Counselors Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, American Psychological Association, Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Mental Health America, National Association of Social Workers, North American Association of Christians in Social Work, and Therapeutic Communities of America, among others.

PLAN CONT’D• Only licensed mental health professionals are included in the

network; licenses are verified. Non-licensed pastoral providers may be included in the network as long as they meet other criteria, including membership in professional organizations. In addition to coordinating with national organizations, we also recruit mental health professionals through professional publications and websites.

• Recruiting volunteers will be handled from a number of organizations and institutions as well as through our website www.WARS.org to assist us in the implementation of our program. Volunteers from retired military personnel to members of military families to concerned civilians throughout the country are helping WARS. Volunteers will be checking licenses, distributing brochures, and coordinating community partnership opportunities for those troops and family members interested in giving back an hour to their own community.

REFERENCES:Ahmadzadeh, G. H., & Malekian, A. (2004). Aggression, anxiety, and social development in adolescent children of war veterans with PTSD versus those of non-veterans. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 9, 33–36.

Dekel R, Solomon Z, Bleich A. Emotional distress and marital adjustment of caregivers: contribution of the care recipient’s level of impairment and of the caregiver’s appraised burden. Anxiety Stress Coping.2005;18:71–82

Family of a Vet. http://www.familyofavet.com/loved_ones.html

Family of a Vet - http://www.familyofavet.com/coping_skills_PTSD_spouse.html

Give An Hour - www.GiveAnHour.org

H. Thomas de Burgh , Claire J. White , Nicola T. Fear , Amy C. Iversen The impact of deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan on partners and wives of military personnel. International Review of Psychiatry. Vol. 23, Iss. 2, 2011

Mansfield, A., Ph.D., M.P.H., Kaufman, J. Ph.D., Marshall, S. Ph.D., Gaynes, B.N. M.D., M.P.H., Morrissey, J., Ph.D., and Engel, C., M.D., M.P.H.N Deployment and the Use of Mental Health Services among U.S. Army Wives. Engl J Med 2010; 362:101-109

N. Ben Arzi, Z. Solomon. R.Dekel. (2009). Secondary traumatization among wives of PTSD and post-concussion casualties: distress, caregiver burden and psychological separation. Brain Injury. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com

REFERENCES:

• H. Thomas de Burgh , Claire J. White , Nicola T. Fear , Amy C. Iversen The impact of deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan on partners and wives of military personnel. International Review of Psychiatry. Vol. 23, Iss. 2, 2011

WARSW O M E N A N D R E L AT I O N S H I P S O LU T I O N S

Working Through Complications That Impact Relationships with Military Spouses