Important Relational Factors for New Clinicians - Working With Combat Veterans and PTSD

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Laverne_John_Riley_Jr.]Laverne John Riley Jr.
As a new clinician, working with combat Veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be a significant challenge. To become effective, it requires an understanding of who combat Veterans are and how they see the world. There are two of many factors I feel are important and may benefit a clinician when beginning and developing a therapeutic relationship with our Nation's finest. These two factors foundationally orientate themselves with the understanding of how traumatic events change a combat Veteran. According to McCann & Pearlman (1990), significant changes in how one view's themselves, others and the world, as well as the psychological needs related to a sense of control, esteem, safety, trust and intimacy change after trauma. Useful understandings and factors in any therapeutic relationship with a combat Veteran suffering from PTSD must consider such changes.
Know The Values: It cannot be emphasized enough that in order to work effectively with combat Veterans you must know and understand their values. You must explore their personal, military and combat or survival values. Our values are shaped by our environment, beliefs and experiences; as for a combat Veteran the very experiences and environment that developed values to keep them alive, can hinder their ability to obtain basic needs in civilian society (example; a Veteran can value "not trusting," as it has "protection value" from emotional and relational loss or pain, however it hinders developing supportive relationships today). For the combat Veteran, their changed beliefs and understandings of the world due to trauma are those connected to loss of safety, loss of power and control, and the belief that few can be trusted (McCann & Pearlman, 1990). Be mindful, a combat Veteran will evaluate every word or idea that we present, with an interpretation of what such ideas and words value. Extreme differences in values can initially be interpreted as danger in the relationship. As a clinician, if we can initially identify and foster a relationship through utilization of our similar values and the intensity of such values, we can establish a therapeutic relationship based upon commonality, predictability and what a Veteran believes to be safe. As the relationship further develops and trust takes root, we will then find ourselves in a position to introduce differences; to counter psychological and emotional rigidity. It will be hoped that such introduction will at that time be accepted, and assist a Veteran in expanding their understandings of themselves, others and the world.
Non-Judgmental Attitude: Between the personal/social civilian world and the chaotic world of the combat environment lies a vast contradiction. The combat environment demands that we as combat Veterans contradict many of the norms and values we once knew to be true. That truth, constructed the understanding of ourselves, others and the world. The "combat contradiction," seems to dismantle or disrupt such truth; leaving guilt and shame in its place. In order to obtain and develop an effective therapeutic relationship, we as clinicians must be willing to resist judgment and embrace the humanity in war; gaining insight and empathizing how and why combat Veterans performed certain actions under extremely chaotic, impulsive, survivalistic, and stressful conditions during young developmental periods. We must seek to normalize, universalize, sustain and give credence to reflective wisdom, as a combat Veteran recalls such painful memories. At times, if needed, we must also help guide a Veteran in accepting responsibility for their actions in combat. Expressing a non-judgmental attitude will certainly inject a significant amount of trust into the therapeutic relationship, promoting a safe environment in which a combat Veteran will feel empowered to discuss even the most camouflaged and shamefully regretful events in their lives.
L. John Riley Jr. is a Michigan native, a graduate of Davison High School, a graduate of the U.S. Army Combat Infantry School, Bradley Fighting Vehicle School and Dragon Missle School. L.J. or L. John Riley Jr. is a combat veteran and served in the infantry during Operation Desert Shield / Storm. He left the military and enrolled at Mott Community College, graduating with Phi Theta Kappa and pursuing a BSW at the University of Michigan Flint where he won the "Maize and Blue" Scholar Award. He then was accepted to the one year Masters program at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor MSW Program for clinical social work. He graduated in 2007 and with the acceptance of the Howard and Judith Simms Fellowship. L.J. loves helping people and seeks to change lives directly and in-directly through his writing. L.J. is currently working on his first PTSD Self Help / Educational Book for combat Veterans, their families, and educators. L. J. is currently working as a licensed combat trauma therapist. You can contact L.J., at  [mailto:knowcombatPTSD@gmail.com]knowcombatPTSD@gmail.com.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Important-Relational-Factors-for-New-Clinicians---Working-With-Combat-Veterans-and-PTSD&id=6549272] Important Relational Factors for New Clinicians - Working With Combat Veterans and PTSD