91香蕉视频成人在线

Following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, many military service members and veterans reported experiencing a range of challenging, and perhaps conflicting, emotions. For civilians who may be concerned about military and veteran friends or family, or for those who are looking for ways to offers support, it is important to remember that some ways of engaging are better than others.

We spoke with Jenny D鈥橭lympia, PsyD, LMHC, and student and soldier Kevin Lambert about military service; military and veteran mental health, including impacts relating to the withdrawal from Afghanistan; and about what actions civilians should, or shouldn鈥檛, take when trying to show support.

D鈥橭lympia is the director of the College鈥檚 Military and Veterans Psychology concentration and Train Vets to Treat Vets program, assistant chair of the Counseling and Behavioral Health Department, and the director of the Master of Arts in Psychology program. She spent nine years in the Air Force, serving several deployments, including two to Afghanistan, before going back to school and to pursue her career in mental health.

Lambert is a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Human Services student, a member of the TVTV program, and a TVTV program development assistant. He served in the Army for three years, including spending 16 months on deployment in Iraq.

Here are their thoughts, along with advice, about how to support military and veterans.

Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

What are some misconceptions civilians may have about veterans or military service members?

Dr. Jenny D鈥橭lympia: Some people perceive, incorrectly, that veterans and military service members are dangerous or scary people to be around. We鈥檙e regular human beings. We鈥檙e, actually, really good at operating in a high stress environment. We鈥檙e good at leadership, we鈥檙e highly resilient, highly competent. Even if it鈥檚 a thing we know a little bit about, we鈥檙e willing and able to do what needs to be done to get the job done.

Kevin Lambert: One thing I learned coming home is people saw us either as 鈥榯he homeless veteran on the street鈥� or a highly-successful person. There was no in between for a lot of people. They didn鈥檛 really look at us for the skills that we bring to the table. Firstly, many people thought everybody was a soldier, so they didn鈥檛 know the difference between Air Force, Navy, Marines. Secondly, they thought everybody was kicking down doors and fighting a war. They didn鈥檛 realize when I joined the war in 2004, the Army had 250-something jobs you could choose from and maybe ten of them involved direct combat.

JD: A perception that some people have is that we all have post-traumatic stress disorder and that we鈥檙e wholly incapable of functioning in the world. Sure, many of us may have post-traumatic stress disorder, but that鈥檚 not necessarily a thing that keeps us from functioning. It may be what drives us to our mission to do great things in the world. Another misperception people have is that all veterans and service members are men. That鈥檚 not the case at all. Women are involved, and have been involved, in all of our conflicts for a long time. In fact, women are the fastest growing minority population in the military and currently make up about 20 percent of all new recruits.

What advice do you have for civilians interacting with members of the military?

JD: You should not make any assumptions. Questions like, 鈥淒id you kill anybody? Did you see any dead people?鈥� are particularly traumatic questions. In general, people understand not to ask about other traumatic experiences, but not necessarily when it comes to the military. Because the media and movies have made roles in the military look so extreme and glamorous, people may want to ask about it, but it鈥檚 really not appropriate.

JD: It鈥檚 also not appropriate to just assume that any given person you鈥檙e talking to is or isn鈥檛 a military service member or veteran. Anyone could have been in the service. You also don鈥檛 know how they identify with that service. It鈥檚 up to that person how they feel about it, what they do about it, and how they connect with it. Some people might really identify with their history in the military, some people may never want to talk about it again or may not want to reconnect with it for a really long time. Some may not want to be thanked for their service; or they may perceive that their experience in service was just a job. They did what they needed to do to get from one day to the next and they don鈥檛 particularly feel like they鈥檙e a hero, so pointing that out might make people uncomfortable.

KL: When we鈥檙e coming into the civilian world, it鈥檚 hard because the military was a part of our life. It鈥檚 helped to build who we are today, but it doesn鈥檛 define everything about us. Sometimes we don鈥檛 want to talk about it, and we don鈥檛 need to. Asking certain questions, especially in public forums, is probably one of the most inappropriate ways of communicating with veterans. For example, when you鈥檙e at the supermarket, or in the middle of your office at a meeting, and you just want to know something for your own curiosity, that鈥檚 probably not a good time to ask veterans those types of questions.

How might the recent events in Afghanistan be affecting military and veteran populations?

JD: That鈥檚 a tough question for sure. I think a lot of our veteran and military service members have done what was asked of them by the people who are in charge and have taken us into Afghanistan. What鈥檚 hard is hearing people talking about, 鈥淲hat are they doing over there? Why did they do this?鈥� or 鈥淲hy didn鈥檛 they do that?鈥� I think our veterans don鈥檛 necessarily know how feel, and they may feel mixed about it. They probably don鈥檛 want to talk about it right now, or maybe for a long time. War is messy. Bad things happen before, during and after and there may not be a better way to remove ourselves from an occupation. Our service members do the best they can until they are told the war is over, and then they pack up and go back home and try to fit back into their lives. These service members don鈥檛 sit around looking for places to go to war, or negotiating the end of wars.

KL: What a lot of people don鈥檛 realize is that many of us who served in Iraq went through the same challenges, thoughts and difficulties as those who served in Afghanistan, but it wasn鈥檛 so publicized or as extreme. Both Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans deal with a sense of betrayal: our allies who we worked with and who relied on us for safety were deserted. It was seen publicly in the case of the withdrawal in Afghanistan. It wasn鈥檛 seen so publicly in Iraq, but it happened.

If someone wants to know more about the events in Afghanistan, what would you suggest?

JD: Instead of approaching every military or veteran person and asking them to be their historian for the day, if people want to know more specifically about Afghanistan, they should probably get some good history books or watch some of the specials. We went there and we did what we needed to do, now civilians have some of the responsibility to think about how to do this differently next time and choose elected officials who can help make that happen.

How can friends and family of veterans support the veterans in their life without being insensitive or overstepping?

JD: Something we can do is a Buddy Check. Call and say, 鈥淗ow are you? I think things might be difficult and if you need someone to talk to, I鈥檓 here, I鈥檓 available.鈥� But asking specific questions about the event is not helpful. Just letting people know that you鈥檙e available and that you will help them find resources if that鈥檚 necessary is something that can be really helpful.

KL: If you see your veteran spouse or child or neighbor, whoever it may be, is different or maybe struggling, there are ways to help. You don鈥檛 need details, you don鈥檛 need to fulfill your own curiosity, but asking if somebody is alright can go a long way. Somebody said many years ago to me, 鈥淰eterans don鈥檛 really care how much you know. We just want to know that you care.鈥� I鈥檓 a big believer: when you鈥檙e a direct family member, you can鈥檛 be the one to fix somebody鈥攜our emotions are involved, it鈥檚 complex鈥攂ut you can provide them with some hope and make sure you鈥檙e aware of resources.

What advice do you have for veterans or military service members who may be struggling right now?

JD: Talk to someone. Don鈥檛 isolate. If you isolate it creates a spiral of depression: the worse you feel, the harder it is to get up, the harder it is to connect. Try just one little thing to connect. That first week, call anyone on your list of people who you feel connected to. The next week, call two people. The week after, call three people. Call the same person three times, if you need to. Whatever it is that you can do to walk out of that 鈥榮piral of feeling bad鈥� can be helpful. Being connected to people and finding a mission and meaning in the world is something that can help you get out of that cycle as well. Don鈥檛 be afraid to connect or to ask for help.

KL: The biggest message I鈥檝e always tried to pass on is, if you鈥檙e experiencing negative thoughts, don鈥檛 feel like you鈥檙e the only one with these thoughts or these challenges. I think, sometimes, we start to struggle with things, but don鈥檛 say them to our buddies because we think, 鈥淭hey鈥檙e so strong and I don鈥檛 want them to judge me.鈥� Then you say it and you start this conversation. Next thing you know, you have a group of 20 people all having and sharing these same thoughts and feelings but who haven鈥檛 previously shared them with each other.

If you need immediate assistance or are experiencing a crisis, connect with a qualified Veterans Crisis Line responder for free, confidential help 24/7. Call 800-273-8255 and press 1 or find more contact options . Additional mental health resources for military and veterans are available at the 91香蕉视频成人在线 Resource Hub.

• Tags:
• Research & Advocacy