Reintegrating into civilian life can be a challenging time for our service men and women after their military service. Some of the experiences of recent conflicts have challenged them psychologically in ways not experienced in prior conflicts
One of our latest endeavors has been the co-development of a training program “From Battlefield to Streets: One Uniform to Another©” in which we educate participants on how to provide psychological assistance to these individuals. This internationally recognized program has been attended by and received acclaim from both civilian counselors and members from each of the service branches. The program has been adopted by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation as one of their course offerings and is routinely presented at their conferences.
In 2007, we were invited to participate in the VA Summit on Non-Clinical Care at the U.S. Pentagon. This summit brought together people from across the country to help identify problems, and to seek solutions to deficits, in our care of our military personnel. This opportunity provided us a forum to advocate for our men and women in uniform, including those that serve in public safety roles as well.
In 2009, we presented this program in the United Kingdom to groups in both London and Manchester. Civilian, government, and military personnel from across the U.K. attended these programs. Identifying commonalities as well as differences in reintegration issues from the cultures represented allowed us to share “lessons learned” that could be brought “home” to assist military personnel from many different countries.
This program continues to grow and evolve as new challenges and treatment resources emerge. Adaptations of this program have been developed for different clients including corporate, civilian, and governmental agencies. A host of presentations including 1-hour, 3-hour, 1-day, and 2-day models are available for presentation to audiences such as agency management, human resources, or anyone that wants to learn more about helping our veterans. Clients such as the Boston Fire Department, the Rhode Island Police Academy, and the Army Corp of Engineers have found these tailored programs especially helpful for meeting their custom needs.