Bulletproofing the Psyche: Mindfulness Interventions in the Training Environment to Improve Resilience in the Military and Veteran Communities

While clinical health services exist for service members with existing mental health conditions like posttraumatic stress, they are not stemming the rising tide of service suicides. A new approach to mental health intervention and suicide prevention in military-connected personnel is required, one t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advances in social work 2015-10, Vol.16 (2), p.312
Main Authors: Thomas, Kate Hendricks, Taylor, Sarah Plummer
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Armed forces
Community research
Consciousness
Health education
Health problems
Illnesses
Medical personnel
Mental health services
Military personnel
Post traumatic stress disorder
Prevention
Resilience
Social work
Suicide
Training
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Summary:While clinical health services exist for service members with existing mental health conditions like posttraumatic stress, they are not stemming the rising tide of service suicides. A new approach to mental health intervention and suicide prevention in military-connected personnel is required, one that speaks to the participatory, hardworking ethos of military culture. Social work and health promotion professionals working to prevent and treat mental health problems like depression and stress injuries must understand the confluence of warrior culture and mental health issues in the veteran community. While the research literature does not yet address this confluence issue directly, programs exist that provide guidance, and a mindfulness-based training protocol may provide the answer. The purpose of this review is to provide programming recommendations based on a review of successful exemplars in treatment settings, the limited evaluation of best practices currently available when working with this priority population in prevention settings, and a cultural analysis of the military veteran community.
ISSN:1527-8565
2331-4125