Veterans and Active Duty Military Psychotherapy Homework Planner, (with Download)

JAMES R. FINLEY, MA, LMHC, is a psychotherapist with experience as a clinical supervisor and program manager in a variety of military, community, and correctional settings. He is a retired Marine and disabled veteran.BRET A. MOORE, PsyD, ABPP, is a clinical psychologist in San Antonio, Texas, coauthor of dozens of journal articles, book chapters, and books on military psychology issues, and founder of Military Psychology Consulting, which provides guidance on military issues to various organizations. In 2008, he left active duty service in the U.S. Army, where he served as a captain and a clinical psychologist with the 85th Combat Stress Control (CSC) unit based in Fort Hood, Texas. He has extensive experience treating veterans, including two tours of duty in Iraq.

• Wiley PracticePlanners® Series Preface xiiiPreface xvSECTION I—Adjustment to Killing 1Exercise I.A Normal Reactions to Killing 2Exercise I.B When Killing Is Necessary 6SECTION II—Adjustment to the Military Culture 8Exercise II.A How Did I Imagine My Life in the Military? 9Exercise II.B All for One and One for All 12SECTION III—Amputation, Loss of Mobility, Disfigurement 14Exercise III.A Mourning and Acceptance 15Exercise III.B What Makes Me Who I Am? 19SECTION IV—Anger Management and Domestic Violence 21Exercise IV.A Anger as a Drug 22Exercise IV.B Being Who I Want to Be 25SECTION V—Antisocial Behavior in the Military 28Exercise V.A What Was I Thinking? 29Exercise V.B Mentorship and Respect 32SECTION VI—Anxiety 34Exercise VI.A Action, Coping Skills, and Acceptance 35Exercise VI.B Getting Away from Catastrophizing 39SECTION VII—Attention and Concentration Deficits 41Exercise VII.A Staying Focused 42Exercise VII.B Structuring My Life 46SECTION VIII—Bereavement Due to the Loss of a Comrade 49Exercise VIII.A Commemorating Lost Friends and Family 50Exercise VIII.B How Do I Want to Be Remembered? 54SECTION IX—Borderline Personality 57Exercise IX.A Am I Comparing My Insides with Other People’s Outsides? 58Exercise IX.B I Can’t Believe Everything I Think 61SECTION X—Brief Reactive Psychotic Episode 64Exercise X.A Staying in Touch with Reality 65Exercise X.B Reality Checks 69SECTION XI—Chronic Pain after Injury 72Exercise XI.A Alternative Methods for Managing Pain 73Exercise XI.B Coping with Addiction and Chronic Pain 77Exercise XI.C Helping Myself by Helping Others 81SECTION XII—Combat and Operational Stress Reaction 84Exercise XII.A Normal Reactions in Extreme Situations 85Exercise XII.B Healthy Ways to Handle Stress Fast 89SECTION XIII—Conflict with Comrades 92Exercise XIII.A Communication and Conflict Management Skills 93Exercise XIII.B Understanding Sources of Conflict 98SECTION XIV—Depression 101Exercise XIV.A Challenging Depressive Illusions 102Exercise XIV.B From Acceptance to Appreciation 106SECTION XV—Diversity Acceptance 109Exercise XV.A Different People, Different Strengths 110Exercise XV.B We’re More Alike than We Look:Seeing Past the Surface 114SECTION XVI—Financial Difficulties 117Exercise XVI.A Money Management Skills 118Exercise XVI.B Spending as a Drug 122SECTION XVII—Homesickness/Loneliness 125Exercise XVII.A Making the Best of Wherever I Am 126Exercise XVII.B This, Too, Shall Pass: Taking It One Day at a Time 130SECTION XVIII—Insomnia 133Exercise XVIII.A Why Can’t I Sleep? 134Exercise XVIII.B Sleep Management 138SECTION XIX—Mild Traumatic Brain Injury 140Exercise XIX.A Adapting to a Brain Injury 141Exercise XIX.B Helping My Family and Friends Help Me 144SECTION XX—Nightmares 147Exercise XX.A What Are My Dreams Telling Me?Keeping a Dream Journal 148Exercise XX.B Avoiding and Coping with Nightmares 151SECTION XXI—Opioid Dependence 154Exercise XXI.A Near-Term and Long-Term Effects of Opioid Dependence and Withdrawal 155Exercise XXI.B Safe and Healthy Alternatives: Ways to Cope with Pain and Anxiety without Drugs 159SECTION XXII—Panic/Agoraphobia 162Exercise XXII.A Working with Fear 163Exercise XXII.B Preventing Panic in Myself and Others 167SECTION XXIII—Parenting Problems Related to Deployment 170Exercise XXIII.A How Will I Explain This Deployment to My Children? 171Exercise XXIII.B How Will I Stay in Touch with My Children? 175SECTION XXIV—Performance-Enhancing Supplement Use 178Exercise XXIV.A Near-Term and Long-Term Effects of Stimulant Dependence and Withdrawal 179Exercise XXIV.B Near-Term and Long-Term Effects of Anabolic Steroid Dependence and Withdrawal 183SECTION XXV—Phobia 186Exercise XXV.A Useful and Useless Fear 187Exercise XXV.B Understanding and Overcoming Phobias 191SECTION XXVI—Physiological Stress Response—Acute 194Exercise XXVI.A Quick Strategies for Coping with Intense Stress Response 195Exercise XXVI.B Safe and Peaceful Place Meditation 199SECTION XXVII—Post-Deployment Reintegration Problems 202Exercise XXVII.A Why Am I Having Trouble Now? 203Exercise XXVII.B What’s Different and How Will I Adapt? 207SECTION XXVIII—Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 209Exercise XXVIII.A I Am a Survivor, Not a Victim—PTSD as Lifesaving Adaptation 210Exercise XXVIII.B Identifying and Avoiding or Coping with PTSD Triggers 214SECTION XXIX—Pre-Deployment Stress 217Exercise XXIX.A Am I Ready for Deployment? 218Exercise XXIX.B Helping My Family Prepare for My Deployment 222SECTION XXX—Separation and Divorce 232Exercise XXX.A Getting Through the Loss of a Relationship 233Exercise XXX.B Avoiding Rebounds, Replays, and Resentments: Identifying and Changing Patterns that Aren’t Working 237SECTION XXXI—Sexual Assault by Another Service Member 240Exercise XXXI.A Taking Care of Myself Physically and Emotionally after a Sexual Assault 241Exercise XXXI.B Healing and Claiming My Identity as a Survivor 245SECTION XXXII—Shift Work Sleep Disorder 248Exercise XXXII.A Alternative Sleep Scheduling 249Exercise XXXII.B Establishing a Shift Work Sleep Environment 253SECTION XXXIII—Social Discomfort 255Exercise XXXIII.A Getting More Comfortable in Social Situations 256Exercise XXXIII.B Finding a Social Niche and Friendships 260SECTION XXXIV—Spiritual and Religious Issues 263Exercise XXXIV.A Understanding Spirituality 264Exercise XXXIV.B What Do I Believe In? 268SECTION XXXV—Substance Abuse/Dependence 271Exercise XXXV.A What Does Addiction Mean to Me? 272Exercise XXXV.B Problem Identification 276Exercise XXXV.C Personal Recovery Planning 279SECTION XXXVI—Suicidal Ideation 284Exercise XXXVI.A What Do I Have to Offer to Others? 285Exercise XXXVI.B Finding Emotional Relief and Support 289SECTION XXXVII—Survivor’s Guilt 292Exercise XXXVII.A Corresponding with Fallen Friends 293Exercise XXXVII.B Carrying the Legacy 297SECTION XXXVIII—Tobacco Use 300Exercise XXXVIII.A Avoiding Nicotine Relapse Triggers 301Exercise XXXVIII.B Use of Affirmations for Change 304Appendix: Additional Assignments for Presenting Problems 307About the Downloadable Assignments 316