VISTAS Spirituality and Counseling Issues

VISTAS Online is an innovative publication produced for ACA by Dr. Garry R. Walz and Dr. Jeanne C. Bleuer of Counseling Outfitters, LLC. Its purpose is to provide a means of capturing the ideas, information and experiences generated by the annual ACA Conference and selected ACA Division Conferences. Papers on a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience may also be submitted. This digital collection of peer-reviewed articles is authored by counselors, for counselors. VISTAS Online contains the full text of over 900 proprietary counseling articles published from 2004 to 2017.



Spirituality, Substance Use, and the Military

Heather C. Robertson

2016

Military members and veterans make up a small portion of the U.S. population, yet counselors are likely to encounter military members and veteran clients in both civilian and military-operated treatment settings. Like their civilian counterparts, military members and veterans may struggle with substance use disorder before, during, or after their service. Previous research has demonstrated that utilizing spiritual beliefs or practices can be a positive coping strategy for individuals in substance use recovery. This manuscript examines the use of spirituality as a coping strategy specifically for military members and veterans recovering from substance use disorders. Current literature is reviewed, in
addition to case examples.

Keywords: military, veterans, substance use disorder, spirituality, combat

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PDF, 350.68 KB

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