ACA MEMBER BLOGS

In an effort to better understand the personal struggle many combat veterans face with PTSD, I reached out to a friend of mine, to ask permission to write his story. The following is an account of his experiences.

I would imagine that in the majority of multicultural and/or ethics graduate courses, most counselors are exposed to the lawsuit brought against Augusta University by Jennifer Keeton.

How often are we aware of what our body is telling us? Do we push the limit because of our competitive nature? Or do we go beyond our limit because we just are not aware of the strain we are causing our body? The answer is probably both. In terms of competitiveness some of us may say we are not, but when it comes down to it in a circle full of other people, we can’t help, but to compare, or even judge ourselves based on who is doing what better.

When I look in the mirror I like what I see. I am very confident with my appearance and feel no particular tug to change it. According to medical charts, however, I am overweight. I am lucky that my job does not depend on me conforming to medical standards of appropriate height weight proportions. This is not true for someone who is serving in the military. For these individuals, not conforming to height/weight standards can be grounds for separation.

I have the honor and privilege to come alongside the lives of those that have been impacted by sexual assault. Sometimes our journey together is a few weeks, months, or even years, but no matter how short or long our time is these brave souls have impacted me for the rest of my life.

Every military instillation provides family counselors, addiction counselors, community counselors, medical counselor, roving counselors, and counselors that focus on group work that come out to the units themselves to provide counseling services as part of the work day. With all of these services being provided, free of charge, and easily accessible, the question remains, does the stigma still exist for individuals pursuing mental health counseling?

Humans have an innate desire to create and seek out anything that can make life quick, easy, and/or comfortable. The question is, is this good or bad? More importantly, why do we seek ease and comfort?

Maternal jealousy is a common issue between mothers and adult daughters today. In this blog I explain why maternal jealousy is so common. Through Sarah’s story (not her real name) I talk about how therapists, mothers, and daughters can detect maternal jealousy, especially when these feelings are hidden and unacknowledged due to the shame society attaches to them. And I provide some tips on how I help mothers and daughters heal jealous feelings.

Military culture is unique and in a sense, it is completely different from civilian culture. Someone who leaves civilian culture to become a part of the military culture must undergo some type of change, in ways similar to the experience of individuals migrating from different countries. Military culture has many rules and expectations but also several social norms that may come across as confusing to an onlooker.

Everyone gets nervous from time-to-time, perhaps when experiencing higher stress levels, deadlines or when challenged to do something outside of your comfort zone. While others can experience frequent or intense Anxiety episodes which interfere with their quality of life.