This is a self directed course
Our motto is Nos Adepto Fieri Stercore - we get shit done.
We expect the veteran to get shit done too.
Whether its self directed like this self help course or its working one on one with a mentor or counsellor we expect the veteran to do the heavy lifting - we support and guide and at times carry our brothers and sisters, but in the end the veteran will do the work that is required. They will self recover, we will enable them to do so.
Life is a journey, we all will pass through predictable stages on that journey and whilst some will linger longer at one place or another, all will end up at the same destination.
Recognising that life has its stages allows us to put information together into logical and useful chunks. You dont need it all at once - you can grab just the bits that will make a difference and come back later for more.
Link to a large and printable copy in the library
Introduction
Shown here is a piece of work done by US veterans affairs, the life journey from serving through to ageing and dying. It marks what the US veterans thought were the important things to them at each step upon the journey.
I don't think we are so different that this would not form a framework for looking at our life journeys. Its instructive as it demonstrates graphically a number of things, that most of our lives are spent outside of the military, that half our adult life will be spent in retirement, and that what is important changes with where we are in life's journey. That journey map helps give context.
When supporting a veteran there is rarely only one problem that needs addressing - its often a tower of cards which threatens to fall with the slightest breeze. The approach we take is to facilitate self recovery no matter where the veteran finds themselves in this journey. Like all journeys, having a map makes the going easier. In the context of Peer support there are a number of models which could be used.
The AA 12 step program is one way of formalising the process, all be it about supporting a very condition specific. Whatever you think about the 12 step process you can't argue that its not a highly successful one. It incorporates the strengths of both individual work with mentoring and the power of peer support from group interactions. However it is the structured approach which may offer its greatest strength as an approach in the veterans community.
We have taken the 12 step concept and added a few steps of our own. We wanted an introduction that includes planning and families, we wanted safety plans, and when it all is done we wanted something about moving on. So our course ended up with 16 steps - which works for us. Then that needed to be delivered in a way that someone can work through online - even without a mentor if need be.
There is no one course that will work for everyone. We have a very specific group in mind when we wrote these courses - military people, specifically veterans. Interestingly there is another group whom this works well for - the police. Many veterans go on to serve in the police, corrections, fire and ambulance services. There is a lot that crosses over.
Self recovery isn't easy
The first step is the admin order - getting everything squared away in preperation for this. Even in this section its about the veteran getting the work done, about using skills they learned in the military. Starting the real work the next step is then accepting there is a problem and what that problem actually is - first know yourself (its on our challenge coin). This is the story part — getting the history in medical terms. Journaling is an extremely useful tool here in our context.
The next step is hope - goal setting which provides the motivation to take the next steps. This is the life plan which needs to be dynamic - it grows as the veteran grows.
The following step is the WRAP plan - identifying the veterans 'actions on' requirements and putting the plan into action. The safety plan is the veterans' 'actions on' when it almost inevitably derails.
Up to this point the process is stabilisation - its the mechanics of daily living. What follows is the growth phase.
The first part of the change phase could be considered adaptive disclosure, which can be undertaken in both group and individual settings. The quote below is from the first Chapter of Brett Litz' book on adaptive disclosure.
the term “adaptive disclosure” captures a core goal of the therapy, namely, sharing and processing memories of war zone experiences in a therapeutic manner. In this sense, the approach is a hybrid of existing CBT strategies, specifically, a form of exposure therapy (imaginal emotional processing of a seminal event) that also incorporates some techniques used in other cognitive-based treatments (e.g., CPT), as well as techniques drawn from other traditions (e.g., Gestalt, psychodynamic therapy, mindfulness). Adaptive disclosure extends traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies by integrating them with techniques drawn from other traditions, and packaging and sequencing these techniques to address specifically the three most injurious combat and operational experiences: life-threatening trauma, traumatic loss, and experiences that produce moral injury and inner moral conflict.
The adaptive disclosure involves 3 steps - taking a good hard look at ourselves and what happened, telling someone about it, and deciding to do something about it.
Then comes the hard part - actually walking the talk. This is another 4 steps on 'do right - be right’. Its making things right with yourself and others.
From here on its the growth phase, turning the experiences into personal growth and ephasising maintainance of healthy behaviours.
The last part is about moving on.
"help the next poor fucker that walks walks through the door". Many veterans express a desire to give back. This may be a goal in the early phase of support, something the veteran can work towards. However to try to do so too soon only brings risk for both the veteran and the person they try to help.
We designed the self help course as a stepped program, but redesigned it specifically for self recovery where the use of mentors and peer interactions is neither mandatory nor essential to being successful.
design for veterans
We have tried lots of ways of doing these courses. in the end there were two factors which lead us in this direction.
We built our courses to address specific problems that we kept running into. We were burning out standing still, working with the same problems over and over again. It took us a while to realise that 80% of our veterans could self recover if they just had the right tools. So we have built two courses first up that go hand in hand - the veterans self help course and the peer mentor course. The two courses work together. Whilst self recovery can be done its a lot easier with a hand from someone who knows the way.
The second factor is a philosophical one. We believe in enabling people rather than building dependancy. If we do everything for our veterans we create dependancy, which keeps the cycle going. Self reliance, turning our military skills into tools that work for us in the civilian world, is the way forwards.
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Leave us a comment about what you liked, what you think needs to be here or links to stuff others might find useful.