Couple-Based Interventions for Military and Veteran Families
A Practitioner's Guide
Edited by Douglas K. Snyder and Candice M. Monson
Hardcovere-bookprint + e-book
Request a free digital professor copy on VitalSource ?Presenting couple-based interventions uniquely tailored to the mental health needs of military and veteran couples and families, this book is current, practical, and authoritative. Chapters describe evidence-based interventions for specific disorders—such as posttraumatic stress, depression, and substance abuse—and related clinical challenges, including physical aggression, infidelity, bereavement, and parenting concerns. Clear guidelines for assessment and treatment are illustrated with helpful case examples; 18 reproducible handouts can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8½“ x 11” size. The book also provides essential knowledge on the culture of military families and the normative transitions and adjustments they face.
“This volume is a 'must have' for the bookshelf of anyone who works with military couples (or who is interested in working with them). Top scholars in the field focus on practical applications of evidence-based treatments for veterans and their significant others.”
—Andrew Christensen, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
“Finally—this is the book we psychotherapists have been waiting for. Snyder and Monson, and their star-studded cast of contributors, provide us with the most effective couple and family interventions for common problems of active duty military personnel and veterans. Both partners in a military marriage sacrifice for their country, both partners deserve our respect, and both deserve the support and guidance that enhances their resilience—individually, as a couple, and for their family.”
—Susan H. McDaniel, PhD, Dr. Laurie Sands Distinguished Professor of Families and Health, and Director, Institute for the Family, University of Rochester Medical Center
“Perhaps the greatest tragedy of our time is the enduring psychological consequences of combat for millions of military personnel around the world. Unfortunately, most of the evidence-based treatments that are being disseminated ignore the family and social contexts where problems play out. Snyder and Monson have made a crucial contribution with this much-needed treatment resource, which not only presents state-of-the-art couple-based interventions for service members and veterans, but also 'socializes' the therapist to the military milieu.”
—David H. Barlow, PhD, ABPP, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry and Founder, Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Boston University
“Snyder and Monson have assembled some of the world’s leading authorities on couple-based interventions to target an area of growing importance. This book is a much-needed first of its kind, offering not only a coherent theoretical foundation, but also practical, evidence-based interventions for frequently encountered clinical problems. The seamless integration of theory, empirical support, and practice recommendations makes this an ideal resource and training tool for the full spectrum of mental health professionals who work with active duty military personnel, veterans, and their families. I thank and congratulate the editors for providing leadership in this essential area of clinical practice.”
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M. David Rudd, PhD, ABPP, President and Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis “Clinical practice with military personnel and veterans transitioning from war to home has advanced significantly since I published my first empirically based paper on PTSD 30 years ago. The editors and contributors to this remarkable book are among those who have helped us go beyond treating symptoms to nurture and improve family relationships. They do a superb job of presenting theory and research and showing its everyday relevance for treating war- and combat-related problems. The book is exceptionally well planned and consistently organized. I highly recommend it for use in graduate school and postdoctoral training, and especially for practicing clinicians who care for those who have borne the battle. Truly a gift to the field.”
—Walter E. Penk, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M College of Medicine
Table of Contents
I. Empirical and Conceptual Foundations1. Couple-Based Interventions for Military and Veteran Families: Evidence and Rationale, Candice M. Monson and Douglas K. Snyder
2. Understanding the Effects of Military Life and Deployment on Couples and Families, James A. Martin and Michelle D. Sherman
3. A Framework for Accessing Resources for Military and Veteran Couples and Families, Laurie B. Slone, Matthew J. Friedman, and Barbara Thompson
4. Transitioning to and from Deployment, Kevin S. Beasley, Shelley M. MacDermid Wadsworth, and June Behn Watts
II. Evidence-Based Interventions
5. Enhancing Parenting in Military and Veteran Families, Ellen R. DeVoe, Ruth Paris, and Abigail Ross
6. Infidelity and Other Relationship Betrayals, Douglas K. Snyder, Donald H. Baucom, Kristina Coop Gordon, and Brian D. Doss
7. Intimate Partner Violence, Richard E. Heyman, Casey T. Taft, Jamie M. Howard, Alexandra Macdonald, and Pamela S. Collins
8. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Its Comorbidities, Candice M. Monson, Steffany J. Fredman, and David S. Riggs
9. Depression, Mark A. Whisman and Steven L. Sayers
10. Substance Use Disorders, Jeremiah A. Schumm and Timothy J. O’Farrell
11. Combat-Related Traumatic Brain Injury, Shirley M. Glynn
12. Grief and Loss, David M. Scheider, Lance Sneath, and Thomas C. Waynick
III. Integration and Implications
13. Integration and Implications for Clinical Practice and Research, Douglas K. Snyder and Candice M. Monson
APPENDICES, Philippe Shnaider, Valerie Vorstenbosch, and Sonya G. Wanklyn
Appendix A. Resources for Military and Veteran Couples and Families
Appendix B. United States Military Ranks
Appendix C. Military Structure and Unit Sizes
Appendix D. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Organizational Structure
Appendix E. Common Terms and Abbreviations
About the Editors
Douglas K. Snyder, PhD, is Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University, where he also served as Director of Clinical Training for 20 years. Dr. Snyder has engaged in clinical practice and training of couple therapists since the 1970s, and is a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). He is coauthor or coeditor of several books for mental health professionals and general readers. Dr. Snyder has served as editor of the Clinician’s Research Digest and as associate editor of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and the Journal of Family Psychology. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Contribution to Research in Family Therapy Award from AAMFT, the Distinguished Contribution to Family Psychology Award from Division 43 (Society for Couple and Family Psychology) of the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Distinguished Psychologist Award from Division 29 (Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy) of APA.Candice M. Monson, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A Fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations and the Royal Society of Canada, she is a recipient of the Traumatic Stress Psychologist of the Year Award from the Canadian Psychological Association and the Distinguished Mentorship Award from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Dr. Monson is well known for her research on interpersonal factors in traumatization and the development, testing, and dissemination of treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including cognitive processing therapy and cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD.
Contributors
Donald H. Baucom, PhD, is Richard Simpson Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Kevin S. Beasley, LCSW, is a clinical social worker for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and works as a member of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team at the Frank Tejada Outpatient Clinic in San Antonio.
Pamela S. Collins, LCSW, is Treatment Program Manager for the U.S. Air Force Family Advocacy Program.
Ellen R. DeVoe, PhD, is Associate Professor at the Boston University School of Social Work.
Brian D. Doss, PhD, is Assistant Professor at the University of Miami.
Steffany J. Fredman, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Matthew J. Friedman, MD, PhD, is Executive Director of the VA's National Center for PTSD and Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at Dartmouth Medical School.
Shirley M. Glynn, PhD, is a Research Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences in the Semel Institute at University of California, Los Angeles, and a clinical research psychologist for the VA Office of Mental Health Services and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.
Kristina Coop Gordon, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee.
Richard E. Heyman, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at New York University.
Jamie M. Howard, PhD, is Project Director of the Strength at Home couples program in the VA Boston Healthcare System.
Shelley M. MacDermid Wadsworth, PhD, is Professor of Family Studies at Purdue University, where she is also Director of the Center for Families and Director of the Military Family Research Institute.
Alexandra Macdonald, PhD, is Project Director of the Strength at Home men’s program in the VA Boston Healthcare System
James A. Martin, PhD, is Professor of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College.
Candice M. Monson, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Timothy J. O’Farrell, PhD, ABPP, is Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Families and Addiction Program and the Counseling for Alcoholics’ Marriages (CALM) Project at the VA Boston Healthcare System.
Ruth Paris, PhD, is Associate Professor and director of the Family Therapy Certificate Program at Boston University School of Social Work.
David S. Riggs, PhD, is Executive Director of the Center for Deployment Psychology and Research Associate Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Abigail Ross, MSW, MPH, is a doctoral student at the Boston University School of Social Work and Project Director of the Strong Families Strong Forces program.
Steven L. Sayers, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and Director of the Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.
David M. Scheider, DMin, is Director of the Family Life Chaplain Training Center at Fort Hood, Texas.
Jeremiah A. Schumm, PhD, is Staff Psychologist at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati.
Michelle D. Sherman, PhD, is Clinical Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and is the Director of the Family Mental Health Program at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center.
Philippe Shnaider, BA, is a graduate student in clinical psychology at Ryerson University.
Laurie B. Slone, PhD, is Associate Director for Information and Communication at the VA’s National Center for PTSD and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School.
Lance Sneath, MS, is former Director of the Family Life Chaplain Training Center at Fort Hood, Texas.
Douglas K. Snyder, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at Texas A&M University.
Casey T. Taft, PhD, is a staff psychologist at the National Center for PTSD in the VA Boston Healthcare System, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.
Barbara Thompson, MS, is Director, Office of Family Policy/Children and Youth, Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Valerie Vorstenbosch, MA, is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Ryerson University.
Sonya G. Wanklyn, MA, is a graduate student in the clinical psychology program at Ryerson University.
June Behn Watts, MS, is a marriage and family therapist for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at the Indianapolis Veterans Center.
Thomas C. Waynick, MS, is former Director of the Family Life Chaplain Training Center at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Mark A. Whisman, PhD, is Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado at Boulder.