Social Work Practice with Veterans

Acknowledgments
About the Editor
About the Contributors

Part 1: Introduction

Chapter 1: Social Work and Veterans: The Call to Serve
Gary L. Dick

Chapter 2: A Brief History of America’s Wars
Jeffrey C. Williams

Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives on the Motivation to Enlist
Thomas W. Miller

Chapter 4: The Role of the Social Worker
Gary L. Dick, Bradley J. Schaffer, & Emily Resnik

Part 2: Stressful Transitions

Chapter 5: Deployment: When a Parent Goes to War
Gary L. Dick, Jilian Kuntz, & Nicole Jennings

Chapter 6: Fatherhood and the Military
Gary L. Dick

Chapter 7: Military Children
Gary L. Dick & Donny Marlow

Chapter 8: Gay Individuals in the U.S. Military
Gary L. Dick, Maurice Adkins, Isaac Wright, & Jilian Kuntz

Part 3: Complicated Adjustments

Chapter 9: Adjustment to Civilian Life
Karen Cutright, Allyson M. Wiggins, & Gary L. Dick

Chapter 10: Veterans and Mental Health
Amy L. McMahon & Sophia F. Dziegielewski

Chapter 11: Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Gregory W. Bailey & Susan M. McIlvain

Chapter 12: Veterans and Suicide
Mark Raaker & Emily Resnik

Chapter 13: The Signature Wound: Veterans and Traumatic Brain Injury
Ruth Anne Van Loon, Michelle R. Hubbard, & Rie Aihara

Chapter 14: Veterans and Substance Abuse
Shauna P. Acquavita & Alexa Smith-Osborne

Chapter 15: Homeless Veterans
Bradley J. Schaffer & Gary L. Dick

Chapter 16: War Casualties: When a Service Member Dies
Holly A. Riffe & Rikka C. Bonnette

Chapter 17: Incarcerated Veterans: Social Work in the Criminal Justice System
Bradley J. Schaffer & Gary L. Dick

Chapter 18: Lessons from Those Who Came Before: The Experiences of Vietnam Veterans with Combat-Related Limb Loss
Carrie E. Foote, Regina Pessagno, & Stephen L. Wilson

CSWE Education Policy and Accreditation Standards Core Competencies
Index

Gary L. Dick, PhD, is a professor in the School of Social Work, College of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. Gary received his MSW from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle, and his PhD from The Ohio State University. His research interests are in fatherhood, instrument development, veterans, domestic violence, and self-esteem. His research instrument, the Fatherhood Scale, has been used in over 60 studies around the world and translated into several different languages. In addition to research and publishing, Gary assumes many social work roles including therapist, trainer, college professor, and workshop presenter. His current clinical practice focuses on children and families, adolescents, men in therapy, and fathers.

Shauna P. Acquavita, PhD, is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Cincinnati. Shauna completed a two-year postdoctorate in addictions at Johns Hopkins University. She obtained her doctorate in social work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she was a predoctorate fellow in maternal and child health. Her MSW degree was earned at the University of Pittsburgh. She has nearly 10 years of experience providing counseling services to individuals with mental health and drug and alcohol problems. Her research focuses on tobacco use among vulnerable populations.

Maurice Adkins was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina. After graduating from North Rowan High School, he attended Johnson C. Smith University before transferring to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he graduated magna cum laude. As an undergraduate, Maurice joined the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program where he conducted research on minority voting behavior and neoconservatism. He pursued a master of arts in history at East Tennessee State University, where his primary field of study was U.S. history. Maurice is a doctoral student in history at the University of Cincinnati, specifically examining topics in educational policies regarding African Americans.

Rie Aihara, MSW, is from Japan. She earned her MSW from the University of Cincinnati. Rie graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a BSW degree. Primary experiences have been in direct care and care management for abused, neglected, and at-risk children and their families. She is interested in developing clinical skills for trauma-specific interventions and addressing policy and program needs to improve fragmented mental health care system.

Gregory Bailey, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Anxiety Disorders Division at the Cincinnati Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center. He serves as lead clinician in a residential treatment program for veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI). This is the first program of its kind to offer residential treatment for veterans who are diagnosed with PTSD and have a history of TBI. Dr. Bailey is a certified provider of cognitive processing therapy. Dr. Bailey has spoken about PTSD, TBI, and related issues at local and national conferences. He is a coauthor on a study examining the effectiveness of treatment for veterans with PTSD and a history of TBI, and he continues his work in these areas of research. Dr. Bailey earned his doctorate from Loyola University in Chicago.

Rikka C. Bonnette earned a bachelor of arts in integrative studies from Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and completed her BSW degree at NKU in December 2012. Rikka is an MSW student at the University of Louisville. She and has an abundant interest in working with veterans and military personnel and recently presented “Military Sexual Trauma in Female Veterans: An Analysis of Policy and Outcomes” at Posters-at-the-Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky. Currently, she is working on a study of military sexual trauma prevalence among NKU veteran students. Other research interests include criminal rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury, and hospice patient dietary habits.

Karen Cutright is a licensed independent social worker at the Cincinnati Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center. She has served as the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn Program Manager at the Cincinnati VA for the past six years. Karen is frequently sought out as a subject matter expert on issues related to recently returning combat veterans including readjustment, driving difficulties, coping issues, and family relationship issues. She has spoken on these topics to various groups including law enforcement, returning service members and families, university facility and staff, members of the judicial system, mental health practitioners, and others. She has delivered more than 50 talks to various organizations and groups. Karen earned her MSW from the University of Cincinnati.

Sophia F. Dziegielewski is a professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She is also chair of the UCF institutional review board that provides oversight for the protection of human subjects in university­related research studies for the second largest university in the United States serving approximately 60,000 students. As a Vietnam and Gulf War veteran and previous army social work officer, her experience in this area enriches her practice and teaching experience. Dr. Dziegielewski is the recipient of numerous awards and supports her research and practice activity with more than 130 publications, including eight textbooks, 85 articles, numerous book chapters, and hundreds of workshops and community presentations. She is currently under contract to update one of her latest books, DSM-IV-TR in Action (2010), which is soon to be published as DSM-5 in Action.

Carrie Foote, PhD, is an associate professor of sociology at Indiana University where she teaches courses on the sociology of health and illness and qualitative methods. Her research focuses on the experience of people living with stigmatized illnesses and disabilities, including traumatic amputations and HIV/AIDS. She was the qualitative data analyses project manager for the Amputee Veterans’ Research Project (2008-2011) on which chapter 18 is based.

Michelle Hubbard, MSW, LISW-S, is coordinator of the polytrauma team in the Polytrauma/Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program at the Cincinnati Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center where she is administratively responsible for the clinic program and provides program management and direct service to veterans and their families. She has extensive experience providing delivery of outpatient interdisciplinary rehabilitation, community reintegration, and case management/care coordination, as well as providing support for patients and their families. Ms. Hubbard’s past experiences include medical social work and case management in addition to administrative positions within the field of social work. Since beginning work with the VA, she has presented numerous lectures on polytrauma/TBI, drawing heavily from her personal experience working with the polytrauma/TBI patient population and their family/caregivers.

Nicole Jennings is an undergraduate student in pre-social work at the University of Cincinnati. Nicole is pursuing a career in social work. Nicole is following the footpath of her father, who received his MSW from the School of Social Work at the University of Cincinnati. Nicole is interested in the reintegration stage of deployment, especially fathers’ adjustment back into the family. She is particularly interested in how combat affects men’s fathering roles and the marital relationship. In addition, she is interested in how the service members recognize their need for mental health counseling following deployment.

Jilian Kuntz is a graduate of the MSW program at the University of Cincinnati, where she also pursued a certificate in school social work. Jilian graduated from Miami University with a bachelor of arts in psychology. She is a two-time AmeriCorps alumna. Her primary experiences include working with impoverished children, youths, and families in intensive out-of-school time programs, providing case management for Appalachian individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, developing and managing grants, and managing a successful volunteer program. She is doing clinical work with children, youths, and families in Roanoke, Virginia, specifically addressing parent-child interactions and implementing trauma-specific interventions.

Donny Marlow is a gay, white, Gulf War veteran. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and the proud father of four boys, whom he adopted with his husband. Donny is an activist for equality and raising aware ness of the needs and issues of the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender community. Currently, he is a bereavement therapist for Hospice of Dayton. Donny has a passion for assisting people through grief as well as educating individuals on how to assist children through the grief and loss experience.

Susan Mcilvain, LISW, is a psychotherapist with the Cincinnati Veterans Admin istration’s (VA) PTSD and Anxiety Disorders Clinic. Susan also works as lead clinician for the VNs posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) residential treatment program. This program is the first in the coun try to offer residential treatment for veterans who are diagnosed with PTSD and have a history of TBI. Susan is a certified provider of evidence-based treatment protocols for PTSD, including cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy. She has extensive training in dialectical behavior training skills. She is a coauthor of a research study on the effectiveness of treating PTSD in veterans with TBI in a residential treatment setting. Susan earned her graduate degree from the University of Cincinnati’s School of Social Work and is a fully licensed independent clinical social worker.

Amy McMahon is an assistant professor-educator at the University of Cincinnati’s School of Social Work, teaching in both the BSW and MSW programs. She also serves as the BSW program director. Amy’s areas of interest are social work administration and macro practice, with an emphasis on social policy and community health. In addition to her role in higher education, Amy has extensive experience leading community programs and nonprofit agencies in Greater Cincinnati that focus on issues of sexuality, including child abuse and neglect; pregnancy and parenting; sexuality education; mental health; women’s reproductive services; and HIV/AIDS. She received her BSW from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and her MSW from the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

Thomas W. Miller, PhD, is a professor, senior research scientist, master teacher, and university teaching fellow through his 40-year career and tenure at the University of Kentucky, University of Connecticut, and Murray State University. He received his doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo; is a diplomat of the American Board of Professional Psychology in Clinical Psychology; and is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychology Society, and the Royal Society of Medicine. The American Psychological Association recognized him with a special achievement award for his contributions to education, prevention, and clinical services for victims of abuse. He is a distinguished alumnus from the State University of New York at Buffalo and the recipient of the APA distinguished professional contributions to practice award. Dr. Miller is the editor of the four-volume Praeger Handbook on Veterans Health (2012) that addresses the history, challenges, issues, and developments of veterans’ health care nationally and internationally.

Regina Pessagno, MA, is a sociology doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on topics dealing with the social construction of health and illness, the socialization of medical professionals, and health disparities. She worked as a qualitative data analyst for the Amputee Veterans’ Research Project (2008 to 2011) on which chapter 18 is based.

LTC Mark Raaker, MSW, is a member of the U.S. Army and the Ohio National Guard with 21 years of experience. He and his wife of 18 years, Chrisy, have eight children. They have been foster parents for 14 years, caring for more than 70 children in that time. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati School of Social Work. LTC Raaker has been a public servant since the age of 17, serving as an emergency medical technician, police officer, foster parent, and military officer. He has dealt firsthand with suicide and suicide intervention in that capacity. He is certified as a master trainer in applied suicide intervention skills training through the Living Works Program and actively trains soldiers regarding proper intervention techniques when they encounter a person at risk for committing suicide. Disclaimer: Any views presented by LTC Mark Raaker within this book are solely his own and not those of the Army/Ohio Army National Guard.

Emily Resnik is a graduate of the MSW program at the University of Cincinnati, where she concentrated in direct practice mental health. Emily graduated from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor of arts in psychology and women’s studies; she also received a master of arts in women’s studies from The George Washington University. She has more than seven years of experience working with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, including volunteer work and serving as a sexual assault response coordinator for the army for two years.

Holly Riffe, PhD, is the MSW director at Northern Kentucky University. She received her PhD from The Ohio State University. In the classroom, she teaches ethics and community practice. She is most at home in the community, evaluating food streams and working with practitioners to understand children and homelessness or caregiving in South Africa.

Bradley Schaffer is an adjunct instructor the University of Edinboro, School of Social Work, Edinboro, Pennsylvania, as well as an adjunct professor in the department of sociology at Thiel College, Greenville, Pennsylvania. He is a licensed master social worker, board-certified diplomat in clinical social work, and certified forensic master social worker. He has developed particular clinical and research expertise in the areas of military veterans. incarceration and reentry, homelessness, intimate partner violence, sexual offenders, and fatherhood. He is a 27-year career social worker of the Veterans Administration (VA). He is an honorably discharged U.S. Marine Corps veteran (1976 to 1982). Formerly, he was the division director of community psychiatry at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center (2000 to 2008). His intimate partner violence and incarcerated veteran programs were approved by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Corrections and Adult Parole Authority for reentry. From 2002 to 2008, he was an assistant professor, clinical psychiatry, College of Medicine, and adjunct instructor, School of Social Work, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Schaffer has presented at numerous conferences, workshops, and continuing education trainings and has published on military and veteran issues.

Alexa Smith-Osborne, PhD, LCSW, is an associate professor and director of the Center for Clinical Social Work in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. She earned her MSW and PhD from the School of Social Work of the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She has been a social work practitioner for over 30 years, specializing in early-onset mental disorders, military occupational stressors, children with chronic illnesses and who are differently abled, women’s health and integrated behavioral health, medical interventions, and trauma treatment. Research interests are in the mental health domain and include substance abuse, theory development, intervention and resiliency research, women’s issues, military families, military members’ life trajectories, and persons who are differently abled.

Ruth Anne Van Loon, PhD, MSW, is an associate professor and associate director at the University of Cincinnati School of Social Work. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Social Work and the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Dr. Van Loon practiced in many health care settings, including acute care and rehabilitation hospitals, HIV primary care clinics, and hospices, before pursuing an academic career. In her current position, she teaches courses in clinical social work and human behavior, including social work practice in health care, aging, and loss and grief. She is a member of the University of Cincinnati health professions education collaborative that offers interprofessional coursework and co-curricular activities.

Allyson M. Wiggins received an MSW from the University of Cincinnati in 1993. Her experience includes providing clinical and case management services to individuals of all ages. She is currently working as a social work case manager in the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) Clinic at the Cincinnati Veterans Administration Medical Center. She provides clinical psychosocial assessments and case management services to OEF/OIF/OND combat veterans and their family members.

Jeffrey C. Williams, PhD, received a bachelor of arts in history at the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate in Scottish history at the University of Edinburgh. His teaching at Northern Kentucky University has focused on modern American and European history, with a focus on 20th century wars. In addition to campus-based classes on the First World War and the Vietnam War, he has led students on study-abroad experiences in Scotland, Ireland, England, and France, including a study tour of World War I and II battlefields in the Somme and Normandy regions of France. His publications include book reviews and articles in history journals; he is currently developing a historical guidebook to London, England.

Stephen L. Wilson, PhD, is retired from The Ohio State University where, for 20 years, he served as director of the School of Allied Medical Professions and associate dean of the College of Medicine. During his time as director and associate dean, he continued to teach graduate-level courses and was principal investigator on a national study with Indiana University and the U.S. Department of Defense. The project established a registry of Vietnam veterans who received traumatic amputations during the war to study their long-term outcomes over the lifespan. From 2007 to 2009, Stephen served as chair of the Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages, a federal advisory committee supported through the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration. Stephen is the past president of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, a national organization of over 115 educational institutions with allied health schools and colleges that prepare practitioners and educators for the health care workforce.

Isaac Wright is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. He received his bachelor of arts in psychology from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University before enrolling at the University of Cincinnati to pursue an MSW. During his time at the University of Cincinnati, Isaac was a graduate research assistant with the Hartford program. His past experiences include providing social services to older adults, including case management, quality assurance with Meals On Wheels, and medical transportation service programs. Isaac’s experience also includes using the PEARLS and IMPACT therapeutic models during clinical sessions with older adults who are experiencing depression.

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Compiled and edited by Gary L. Dick (School of Social Work, College of Allied Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati), Social Work Practice with Veterans is comprised of eighteen informed and informative articles (many of them written or co-written with Professor Dick) and cover a wide range of thematically relevant issues ranging from the role of the social worker, to the children of military veterans, to gays in the military, to the problem of veteran suicide rates, to incarcerated veterans, and so much more. Very highly recommended for professional and academic library Psychology/Counseling reference collections, Social Work Practice with Veterans should be considered a ‘must read’ for social workers, counselors, and mental health professionals who work with the military community.

Michael J. Carson
Reviewer’s Bookwatch
Midwest Book Review
January 2015

Social Work Practice with Veterans was reviewed by David L. Albright for the journal Social Work.

Dick’s Social Work Practice with Veterans provides a collection of chapters focused on social work practice with veterans across a number of treatment settings. This book contributes to the growing body of work on veterans by social work professionals.

Part 1 of the anthology provides an overview on military service and the role of the social worker. Chapter 1 states the case for social work practice with veterans. The importance of this clinical work is rooted in both the behavioral health and mental health needs of many of the veterans of the global war on terrorism and the implication of the NASW Code of Ethics that social workers have an ethical responsibility to veterans.

Chapter 2 provides a brief history of social workers’ involvement in and an overview of America’s major wars, from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq War. It does not cover a number of wars that some of our younger cohorts of men and women veterans might have served in, including the Somali Civil War, the Bosnian or Kosovo Wars, or the War in Pakistan. Dick’s book, however, does not strive to provide a comprehensive history of America’s wars, so overall this is a useful chapter for a practitioner or lay reader seeking a refresher course.

Read the full review. Available to subscribers of Social Work.