More than 270 behavioral health professionals gathered to learn how to better help veterans, service members and their families adjust to the challenges and opportunities faced in the wake of an extended deployment.
On November 16-17, the Battlemind to Home II Symposium was held at the Marriott East Hotel in Indianapolis. The event was sponsored by Roudebush VA Medical Center, the Department of Labor, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University. The symposium’s goal was to increase community awareness of the challenges military families face when service members return home, and educate attendees about the mental health concerns, legal options and supports available to veterans in the community. The first day of the symposium included presentations on the relationship of combat trauma to ongoing substance use and treatment; the challenges faced by veterans and service members as they return to campus; and a panel discussion featuring four military couples describing the challenges they faced during the reintegration process.
The second day was marked by presentations on suicide, chronic pain, spiritual resources for returning service members, and the concept of "ambiguous loss" – the difficult-to-quantify impact on a family when a service member returns as "not the same" due to injury or combat experience. Another presentation highlighted a program in which residents of Hilton Head, SC, and other vacation destinations donate the use of their properties for a week to allow returning service members to reconnect with their families. In addition, a recently-retired service member told his personal story of a severe combat injury suffered in Iraq, the help he received in coping with it, and his ultimate return to the scene in order to leave again "on his own terms." Both afternoons featured breakout sessions addressing a number of relevant programs and benefits in detail.
Download or view the Battlemind presentations.
Planning is already underway for Battlemind to Home III Symposium, scheduled for the fall of 2012.