Our nation has pledged unequivocal support for active duty military service members and veterans. Meeting our obligation to our service members and veterans also means supporting their families. All have made remarkable sacrifices in serving their country, and have both clear and compelling needs as they reintegrate and face the future. Along with peer support and peer counseling, strategies centered on the family are the most urgent and effective approach to supporting the difficult transition to everyday life. Many service members deal with mental health problems attributable to their military experience, and many turn to substance use in repsonse to their pain. Help for service members, veterans, and their families must encompass not only treatment for mental and substance use disorders but also the support elements that sustain recovery - employment, health, and well-being, housing and education. This show will describe the challenges facing those who haved served and their families, the support available from both the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and civilian behavioral health systems, and the need to expand family-centered services.
