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Helping The Forgotten: Vets Transitioning Back Into Civilian Life

With most things in life there is always an ending and the military is not an exception. Transitioning back to civilian life after being discharged from the military is a normal and routine part of enlisting. Although most veterans have an easy transition, roughly one-in-four will say it was at least somewhat difficult (Parker et al., 2019). Some of the most common struggles these veterans face include the loss of a structure and community, returning to or finding a job, and the trauma experienced while enlisted. The purpose of this project is to create a workbook that contains activities that will make veterans use memories of life experiences before and during the military to better prepare for a new lifestyle.

For this workbook, we focus on giving veterans the tools they need to be successful once they are discharged and return to civilization. This can be done by the distribution and teaching of self-help. When thinking about it, everyone is a psychologist in their own ways, but we do not have all the tools and resources needed to achieve the goal of self-help. This is where giving psychology away comes in handy. George Miller explains that as psychologists, we need to focus less on applying psychology to individuals, and start teaching psychological techniques to those who need it, hence giving psychology away. With this workbook we hand veterans tips on what to expect in their new life-styles and get them thinking and planning on where they will start. This is a way of not only creating a plan but promoting better mental health once the transition begins, however it is not a cure-all.

With every solution there comes the discussion of pros and cons that will be brought to light here. One con when discussing giving psychology away, is the impact that social surroundings have on a person and the way they dictate their life. This means for a self-help approach to be successful, it would need to be culturally sensitive to all cultures, ethnicities, religions, etc. (Schamel, 2020). In other words, we do not want to offend those who will use the workbook, and allow them to be able to adjust the activities to their personal lives and experiences. This will make the workbook more successful for each individual. Another con would be that not all people want help. In my own research and experience, there are individuals who do not believe in psychology, and some who do not think anything is wrong, so therefore, do not need help. Air Force veteran Matthew Suber explained his frustration when watching 22 year-olds glaze over the resources available to them at discharge and that resulting in them not knowing about resources or benefits. Due to them not knowing how to apply, the older veterans were more likely to take events like workfairs more seriously than the younger vets. One last con is the accessibility to self-help specialists or self-help trials. There are some self-help trials or studies that are limited to quality and quantity, making it difficult to receive that help (Bower et al., 2001). One way we can work with this is by providing information on self-help and other resources through links.

It is worth it to consider overcoming these cons, because there are some really great pros. One pro in promoting self-help is that it gives individuals a personal sense of control and excitement in the choices they make (Schamel, 2020). In other words, individuals are able to adapt that technique and transform it to fit into their own life and cultural beliefs. By giving them a step in the right direction and guiding them to success, it makes it easier for them to pursue other self-help techniques. An example of this would be the new trend of Bu-Jo or bullet journaling, where you have a numbered journal, and index to where you can easily find diary entries, to-do lists, etc. Ryder Carroll has stated that the method behind bullet journaling is to make you mindful of how you spend the two most valuable sources in life: time and energy, Carroll (as cited in Russell, 2019).  One last pro with self-help includes the reduction of cost for health care and opens up availability. In one study it was shown that a self-help format can lower the cost of treatments, which ultimately increases the accessibility to specialists for further help (Bower et al., 2001). This is important because there is a lot of stress when it comes to health care and finding the type of help that is needed.

Now that we have discussed pros and cons of self-help, how do we get psychological scientists to break down barriers of accessibility? With today’s technology and being a prime source of sharing information, I think that free apps that teach self-help techniques would be really beneficial. It could include a questionnaire in the beginning that takes data about age, gender preference, ethnicity, what they want help with, prior diagnosis, etc. that help get an idea of what techniques would be beneficial to them. However, when it comes to those without the use of technology, group sessions at local shelters to teach psychological techniques would also be beneficial to the homeless population, especially those who struggle with drug or alcohol abuse. This would be a great way to connect to the community and those who do not have access to mental health care. The idea of printable and free workbooks at clinics that guide you through understanding mental health and coping strategies is another way to increase accessibility. Regardless of mode of delivery, the intervention suggested by the workbook must be “wise”. A wise intervention is one that focuses on changing meaning making for those involved. In order to help someone change their behaviors we must understand their motives and use them to redirect meanings in an effective way (Walton & Wilson, 2018). This will help individuals to change their behaviors and help guide them to success throughout this intervention.

Overall, with any solution there are a number of pros and cons that come into play. In this case, it seems that we need to find a solution to adapt to those cons in order to become more accessible to those who are in need of support and have to start back at day one when they are discharged from the military. The use of a downloadable workbook is most beneficial, as any family member, social worker, or shelter worker is able to access and distribute it to those who in need of support. If, after reading this exposition on how to use principles of psychology in a meaningful self-help format appeals to you, you can access the workbook activities linked to this e-book and get started! The download is free.