Welcome to Joining Forces America
Every day, in communities across the country, servicemembers are returning home after serving in combat. As family members, friends, and neighbors, you want to show your support – but aren’t sure what would be most helpful. That’s why Capella University created Joining Forces America – to share the best ideas for supporting our returning servicemembers. Capella recently surveyed our adult students who were either connected to the military or studying a mental health profession, as well as a group of mental health professionals. Here are some ideas that came out of that study:
Top 5 ways for neighbors to help a returning servicemember – according to servicemembers
- Offer support & encouragement (sometimes it helps to just listen)
- Respect my privacy (don’t push me to share my time or information if I’m not ready)
- Just say thanks
- Help me reconnect with my family and community (offer invitations, help with chores)
- Act normally (don’t treat me too differently)
Listen to a podcast discussion of the mental health needs of returning servicemembers
View the webinar: Treating Returning Servicemembers: Are Mental Health Professionals Ready?
Now we want to hear from you!
Your ideas
Resources
Retired Army
January 5th, 2010
Military/Educational Co-ops.
January 5th, 2010
How Can I Help.
January 5th, 2010
please don’t forget us…
December 31st, 2009
Resources for mental health professionals
Resources for servicemembers and their families
- Anticipatory Grief
- Bereavement Counseling
- Deployment Health and Family Readiness Library
- Listen to a discussion of the mental health needs of returning servicemembers
- Military and Veterans: Substance Use and Co-occuring Disorders Among Military and Veterans
- Military One Source
- National Military Family Association
- National Veterans Foundation
- Recovery and the Military: Treating Veterans and Their Families
- Returning from the War Zone: A Guide for Military Personnel
- Seamless Transition