Training Center Helps Troops with Stress, Resiliency
Posted by Guest. Filed in Active Duty, Chaplains, National Guard, Reserves, Spouses |
An innovative restoration program in Afghanistan is giving troops the tools they need to “stay in the fight” by helping them overcome the stresses and challenges of being deployed, the director of the Freedom Restoration Center at Bagram Airfield there said.
Army Capt. Donald Hawkins and his five-person staff have been reaching out to U.S. military units and service members throughout the country since the center’s doors opened in February. The program offers a variety of classes to keep troops resilient and give them the confidence and competence to return to duty, he said.
Hawkins and his staff touch on a variety of topics in the three-day program including positive thinking, resiliency, depression and grief, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, relationships, goal setting, communication and problem solving, stress management, anger management, and occupational therapy and physical fitness.
Army Spc. Valerie Chandler, a cook at Bagram, went through the program after returning from emergency leave for her older brother’s funeral. Chandler’s supervisors noticed a sudden change in her behavior and mood and suggested she speak to a chaplain. “I was scared to go to the program and wasn’t in the mood to talk to people I didn’t know about my personal life,” she said. “But it really helped to know they were there when I was ready. The courses helped in areas you didn’t even realize you needed help with, like relationships.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Codi Bowman, a mental health technician and program instructor at the Freedom Center, and the other instructors make sure the participants understand that once they return to their units, the stresses and rigors from their job and being deployed will still be there. The difference is their abilities to cope and deal with them, she said.
“One of the biggest things we try to stress is that you are going to have to go back to your exact same unit with the exact same people, and the only thing you’re going to be able to control is you,” she said. “You really need to focus on changing you and learning to deal with your stressors and chain of command. You can’t change how they’re going to act, but you can concentrate on changing the way you’re going to react.”
Military OneSource has many resources on dealing with stress and depression. Free, confidential counseling is also available through Military OneSource. Call 1-800-342-9647 to speak with a counselor or click here for more information.
You can also contact a chaplain through Military OneSource by clicking here or email Chaplain Campbell by clicking the button at the top, or at chaplain.blog@moscenter.us.
For more information on the Freedom Restoration Center, click here.
Tags: Bagram AFB, depression, Freedom Restoration Center, resiliency, stress
