“Working with this complex patient population requires a delicate balance of humility and specialized expertise,” explains Kim Dove, MSW, LCSW, Air Force veteran/former military police officer and Clinical Manager of Adult Programs at Princeton House’s Moorestown outpatient site. “There’s a lot to surpass, from the stigma of seeking help and the feeling that no one understands them to concerns about maintaining military roles and security clearances.”
The process of building trust often means helping patients navigate negative perceptions around care’s impact on their military path. Yet according to a fact sheet distributed by the Joint Base, seeking mental health care is a positive course of action and a sign of sound judgment – and the vast majority utilizing mental health services are not administratively or medically discharged. In fact, a review of 2019 data showed that only 0.14% of Regular Air Force members were administratively separated related to a mental health condition.* Of the 1.2% who were medically discharged, less than half had a mental health condition.
“The stigma remains and asking for help is still problematic, but being genuine helps,” explains Dove. “Understanding the culture and the lingo is also essential. Being a responsible provider means putting in that work.”
At Princeton House, those working with military-connected outpatients have foundational dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) training and complete ongoing continuing education in trauma/PTSD. Several team members have prior active duty military experience and military-specific expertise that includes training for civilian behavioral health professionals from the Center for Deployment Psychology’s Star Behavioral Health Providers Program (learn more at deploymentpsych.org/SBHP-Main). By working together and engaging each patient in the process, they determine optimal solutions for unique challenges.
According to Dove, the improvement in symptomology is significant when comparing intake to discharge data for Princeton House’s military outpatients. But beyond that, gifts given to team members – such as dress rank insignia pins and challenge coins – often tell the story.
“Sometimes words fail to communicate the depth of feeling our patients have,” says Dove. “These gifts from someone’s military journey are incredibly meaningful and impactful. They speak to how profound their experience was here.”
Lower the ShouldersDove notes that military patients often find it difficult to let go of “fight mode.” She asks them to drop their shoulders – then roll their head around, place their feet on the floor, and take several deep breaths. As the physical release cascades through the body, the process opens a crack in the door to help her show them what’s possible. |
