“This research represents just a snapshot of the general veteran population, and we know that MST is underreported—so it’s a particularly eye-opening statistic for women when you consider that the true numbers are probably much higher,” says Jamie Mucciarelli, LCSW, MSW, MA, Senior Social Worker with Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health’s First Responder Treatment Services and an Iraq/Afghanistan veteran.
“With this in mind, we approach every female veteran we treat as though she could very possibly have had a past MST experience,” she adds.
Tips for Therapists
Female veterans with MST have essentially lost their power or control at some point in the past based on those experiences, according to Mucciarelli. When providing treatment, it’s critical for behavioral health professionals to focus on giving back control and offering choices. Mucciarelli recommends that therapists:
- Ask a patient if she feels ready to have a conversation that day.
- Ask if she would like to keep the door open or closed.
- Sit in a nonjudgmental, nonresistant manner, without crossing arms or legs.
- Maintain a physical distance that allows quiet conversation yet does not threaten personal space.
- Honor the silence in the room. Patients may be trying to find the courage or the right words to articulate an experience, and sometimes silence can be therapeutic.
- Give the patient as much ownership and support as possible.
- Maintain honest dialogue in which a patient’s capabilities are always reinforced.
- Utilize cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to challenge self-sabotaging beliefs and foster coping skills.
“It’s not uncommon for female veterans to present with PTSD, depression, or substance abuse, yet the underlying cause is related to sexual trauma,” says Mucciarelli. “These patients need someone to believe in them, help them process their emotions in a safe place, and assist them in regaining their self-esteem.”
Source: National Center for PTSD—Military Sexual Trauma. www.ptsd.va.gov/public/types/violence/military-sexual-trauma-general.asp
First Responder Treatment Services Can HelpFirst Responder Treatment Services at Princeton House focuses on the unique behavioral health needs of veterans, police and corrections officers, military personnel, firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs. Led by a team of clinicians with law enforcement, first responder, and military experience, it is one of a few services nationally that provides focused, acute inpatient treatment for these individuals. |
Article as seen in the Winter 2018 issue of Princeton House Behavioral Health.
