University of North Carolina Wilmington
School of Social Work
SWK 451 Returning From the War Zone: Consequences, PTSD and Traumatic Injury,
Interventions and Preventative Measures.
[Cross listed with SWK 551]
Class Meeting: ONLINE
Spring 2014
Instructor:
Jessica Strong, PhD, MSW
Email:
strongj@uncw.edu [preferred communication]
Office Hours: by appointment
Course Catalog Description: SWK 451 (SWK551) Returning From the War Zone: Consequences, PTSD and
Traumatic Injury, Interventions and Preventative Measures (3). Prerequisite: SWK 550. Students will learn the
potential consequences for troops returning home to state side military life and family life: Confronting stress,
trauma, depression, anxiety, addiction, anger, panic, and PTSD resulting from war zone duty. Methods of prevention
and intervention will be covered.
Course Description:
This course is focused on learning about the potential consequences of extended time in a war
zone or combat situation when service members return to state side duty and family life. The
potential for challenges in one’s personal life will be explored with regard to potential Post
Traumatic Stress [disorder], anxiety, panic, depression, addictions, and readjustment to stateside
military discipline and culture. Potential interventions and potential preventative measures will
be covered.
Purpose:
This course will prepare students to become sensitive to the potential challenges facing war zone
veterans and their families. It will offer potential ways of identifying approaches to working with
these challenges. Students will also be able to consider possible preventative measures that might
be incorporated when service members are in training or about to be deployed, or after they
return from combat deployment. Traumatic injuries require long term care and this will be
explored in terms of possible interventions and needs for these veterans and families.
Course Objectives:
1.
Students will have a working knowledge of the potential consequences of being in a war
zone and combat on soldiers and marines.
2. Students will have a working familiarity of the transition from war zone to state side
military life and or civilian life and its consequences.
3. Students will become familiar with the stories of returning veterans and how this
transition was experienced by many.
4. Students will become knowledgeable of the various challenges that veterans might be
facing such as Post Traumatic Stress, depression, anxiety, panic, addiction, suicide,
interpersonal issues and family issues
5. Students will become familiar with various means of addressing these challenges
6. Students will become familiar with potential preventative measures that might diminish
the impact of combat on veterans.
Texts and Required Readings:
A large portion of the course depends upon the selected readings, in addition to lecture and
discussion. Discussion board postings should demonstrate your understanding of the readings.
Required Texts:
Hoge, C.W. (2010). Once a warrior always a warrior: Navigating the transition from combat to
home—including combat stress, PTSD, and mTBI. Guilford, CN: Globe Pequot Press
Holmstedt, K. (2009). The girls come marching home. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books
Rubin, A., Weiss, E.L., & Coll, J.E. (2013). Handbook of Military Social Work. Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
MSW: Freeman, S. M., Moore, B. A., & Freeman, A. (Eds.). (2009). Living and surviving in
harm's way: A psychological treatment Handbook for pre- and post-deployment of military
personnel. New York, NY: Routledge.
Additional materials will either be made available on Blackboard or placed on electronic
reserve in the library system.
Office Hours:
Please contact me via email if you have questions or concerns about the course. I respond to
email every day, so will get back to you as quickly as possible. Students may also make an
appointment to talk via chat or phone.
Methods to Obtain Learning Objectives
The primary learning format will be through readings, class participation in discussion, and
lecture. Students will be required to participate in online class discussions and demonstrate their
knowledge of course materials. The instructor will also present material and offer areas for
discussion.
Course Requirements:
Graded Items:
1. Participation/Discussion: Learning is a collaborative process and requires students’
participation and engagement. Each student will be expected to participate meaningfully
in each discussion board posted, and posts should:
a. demonstrate a thoughtful synthesis of the readings,
b. develop a question about the material or the issue, or
c. state of the impact of the readings on their future social work practice, whether
with military service members and families or in another area.
Each discussion board post with be counted as 1% of the final grade, for a total of 20%.
Each post will be graded pass/fail. If the post does not meet any of the criteria above, it
will not receive credit. There will be 30 discussion boards posted; 2 posted each week,
one of which will be on the required reading, the other on current events related to
military social work. You do not have to respond to every discussion board, though
you may if you would like. You only need to respond to 20 to receive full credit; you
will not receive additional credit for more than 20 responses. Each discussion board
prompt will be posted on Monday evening, responses are due by the following Sunday, at
11:59 pm. Late responses will not receive credit.
2. Case Study Paper – 15 points An informal 1-2 page case study on a veteran (cannot be
yourself). The case may come from the text, from media, or from a person that you know,
but it should be a true story. If you choose to study a person that you know, you MUST
obtain their consent to present their information in your assignment, and include a
consent form in your paper. Present information about the veteran, including marital and
family status, number, length, and location of deployments, length of time since their
return, any reintegration challenges that they’ve had, and most importantly, the strengths
that they display.
a. 5 points: Veteran’s deployment history, if any
b. 5 points: Veteran’s reintegration challenges, if any
c. 5 points: Veteran’s strengths
3. 4 Short Quizzes (10 questions each).
a. Quiz 1 will cover PTSD
b. Quiz 2 will cover TBI
c. Quiz 3 will cover suicide
d. Quiz 4 will cover addiction
4. Assessment Paper – 100 points
a. BSW Students
i. Students will be assigned a conflict era (Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia,
Somalia, Gulf War, Vietnam, etc).
ii. Students will identify a veteran from that era from print or video media.
(This could be a book, movie, but it should be a true story).
iii. Students will compose a biopsychosocial assessment of the identified
client, identifying risk and resilience factors.
iv. Students will also include a military genogram, and discuss this in their
paper.
b. MSW Students
i. All of the above BSW level requirements as well as
ii. A diagnosis and treatment plan for the identified client.
iii. The paper should include at least 5 references to the scholarly
literature.
Grading for this course is as follows:
Participation/Discussion
Case Presentation Paper
Four Short Quizzes (10% each)
Assessment Paper
20%
15%
40%
25%
Academic Integrity
All members of the UNCW’s community are expected to follow the academic Honor Code. Please read the UNCW
Honor Code carefully as covered in the UNCW Student Handbook). Academic dishonesty in any form will not be
tolerated in the class. Please be especially familiar with UNCW’s position on plagiarism as outlined in the UNCW
Student Handbook. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty in which you take someone else’s ideas and
represent them as your own. Here are some examples of plagiarism:
a. You write about someone else’s work in your paper and do not give them credit for it by referencing
them.
b. You give a presentation and use someone else’s ideas and do not state or acknowledge that the ideas
are the work of another person.
c. You get facts from your textbook or some other reference material and do not reference that material.
d. You work with a friend to complete an assignment and turn in identical or very similar papers – ensure
that the ideas you are describing are your own.
Accommodation for students with disabilities [challenges]
I am more than happy to make appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities or challenges. Students
with diagnosed disabilities or challenges should contact the Office of Disability Services (962-7555) so that they can
provide you with appropriate services. Please give me a copy of the letter you receive from the Office of Disability
Services detailing class accommodations you may need. If you require accommodations for test-taking please make
sure I have the referral letter no less than three days before the test so that I can make arrangements for the test
material to be available to them.
Violence and Harassment
UNCW practices a zero tolerance policy for any kind of violent or harassing behavior. This is no less important in
an online class. The anonymity provided through an online discussion board does not lessen the requirements of
civil discourse. Any harassing posts will be deleted and the student posting harassing comments may be asked to
withdraw from the course. Resources for individuals concerned with violent or harassing actions can be located at
http://www.uncw.edu/wsrc/crisis.html
Campus Respect Compact
UNCW is committed to a civil community, characterized by mutual respect. Individuals wanting more information
about Respect Compact can contact the Office of International Diversity and Inclusion.
Campus Assistance for this Course
Assistance is available on campus to help you succeed in this course. The Randall Librarian assigned to the School
of Social Work is Mr. John Osinski. You can email him at osinskij@uncw.edu . The Writing Place is available to
you for paper-writing assistance. The Writing Center also consults with students via email, but they do require that
you plan in advance, especially toward the end of the semester when many papers are due. Please utilize their
services, but plan ahead.
Course Schedule
Course
Topic
Materials
Week
1. Week
• Welcome,
• Rubin, Weiss, & Coll, Chapters 1 & 5
beginning
Course
• 10 things people should know
Jan 11
Overview
• Ways to
work with
Returning
Veterans
Unit 1: Returning from the War Zone: Veterans’Stories
2. Week
Stories of
• Holmstedt, 1-166
beginning
Returning
• Hoge 1-50
Jan 18
Veterans
• Weiss, E. L., Coll, J. E., Gerbauer, J., Smiley,
Military
K., & Carillo, E. (2010). Military genogram:
Genograms
A solution-focused approach for resiliency
building in service members and their
families. The Family Journal, 18, 395-406.
MSW: Garb, H. N., & Cigrang, J. (2008).
Psychological screening: Predicting resilience to
stress. In B. J. Lukey & V. Tepe, Biobehavioral
resilience to stress (pp.3-23). New York, NY:
CRC Press.
3. Week
Stories of
• Holmstedt, 167-319
beginning
Returning
• Hoge: 51-169
Jan 25
Veterans
MSW: Freeman & Freeman (2009), Vulnerability
Biopsychosocial factors: Raising and lowering the threshold for
Assessments
response (Chapter 7)
4. Week
beginning
Feb 1
Case Study
Paper Due
2/1/16
11:59 pm
5. Week
beginning
Feb 8
6. Week
Stories of
Returning
Veterans
MSW: Diagnosis
and Treatment
Plans
• Video: Hell and Back Again
• Hoge, 170-277
MSW: Freeman & Freeman (2009). Assessment
and evaluation: Collecting the requisite building
blocks for treatment planning (Chapter 9)
Unit 2: Working with Military Families
Military Families • Rubin, Weiss, & Coll, Chapters 18 & 19
• Unsung Heroes: Military Families after 10
years of war
• Sesame Street: Talk Listen Connect
MSW: Darwin, J. (2009). Families: “They also
serve who only stand and wait”. Smith College
Studies in Social Work, 79, 433-442.
Military Families • Rubin, Weiss, & Coll, Chapters 20 & 22
Class Activities
Lecture -- Ways
of Working with
Returning
Veterans
Discussion of
Text
Military
Genogram
Discussion of
Text
Biopsychosocial
Assessments
Discussion of
Video
Discussion of
Text
Lecture
Discussion of
beginning
Feb 15
Due:
Identify
veteran and
media
source for
Assessment
(submit
online)
7. Week
Military Families
beginning
Family Violence
Feb 22
•
Sesame Street: Homecomings
Text
Lecture
•
•
•
Rubin, Weiss, & Coll, Chapters 24 & 26
Sesame Street: Changes
Gerlock, A., & Tinney, G. (2014) Intimate
Partner Violence, Military Personnel,
Veterans, and Their Families. Family Court
Review, 52(3). 400.
Discussion of
Text
Lecture
8. Week
beginning
Feb 29
Prevention and
Resilience
Programs for
Service
Members and
Families
Spring Break
•
Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Technical
Report #4
Seligman, M., & Matthews, M. (2011).
Comprehensive Soldier Fitness. American
Psychologist 66(1). (The Whole Thing)
Discussion of
Text
Lecture
Instructor Out
No Class
Work on Assessment Papers
9. Week
beginning
Mar 7
10. Week
beginning
Mar 14
Assessment
Paper due
Mar 20 by
11:59 pm
11. Week
beginning
Mar 21
Quiz on
PTSD due
Mar 27 by
11:59 pm
12. Week
beginning
Mar 28
Quiz on
PTSD
TBI
•
No Class
Unit 3: Challenges for Veterans
• Rubin, Weiss, & Coll, Chapters 6 & 7
MSW: Jakupcak, M., & Varra, E. M. (2011).
Treating Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans with
PTSD who are at high risk for suicide. Cognitive
and Behavioral Practice, 18, 85-97
• Rubin, Weiss, & Coll, Chapters 10 & 11
MSW: Dolan et al. (2012) Neuropsychological
Sequelae of PTSD and TBI following war
deployment among OEF/OIF Veterans
Discussion of
Text
Lecture
Discussion of
Text
Lecture
TBI due
Apr 3 by
11:59 pm
13. Week
beginning
Apr 4
Quiz on
Addictions
due Apr 10
by 11:59
pm
14. Week
beginning
Apr 11
Quiz on
Suicide due
Apr 17 by
11:59 pm
15. Week
beginning
Apr 18
16. Week
beginning
Apr 25
Addictions
•
•
•
Discussion of
Rubin, Weiss, & Coll, Chapter 12 & 13
Text
Army Substance Abuse Program
Lecture
Website: https://acsap.army.mil/
Marine Corps Substance Abuse
Program: http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/P
ublications/MCO%205300.17.pdf
Suicide;
Risk Assessment
• Rubin, Weiss, & Coll, Chapters 14
MSW: Posey, S. (2009). Veterans and suicide: A
review of potential increased risk. Smith College
Studies in Social Work, 79, 368-374.
Discussion of
Text
Lecture
Veteran
Homelessness
and Employment
Concerns
•
•
Discussion of
Text
Class Wrap Up
Rubin Weiss and Coll, Chapter 15
Burnett-Zeigler, I., Valenstein, M., Ilgen, M.,
Blow, A., Gorman, L., & Zivin, K. (2011)
Civilian employment among recently
returning Afghanistan and Iraq National
Guard Veterans. Military Medicine 176 (6).
639.
Skill Practice
References:
Armstrong, K., Best, S., Domenici, P. (2006). Courage after fire: Coping strategies for troops returning
from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press.
Bride, B. & Figley, C.R. (2009). Secondary trauma and military Veteran caregivers. Smith College
Studies in Social Work, 79 (3/4), 314-329
Calhoun, L. G., & Tedeschi, R. G. (Eds.). (2006). Handbook of posttraumatic growth:
effects of overwhelming experience on the mind, body, and society. New York: Guilford Press
Hall, L. K. (2008). Counseling military families. New York: Routledge
Hastings, M. (2010, June 22). The runaway general. Rolling Stone. Retrieved from
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/119236
Hoge, C.W. (2010). Once a warrior always a warrior: Navigating the transition from combat to home—
including combat stress, PTSD, and TBI. Guilford, CN: Globe Pequot Press
Holmstedt, K. (2009). The girls come marching home. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books
Jacobs, C. (2009). The response of schools of social work to the return of uniformed service
members and their families. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 79(3), 453-463.
Jarrett, T. A. (2009) Warrior Resilience Training (WRT) program material.
Research and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Rubin, A., Weiss, E.L., & Coll, J.E. (2013). Handbook of Military Social Work. Hoboken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Simmons, C. A., & DeCoster, V. (2007). Military social workers at war: Their experiences and
the educational content that helped them. Journal of Social Work Education, 43, 497512.
Slone L. B. , & Friedman, M.J. (2008). After the war zone: A practical guide for returning stress
disorder. Wheaton, ILL: Quest Books
Tick, E. (2005). War and the soul: healing our nation’s veterans from post-traumatic troops and their
families. Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press
Tyson, J. (2007). Compassion fatigue in the treatment of combat-related trauma during wartime.
Clinical Social Work Journal 35 (3), 183-192.