Programs for U.S. Military families

Programs for U.S. Military families
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The program should look into mental health counseling, prevention and elimination of sexual assault and assessment for military families. This topic is interesting as the Department of Defense has highlighted on the issue of sexual assault and harassment, but less attention has been given to the military families. Essentially, a more personalized program could make a difference in the cases reported on sexual offences affecting military families Other than this it is necessary to highlight that protection of victims, plays a critical role towards ensuring accountability and wellbeing of victims. A culture that is seen as pro active in protecting the safety of military personnel veterans and military families is more likely to receive support from military families. This is a proposed program to help support military families in the area of Sexual Assault and Harassment
The mental services unit is critical to the success of the program, whereby there is a need to offer psychosocial services that serve the needs of the population. The services to be provided require primacy care providers and counselors to be in the forefront training and advocating for the rights of military families. Hence, to achieve, the program’s objectives it is necessary to provide assistance for the targeted group, and if not possible refer them to the appropriate authorities. Essentially, collaborative efforts help to ensure the responsibility of ensuring the community’s psychological wellbeing is understood by personnel involved in the program. It is also imperative that all military leaders are engaged and accountable for preventing sexual assault and harassment cases among members (US Army, n.d)
One of the challenges when dealing with military families is that they may find it hard to cope with the military personnel who have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Hall, 2010). Hence, it is challenging to reassure family members that things can change, and they can be able to handle military men and women with PTSD. The military men may feel as if things can never be the same again while the family members have to deal with supporting and using the appropriate coping skills where possible to help the people cope. This necessitates the need for adequate training to enable acquisition of coping skills for representatives of military families, as it is not feasible to train and educate all the members.
Sexual harassment can lead to emotional distress and social isolation for the victims who may exclude themselves from their families. Hence, one of the challenges is reporting such cases when victims, while those persons already affected can choose either restricted or unrestricted reporting. Depending on the mental health situation and gravity of the problem, it is necessary to take into account the policies already in place on reporting options. Essentially, communication with the relevant authorities then makes it necessary to handle the issue more sensitively, but there is still achallenge that victims and their families cannot use appropriate communication skills to deal with sexual assault and harassment. The environment should foster a positive climate for trust and respect while also encouraging compassionate care to the victims (US Army, n.d.)
Demographic information is an important aspect in assessment of individuals at risk of sexual assault and harassment. Essentially, this includes information on age, gender, marital statues, and race. Dividing the information on this basis will help to understand significant predictors that increase risk of sexual assault and harassment. The population of female military staff is low and literature points out that, female workers are at a higher risk of sexual harassment than men. At the s...