Hi Ian,

I work with veterans and currently enlisted military personnel.

Best,

julie

Hi Julie,

Thanks for your reply to my message. I am currently researching some veterans difficulties in asking for help and would be grateful for any information I could access about this field. I have done a lot of research and am currently interviewing veterans (unstructured interviews/grounded theory qualitative methodology) to explore if I can construct a psychotherapeutic model to facilitate help-seeking for our ex-forces personnel. It is a fascinating area and I am discovering a multi-faceted perspective on the nature of asking for help.

Regards,

Ian

Ian,

Attached is a first publication of work we are doing with the military to encourage dialogue among themselves.  I hope this is helpful.

Best Regards,

- Glen Milstein

Hi Glen,

Thank you very much for sending me your work. Yes it is very helpful and interesting. I wonder how this method might be adopted to facilitate help-seeking amongst veterans? The statistics demonstrate that veterans are more likely to communicate amongst their own peer group than with professionals which is significant too. Is it possible to see a copy of the cards that were/are used?

Once again thank you for your kind support,

Ian

Hereford

UK

Ian,

It is a large set of cards.

What type of outreach are you doing?

Our first pilot studies were with veterans.

All the best,

- Glen

Glen,

The aim of my Masters research is to find the tools to create a method to facilitate veterans (that is anyone who has served in the military) help-seeking. Current research is showing that a high percentage of veterans find it hard to seek psychological or physical support. Some attributes are stigma and military enculturation (which I am focussing upon). As a practicing psychotherapist and veteran myself I intend to reach out to veterans and try to help them help themselves. 

Regards,

Ian

Ian,

Let me know if you think we could help in some way.

Best Regards,

- Glen

Hi Glen,

Thank you for your kind offer. I am interested in the group process from reticence to vibrancy. It seems this is achieved by the interaction facilitated by the cards and questions, the rolling of the device, the ice-breaking. I would be interested in how I might use such a method and apply it to helping a group or an individual in finding the means to ask for help as this is my particular area of interest. I would be grateful of any thoughts or ideas Glen but will understand if you do not have time to do so.

With regards,

Ian

Dear lan

I have some experiences of caring and treating of chemical warfare veterans particularly mustard gas exposed.  My current project (PhD dissertation) is in the field of qualitative research (grounded theory approach) entitled “The process of caring communication between nurses & chemical warfare victims.  Grounded theory study”. I think, we can be share our experiences.

Kind regards,

Abedi, Ahmadreza

PhD candidate of nursing education & academic member of

Arak University of Medical Sciences, arak, Iran

Academic E-mil: [email protected]

Dear Ahmadreza,

Thank you for your kind email. Yes, I agree that sharing our experiences will be very interesting. The focus of my research is about the impact of the military culture upon help-seeking behaviours for veterans. I wonder if your armed forces have similar issues about finding hard to ask for and receive support?

With regards,

Ian Kirkpatrick

Psychotherapist

I directed a PTSD clinic at an Army base for 8 years. The resistance to seeking help is a key problem in either the Veteran or active duty population. I have a lot of thoughts and observations, no data. I agree that peer support and encouragement is helpful in getting over the hump. Our program graduates would often go drag their comrades in  for treatment.

I work with student veterans and have worked with homeless veterans.  I have done some research but not on help-seeking behaviors.  My thesis, however, did discuss why my participants were hesitant to participate in group and I found that their relationship with me as their individual therapist did help them feel more comfortable being part of a group that I was leading. 

Hi Ian,

I am ex-forces (Army), am living with the effects of cPTSD, and am an independent ex-forces researcher. We can chat if you like.......

Richard