Counseling Special Operations Forces

In Counseling Special Operations Forces, seasoned therapist Wes Easley aims to bridge the gap in misunderstanding between the behavioral health community and those who served in our nation's most elite units. SEALs, Green Berets, Night Stalkers, and CIA operatives spend their careers constantly training and operating in the world's most hostile environments, mostly in secret. Due to the exclusive nature of special operations forces (SOF), little is known about what these elite warriors go through and the struggles they face when integrating into civilian and family life after years of continuously working at the highest levels of the military and dealing with life and death situations on an almost daily basis. Unfortunately, because SOF members are conditioned to never be the weak link, they rarely ask for the help they desperately need. When they do, they're usually at their breaking point—and one bad therapy session can prevent them from ever seeking help again. Yet all too often, mental health therapists are unable to help because they just don't know how. Counseling Special Operations Forces: What Clinicians Need to Know About SOF Operators, Veterans, and Their Families fills these gaps of cultural misunderstanding. Based on his experience working with SOF personnel, author Wes Easley explains the SOF lifestyle and culture, the different issues SOF members and their families most commonly face, and the various treatment methods clinicians can use and recommend to best help their SOF clients. Whether you're a mental health clinician, student, SOF servicemember, veteran, or a loved one of a SOF servicemember, Counseling Special Operations Forces is an accessible guide that will arm you with vital information that will allow you to better care for our nation's—and the world's—most elite warriors.