| Military families face many trials and challenges because of the difficult and unpredictable lives they lead. Many civilians, including mental health professionals, are not familiar with the unique lifestyle and stressors faced by these families. Dr. Lynn K. Hall has written a work that is the first of its kind, bringing together the writings and research in areas of importance in understanding military culture to provide new insight into the world of the military family. Counseling Military Families begins with an overview of military life before delving into specific chapters on the unique circumstances of career service personnel and their spouses and children. Topics discussed include issues of the male psyche that dominate military history and culture, the common concerns of the constant relocations and deployment of the military parent, and situations faced by children who grow up in a military family. The final section presents treatment models and targeted interventions tailored for use with military families, all of which are based on a framework of working with grief, loss, and change issues that have been used successfully in practice for more than 25 years. Hall has created not only an invaluable guidebook for mental health professionals working with military families, but also a timely and revealing look into a culture unknown to so many on the outside. Book jacket. |