Wheels Down: Adjusting to Life After Deployment

by Bret A. Moore, Carrie H. Kennedy

Overview

As a military service member, you’re looking forward to life after deployment and being back home among family and friends. But adjusting to "normal" life again can bring its own challenges. You’re not the same person you were when you left on deployment.

This book, written by military psychologists Moore and Kennedy, is a down-to-earth guide that’s full of practical advice. The authors talk straight about both the joys and challenges of returning home, advising that one size does NOT fit all when it comes to making the transition. They share thoughtful, constructive tips for dealing with unwanted surprises like relationship break-ups, financial problems, and kids who are suddenly strangers.

Experiences shared by many returning service members, like sleep disturbances, anger management, and learning to live with "hyperstartle," are also discussed. For those whose transition has been more difficult, chapters on identifying the signs of PTSD, living with disturbing memories, and seeking relief from suicidal thoughts are particularly valuable.

A final appendix is the definitive guide to support services for military members, with resources on everything from kid’s books to financial management websites.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433808722
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	08/15/2010
Series:	APA LifeTools Series
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Bret A. Moore, PsyD, ABPP, is a former active-duty U.S. Army psychologist and two-tour veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During his 27 months deployed to Iraq, he provided counseling to thousands of service members for problems such as depression, anger, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
 
He is the author and editor of three other books: Living and Surviving in Harm's Way, The Veterans and Active Duty Military Psychotherapy Treatment Planner, and Pharmacotherapy for Psychologists. Dr. Moore also writes a biweekly column titled Kevlar for the Mind, which is published in Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, and Marine Corps Times.
 
His views and opinions on military psychology have been quoted in USA Today, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, NPR, BBC, and CBC. Dr. Moore writes a regular blog on mental health topics for service members and their families. It can be found at The Camouflage Couch.
 
Carrie H. Kennedy, PhD, ABPP, is a lieutenant commander in the Medical Service Corps of the U.S. Navy. She currently serves as an aerospace psychologist at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute.
 
Dr. Kennedy is the U.S. Navy's only dual-designated clinical and aerospace experimental psychologist. She serves as the chair of the Conflict of Interest Committee for the National Academy of Neuropsychology, is the past chair of APA's Division 19 (Military Psychology) Ethics Consultation Committee, and serves as member-at-large of Division 19.
 
She is the coeditor of Military Psychology: Clinical and Operational Applications and Military Neuropsychology. She serves on the editorial boards of Military Psychology and Psychological Services.
 

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. The Homecoming
2. Anger: How Can It Be Healthy and Kill Me at the Same Time?
3. I Can't #&$%!Sleep!
4. The Deployment Wiped Me Out Financially
5. It Looks Like I'm Going to Be Single Again
6. My Child Has Changed
7. Is Deployment Different for Women?
8. Is My Substance Use or Gambling Out of Control?
9. Dealing With the Grief of Losing a Comrade
10. Living With Taking Another's Life
11. Ducking Under the Table: Learning to Live With Hyperstartle
12. What Is PTSD, Do I Have It, and What Can I Do About It?
13. What's All of This Talk About Mild Traumatic Brain Injury?
14. I'm Concerned About My Own Suicidal Thoughts or Those of Someone I Care About
15. Is It Possible That I've Changed for the Better Because of Combat?

Appendix: Resources for You and Your Family

Index

About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

Wheels Down is the best self-help book of its kind, easily a stand-alone guide filled with practical and reasoned tips for managing life after deployment. Beyond its no-nonsense flavor, the book also shines by showing how much military psychology has advanced in understanding and shaping the post-deployment lives of service personnel. If you are a clinician seeing returning military women and men, you owe it to yourself to read the book and make it available to them.—New England Psychologist (This text refers to the paperback edition.)

From the Publisher