Week 7: Coping With Fear and Uncertainty Imagine if these stressful thoughts were recurring themes in your life Will she come home safe and in one piece? When will we be leaving? Will the kids be nice

Week 7: Coping With Fear and Uncertainty

Imagine if these stressful thoughts were recurring themes in your life

Will she come home safe and in one piece?

When will we be leaving?

Will the kids be nice in the next school?

I’ve never lived overseas. What if I don’t fit in?

Everyone experiences fear and uncertainty, especially military families as they transition to new places or watch their loved one deploy into hostile territory. This week, you examine how military families cope with fear and uncertainty.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Evaluate strategies for coping with fear and uncertainty
• Apply coping strategies

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Kees, M., & Rosenblum, K. (2015). Evaluation of a psychological health and resilience intervention for military spouses: A pilot study. Psychological Services, 12(3), 222-230.Pryce, J. G., Pryce, D. H., & Shackleford, K. K. (2012b). Warriors and families speak out [PDF]. In The costs of courage: Combat stress, warriors, and family survival (pp. 101–114). Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.The Costs of Courage: Combat Stress, Warriors, and Family Survival, 1st Edition by Pryce, J.; Pryce, D.; Shackelford, K. Copyright 2012 by Lyceum Books, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Lyceum Books, Inc. via the Copyright Clearance Center.Pryce, J. G., Pryce, D. H., & Shackleford, K. K. (2012a). Social work and military families [PDF]. In The costs of courage: Combat stress, warriors, and family survival (pp. 119–144). Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.The Costs of Courage: Combat Stress, Warriors, and Family Survival, 1st Edition by Pryce, J.; Pryce, D.; Shackelford, K. Copyright 2012 by Lyceum Books, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Lyceum Books, Inc. via the Copyright Clearance Center.DeCarvalho, L. T., & Whealin, J. A. (2012). Healing stress in military families: Eight steps to wellness. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.Step 4, “Empower” (pp. 47–60)Step 5, “Improve” (pp. 61–84)Wilson, S. R., Wilkum, K., Chernichky, S. M., MacDermid Wadsworth, S. M., & Broniarczyk, K. M. (2011). Passport toward success: Description and evaluation of a program designed to help children and families reconnect after a military deployment. Journal Of Applied Communication Research, 39(3), 223-249.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014c). Coping with fear and uncertainty [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 3 minutes.Accessible player --Downloads--Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload TranscriptProfessor Child (Producer). (2014). Children of military families [Video file]. Retrieved from http://professorchild.com/products-page/videos/children-military-families/ Professor Child (Producer) (2014). Children of Military Families [Motion picture]. USA: Professor Child.Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 46 minutes.Accessible player --Downloads--Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload TranscriptCredit: Provided by- Professor ChildStotter, P. L. (Producer), & Rock, M. (Director). (2011). Service: When women come marching home [Motion picture]. Retrieved from http://servicethefilm.com/index.phpStotter, P. (Producer), & Rock, M. (Director). (2012). Service: When Women Come Marching Home [Motion picture]. USA: Women Make Movies.Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 56 minutes.Accessible player --Downloads--Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload TranscriptCredit: Stotter, P. (Producer), and Rock, M. (Director). (2012). Service: When Women Come Marching Home [Motion picture]. USA: Women Make Movies.

Discussion: Fear and Uncertainty

With military life, there comes a great deal of fear and uncertainty: fear of handling deployments alone, fear of what may occur when a loved one is deployed into a combat zone, fear of death and dismemberment. How do I handle my veteran who is experiencing PTSD?

Uncertainty is another prevalent element as many families do not know where their next station will be, how the children will react to another school, or how they will manage friends or neighbors. Will there be enough housing? Do we have to find outside housing? Will I find another job?

As a helping professional, understanding the needs of military families and adequately supporting them through fear and uncertainty are necessary skills when working with military personnel, veterans, and their families.

For this Discussion, review the media, Coping With Fear and Uncertainty. Listen to both the Wilkinson family and the “Vietnam family.” How did these individuals cope with fear and uncertainty?

By Day 3

Post an explanation of one way the families coped with fear and uncertainty. Was it internal or external? From what type of support could these family members have benefited? What insights did you gain about these military families related to fear, uncertainty, or coping that you could apply to your future work?

Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.

By Day 5

Respond to two or more colleagues with your insights to any aspect of their posts.

Return to this Discussion to read the responses to your initial post. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

To complete your Discussion, click on Discussions on the course navigation menu, and select “Week 7 Forum” to begin.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:Week 7 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 5

To participate in this Discussion:Week 7 Discussion

Assignment: Coping Strategies

Children often experience fear and uncertainly related to military life. It can range from any of the following: Where am I going to live? Will I make new friends at my new school? Will I like the new school? Will my parent be okay when deployed? What happens if he or she comes home disabled? Or is killed? How do I deal with not having control over anything?

For this Assignment, think about how you might answer some of the aforementioned typical fears from a child or adolescent. This Assignment is an opportunity to be creative, which can be an essential tactic when working with children and adolescents. If you were providing psycho-educational information to children or adolescents about coping with fear and uncertainty, what might be an effective method?

Use one of the following suggested methods or one of your own to promote coping strategies related to fear and uncertainty:

• A short story
• A story or layout for a children’s book
• A PowerPoint presentation
• A brochure
• A pamphlet
• A game

Include the following in your method:

• An explanation of how you would normalize fear and uncertainty as it relates to military experience
• Ways to express feeling
• How and why to reach out for help
• How to cope with fear and uncertainty

Cite a scholarly resource to support your assignment.